Charleston High School held onto a seven-point lead to beat Paris High School 25-18 Friday evening at Trojan Hill.
In a game that was close throughout, with four lead changes between the two teams, Charleston (2-0) extended its lead to seven with a 35-yard field goal by junior kicker and punter Max Weber with 1:32 to go in the fourth quarter.
A big kick return set the Paris Tigers (0-2) up at its own 40-yard line. The Tigers’ offense would march to the 25-yard line before the Trojan’s dug in defensively. On 3rd and 12 from Charleston’s 29-yard line, Paris senior quarterback and defensive back Drew Rogers took a shot at the end zone. Senior defensive back and quarterback Luke Bonnstetter made what would’ve been the game sealing interception, but he was unable to get a foot down in bounds and the pass was incomplete.
“If [the officials] would’ve said that was in bounds, I’m sure that would’ve been the best experience of my life,” Bonnstetter said. “Sadly, my feet are a little too big.”
The very next play would decide the game. Fourth down and 12 from the 29-yard line, Rogers threw over the middle and it was swatted to the ground by sophomore linebacker and running back Aiden Wayne. Paris turned the ball over on downs for the fifth time of the game, and the Trojans took a knee to seal the victory.
Charleston head coach Brian Halsey stated after the game that he was proud of his players effort, especially the team captains and senior leadership.
“We rode [the seniors] and they were solid, and I’m very pleased with that,” Halsey said.
Charleston got the ground attack working in the second half. The Trojans accumulated 121 yards on the ground in the final two quarters, compared to just 63 yards in the first half.
Senior running back and linebacker Ben Coffey got going, totaling 18 carries for 113 yards. His 37-yard rushing touchdown as time expired in the third quarter put Charleston ahead for good. The combination of his, and senior fullback and defensive end Marcellx Boling’s, effort allowed the Trojans to eat up 5:13 in the fourth quarter. Boling finished with 10 carries for 55 yards, adding a touchdown back in the first quarter.
Paris head coach Jeremy Clodfelder was proud of the way his team responded after a blowout loss in week one.
“I thought we did a really good job for most of the night, minus the one big one they kinda ripped off,” Clodfelder said. “I can’t ask any more from our players than the way they came out and competed tonight.”
Bonnstetter finished with 10 completions on 20 attempts for a total of 113 yards through the air. He found senior wide receiver and defensive end Chase Clough in the endzone midway through the second quarter for his first passing touchdown of the season.
For Paris, Rogers was 11-of-23 passing for 249 yards. He threw one touchdown and an interception. Senior running back and linebacker Mason Byrnes lead both teams in rushing, totaling 133 yards on 11 carries, he also had three receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown through the air. The Paris offense as a whole totaled 410 yards compared to Charleston’s 297 total yards.
Charleston will be back at home to take on Jersey Community High School next Friday at Trojan Hill. Kickoff for that game is set for 7 p.m.
Gabe Newman can be reached at 581-2812 or at ghnewman@eiu.edu.
