What We Saw: Coleman, Chester Pull Away From Powdersville

Brandon Stockdale November 3, 2023 @ 11:31 PM

CHESTER | When [player_tooltip player_id='997385' first='Elijah' last='Coleman'] (pictured above) gets rolling, he can be hard to stop.     He helped the Cyclones pull away for a 52-34 win over Powdersville on Friday night in the first round of the 3A playoffs. Chester head coach Victor Floyd had high remarks for the Touchstone Energy Bowl selection after his four touchdown night.   “Elijah continues to perform at a high level. The guys up front did a good job for him tonight but Elijah continues to play well and that's what we expect and we're excited about where we're going from here,” Floyd said.   The Cyclones came out and ran it with him early and often. He showed good speed and power on the first series, capping the drive with a 32-yard touchdown run to go up 7-0 with 9:18 to play in the first quarter.   Powdersville tried to go deep on their first drive, but the ball was high pointed and picked off by [player_tooltip player_id='771062' first='Reggie' last='Heath']. That led to a 39-yard [player_tooltip player_id='457973' first='Trooper' last='Floyd'] touchdown run on 3rd and 1 to put the Cyclones up 12-0 with 7:15 to play in the first quarter.   [player_tooltip player_id='209382' first='Jayden' last='Pepper'] was a bright spot for the Patriots with some nice north and south running in between the tackles and on the outside. [player_tooltip player_id='448984' first='Eli' last='Hudgins'] connected with Christopher Cruell on a 9-yard touchdown reception to get the visitors from the Upstate back in the game at 12-7 with 9:55 to play before the half.   The Patriots appeared to have some momentum after Chester was quickly forced into third down, but a 15-yard penalty extended the drive. And then Chester coach Victor Floyd called a fake punt as DJ Stevenson ran a route to the sideline and made the grab. It culminated with a 32-yard touchdown reception on a beautiful back shoulder throw and a great catch by Heath to extend the Cyclones' lead to 20-7 with 5:33 to play before the half.   The highlight play of the first half came late on 4th and 23 for Powdersville as Chester opted to bring the pressure and Hudgins connected with [player_tooltip player_id='1253958' first='Elijah' last='Huggins'] for the score from 40 yards out. Huggins beat the one-on-one coverage to cut into the Cyclones' lead at 20-14, heading into the locker room.   BACK AND FORTH   Powdersville came out after halftime and picked up right where they left off. Aided by two Chester personal fouls, they were able to get into Cyclone territory before Hudgins punched it in from 6 yards out to take their first lead of the night at 21-20 with 11:12 to play in the third quarter.   The connection between Floyd and Heath was evident throughout the evening. They connected on a 15-yard completion, which led to an [player_tooltip player_id='771067' first='Antonio' last='Hopkins'] ran it in for a 5-yard touchdown run to retake the lead at 28-21 with 6:04 left in the third period following a successful two-point conversion.   The fireworks continued as Cruell took the ensuing kickoff back into Chester territory. Powdersville converted on 4th down. Again. This time Keegan Reid came off the bench and connected with Jack Hunsinger for a 31-yard touchdown reception with 5:04 left in the third quarter, tying the contest at 28.   The two teams would trade scores two more times early in the fourth quarter with Hopkins scoring again, this time on a 12-yard run and [player_tooltip player_id='209382' first='Jayden' last='Pepper'] scoring on a short run as Chester maintained a 36-34 lead with 7:31 to play in the contest. Something has to give, right?   Powdersville opted to bring pressure on Floyd, but he was able to buy himself some time and find Coleman in the middle of the field for a 65-yard catch and run touchdown. That gave the Cyclones some breathing room as they took a 44-34 lead with 6:44 left in the game. Coleman would punch it in one more time late in the contest to close the scoring.   Floyd knew that the Patriots had been in close games and he knew their work would be cut out for them.   “It's close to what we expected. Powdersville has played well offensively all year. They've been in a couple of (shootouts). Abbeville was a shootout (and it was a) one point loss so they're a good team. Glad our guys kept fighting. We did some things that were a little uncharacteristic but we were able to overcome it. At this point in the year, it's about surviving and advance,” Floyd said.   Chester travels to Chapman next week in Round 2 of the 3A playoffs.

CHESTER | When Elijah Coleman Elijah Coleman 5'9" | 200 lbs | RB Clover | 2024 State SC (pictured above) gets rolling, he can be hard to stop.