First quarter: Gates Chili wins the toss and defers; Hilton elects to receive the opening kickoff.

   Short kickoff and an 11-yard return by Jeffrey Stanton. Hilton takes possession at its own 30. QB Duell Smith picks up seven yards on a second-down play for the first down, but the drive fizzles quickly with an incompletion and a screen for no gain.

   Punt rolls dead, Gates Chili will start at its own 25.

   The Spartans fare no better on their first possession. Rickey Stevens goes for 14 yards on first down, but three more runs only gain six yards. Duell Smith fair catches the punt at Hilton's 29.

   Third play of the drive is an interception. Smith rolled right from him 40, looking for David Smith. Gates Chili's Derek Rafter steps in front of the throw and returns it to the Hilton 36.

   This possession doesn't go any better for Gates Chili, with Adam Wacenske throwing two incompletions and the Spartans turning it over on downs at the Hilton 35.

   Three runs and a personal foul move Hilton into Spartans territory at the 31. Two incompletions wrapped around an illegal procedure kill the drive. The punt trickles into the end zone.

   Gates Chil gains 15 on Adam Wacenske's throw to Elijah Thomas on a swing to the right. Two plays later, chaos breaks out as Stevens gains 10 and loses possession of the ball, with Hilton's Matt Shickler appearing to recover. But the officials rule the ball down by contact; Hilton coach Rick Lipani storms onto the field and Hilton is assessed a sideline warning. Hilton burns a timeout to regroup.

   End of quarter.

   Second quarter: Gates Chili drive continues with the Spartans running repeatedly to the left side, picking up three first downs for a 1st-and-10 at the 14. Three Stevens carries sets up first and goal from the 2, and he plunges into the end zone on the next carry.

   Extra point by Wacenski is good. Gates Chili leads, 7-0, with 7:25 to play in the half.

   Hilton storms back starting with 36 yards on the kickoff return by Adam Gruschow. Duell Smith hits Jeffrey Stanton over the middle for 18 yards on third down. Two plays later, he hits David Smith for 27 yards with the receiver and DB Malcolm Frazier coming down together with possession.

   That sets up first and goal at the 9, and Duell Smith scores three plays later from a yard out. Smith also kicks the extra point. Hilton 7, Gates Chili 7 with 3:17 left.

   The Hilton momentum lasts until the the ensuing kickoff, a wormburner returned 62 yards by the Spartans' Reggie Pressley to give Gates Chili first down at the Hilton 17. Elijah Thomas plows in three plays later from the 2. Wacenske adds the extra point. Gates Chili 14, Hilton 7 with 2:00 left in the half.

   Another solid kick return, this time 35 yards by Adam Gruschow to the Hilton 40. Duell Smith is intercepted by Wacenske on a third-and-16; a long return is offset by a blocking from behind infraction, but Gates Chili will take over on the Hilton 48 with 43 seconds left in the half.

   Stevens runs of 7, 8 and 9 yards -- again exploiting Hilton's right side of the defense -- open the drive and set up second down at the 24, but the drive fizzles on an incompletion ddep intended for Chad Dillard and a two-yard loss by Stevens with nine seconds left. A last-gasp throw for Dillard deep right is off the receivers finger tips in the end zone, ending the half. The Spartans passed up what would have been a 43-yard field-goal attempt into a bit of a breeze.

   End of the first half, with Gates Chili holding a 14-7 lead.

   Third quarter: Dillard returns the kick 22 yards to the 24. Two short Stevens runs, then the speedy senior takes a pitch to the right, cuts back to the left and rips off a 69-yard TD run. Wacenske kicks the extra point. Gates Chili 21, Hilton 7 with 10:27 to go.

   Gates Chili catches Hilton off guard with a pooch kick recovered at the 34 by Derek Rafter. This could be a back-breaker if the Spartans cash it in.

   One fullback plunge and then five Stevens carries gets the ball to the Hilton 4. Wacenske stumbles over the right guard's feet on a third-down snap, spins and lunges toward the end zone, hitting paydirt from four yards out. Wacenske kicks the point. Gates Chili 28, Hilton 7 with 6:44 left.

   Another pooch kick, but Hilton recovers. Duell Smith hits Stanton for a couple of first downs to the Gates Chili 25, but Stevens steps in front of a pass for Gruschow for an interception on the left sideline at the 4 with 4:55 left in the quarter.

   Stevens exits for a well-deserved rest, but that's no break for Hilton. Gates goes 96 yards in eight plays, the last a 31-yard rip off left tackle by Nick DiMartino for the score. He had 52 yards in the drive. Wacenske kicks his fifth point of the game. Gates Chili 35, Hilton 7 with :44 left in the quarter.

   Stevens has 29 carries for 220 yards through three quarters, unofficially.

   We're declaring this one over but will update with the status at five-minute intervalsduring the fourth quarter.

   Fourth quarter: The teams traded TDs midway through the fourth.

   Gates Chili went up, 41-7, on Wacenske's 14-yard run with 8:38 left. The conversion kick failed. Duell Smith responded with an 8-yard TD pass to David Smith with 7:12 left to cut it to 41-13 after the conversion pass failed.

   Gates Chili must be up over 400 yards on the ground today.

   The final score was Gates Chili 41, Hilton 21.

   The Cadets added a final TD with :39 left on a Duell Smith 21-yard throw to David Smith, with a Smith-to-Stanton conversion throw.

   The Spartans will play Webster Schroeder or Marshall in next weekend's final.

HOME | BLOG | RANKINGS | BRACKETS | REFERENCE | KERR CUP | ABOUT US

©2007-19 Abbott Trento Online Media. All rights reserved. Contact us via e-mail.