CHADRON, Neb. – During arguably the most exciting and important game the Chadron State College football team has played in nearly two decades, the Eagles pulled out a 27-24 victory over the Western Colorado Mountaineers when senior Wilson Yee kicked a walk-off 47-yard field goal in overtime Saturday afternoon in Chadron.

The pulsating victory keeps the Eagles in a deadlock for first place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings heading into next Saturday's regular season finale on the road versus CSU Pueblo. Both Chadron State and Pueblo are now 8-0 in the conference after the ThunderWolves also won in OT, 41-34 over Colorado School of Mines, making next Saturday's clash a winner-take-all showdown for the RMAC championship.

The victory was Chadron State's seventh in 13 overtime contests all-time and is the most significant since the Eagles edged Abilene Christian 76-73 in the third OT during an NCAA Division II playoff game in Chadron on Nov. 24, 2007.

The Eagles went deep down the roster for contributors to come from behind after Western Colorado took a two-touchdown first-quarter lead. Cornerback Aiden Kuester, a fill-in making his second start of the season, came away with two interceptions. Zachary Kapushion, an early-career quarterback turned reserve tight end, blocked a punt on his Senior Day.

Jake Marschall, last season's leading rusher who entered Saturday with nine carries all season, had a team-high 16 and put the Eagles on his back in the second half. And quarterback DJ Ralph, who exited with a concussion during what would become the first of what is now an eight-game win streak with Aidan Thompson at QB, stepped back into the starting lineup and made enough plays for CSC to take down Western Colorado for the first time since 2018.

All together, the Eagles blocked two kicks, intercepted two passes and recovered a Western fumble during the game. 

With a brisk west wind at their backs, the Mountaineers jumped out to their 14-0 first quarter lead. The visitors scored on their opening possession by completing three of four passes, the final one a 24-yard hook up between quarterback Drew Nash and tight end Kai Goetze. Adam Tasel kicked the extra point.

The teams then exchanged punts, but Chadron State's kick into the wind went only 28 yards and Western's with the wind at its back went 54 yards and bounded out of bounds at the Eagles' own five-yard line.

Ralph attempted to pass out of the end zone, but the ball was tipped by a Mountaineers' defensive lineman and safety Blake Nieslanik made a diving catch at the four. Two plays later, Nash dumped a short pass to Ramon Ruiz for a 3-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 6:17 left in the opening quarter after the PAT was added.

The Eagles also converted a turnover into their first points. About three minutes into the second quarter, the Mountaineers completed a 15-yard pass, but a hard hit by CSC safety Dax Yeradi jarred the ball free and classmate Sutton Pohlman recovered it at midfield. 

The Eagles picked up two first downs, but after Ralph was sacked, they had to settle for a 50-yard field goal by Yee. It was the sixth 50-plus-yard field goal of Yee's career, topped by his school-record 61-yarder from 2023.

Yee also attempted a 52-yard field goal that tailed off to the right with four minutes left in the second stanza. But the Eagles got the ball back with 1:40 remaining before halftime, and on third down, Ralph and wide receiver Tommy Thomas hooked up on a 53-yard dazzling touchdown play. 

On a deep ball down the right side, Thomas caught the ball over his outside shoulder while he was well-covered and running at full stride about midway in his jaunt to the end zone. Yee's extra point made the score 14-10.

Benefitting from the blocked punt by Kapushion,  the Eagles capitalized on the short field early in the third period to take the lead for the first time. The Eagles took possession at the Western 13 and nickel and dimed their way to the end zone. Ralph again went to the reliable Thomas for the TD, which this time was a three-yard lob while both were running to their right. With two touchdowns on the day, Thomas now has 14 receiving scores on the season, second in the RMAC. He has scored a touchdown in eight consecutive games.

Crucially, Mountaineers' defensive standout Ricky Freymond blocked Yee's extra point attempt after the senior had been perfect on his first 33 conversions this fall, keeping CSC's lead to just two points at 16-14. 

Late in the third frame, Western retook the lead at 17-16 when Tasei kicked a 34-yard field goal. But the Eagles cashed in on another Western turnover early in the fourth quarter.  

Backed up at their own five-yard line by Brodie Eisenbraun's 46-yard punt, Nash's pass was intercepted by Kuester at the Mountaineers' 15. Ralph's nine-yard dash on a keeper was the longest play of the drive while Jake Marschall, who suffered a broken ankle early in last year's game in Gunnison, leaped over the Western defenders from inside the one for a lead-changing touchdown with 9:34 still on the clock.

The Eagles then unveiled another well-designed play while making up for the missed extra point in the third quarter. Thomas took a handoff from Ralph while running to his right, then passed to fellow receiver Rollin George III in the back of the end zone to put CSC ahead 24-17.

However, this game was far from being over. With just 1:55 left to play in regulation, the Mountaineers used only four plays to drive 77 yards and tie the score. The first was a 30-yard pass from Nash to DJ Allen Jr. and the last was a 38-yard bomb to Blake Kramer in the end zone after he'd gotten behind the CSC defender. Tasel's PAT with 1:18 left on the clock tied the score at 24-24.

There were plenty of tense moments for the large crowd of Chadron State fans. After receiving the ensuing kickoff, the Eagles were forced to punt with 42 seconds remaining.

Nash, last season's First Team All-RMAC who had completed 63 percent of his passes for more than 2,000 yards and 23 touchdowns this fall entering Saturday's game, soon hit Kramer with a 37-yard pass to help set up a 46-yard field goal attempt on the final play of regulation, but the Eagles came up with another blocked kick to send the game into overtime.

Western had possession at the 25-yard line to open the extra session. On the first play, Nash threw a lengthy pass, which was intercepted by Kuester at about the five-yard line. Kuester's two interceptions, the first of his young career, equals the number of interceptions that Nash had thrown in his first nine games this season.

The Eagles took their turn on the 25 and ran the ball twice for minus five yards before turning their fortunes over to Yee, who they knew had plenty of leg to win the game. That's what he did. Yee's 47-yard boomer will long be remembered for clinching one of Chadron State's most dramatic and notable victories. 

With Nash completing eight of 14 passes for 136 yards in the fourth quarter, he finished the day with by connecting on 25 of 53 tosses for 300 yards and three TDs for the game's offensive stats lead. The Mountaineers had to throw the ball because they managed just 38 yards on 21 rushing plays against the rugged CSC defense. 

Linebackers Logan O'Brien and Cooper Walton led the Eagles in tackles with 10 apiece. Ryder True had 1.5 sacks. 

The title game between Chadron State and CSU Pueblo is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. next Saturday, November 15 from the ThunderBowl in Colorado.