Coach Mark Mariakis was finally able to smile after Chattanooga Christian put the finishing touches on an impressive nonregion win against Copper Basin. The host Chargers won 55-0 Friday night.
Chattanooga Christian (4-3) dominated both sides of the ball, putting the game away by halftime with a score of 41-0. The Chargers had 202 total yards in the first half, while limiting the Cougars (4-4) to 33 yards and one first down.
The win was especially satisfying to Mariakis after the past two weeks, when the Chargers lost two region games by a combined eight points.
“Our guys just hadn’t learned to finish ballgames,” Mariakis said. “So all week long we just talked about being physical. I thought tonight we came out physical.”
The Chargers leaned on senior Justin Wheeler for much of the first half. Wheeler had 13 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown, one catch for 23 yards and an interception. Ian Gaines had a hat trick with three touchdowns, while quarterback Matthew Mercer rushed for two touchdowns.
“We challenged our running backs to quit being tackled by arms,” Mariakis said. “It was a good response to two tough weeks, and I think we grew up some tonight.”
Wheeler’s performance provided more than just a victory for the Chargers after a pregame promise from Mariakis.
“Coach said that if we have someone rush for 100 yards that he would take the whole team to Golden Corral,” said Bret Bowman, a junior running back. When Mariakis told the team after the game that Wheeler had eclipsed that mark, the players went crazy.
The Chargers rested most of their starters in the second half, but the excitement was still there. Their sideline nearly erupted after a scoop and score by senior Ben Moore on defense came one play after a 56-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Matthew Neff to freshman Rashun Evans.
The Cougars did not advance the ball past midfield in the first half, and the Chargers took advantage of a fumble recovery on a kickoff in the first quarter. Chattanooga Christian gets back to region action next week in a road game against Red Bank.
Contact Kevin Llewallyn at sports@timesfreepress.com