Chatham misses opportunities in loss to Tunstall

DRY FORK — Teams that hang around can often be trouble. Luckily for Tunstall, Chatham could never turn the corner and the Cavaliers’ missed opportunities helped Tunstall roll to a 27-8 victory on Friday night.

Down 7-0 in the second quarter, Chatham drove 69 yards down to the Tunstall 1-yard line. Yet, a false start on first down pushed the ball back, and the Cavaliers failed to punch it through on the next four plays thanks to a big goalline stand by Tunstall’s defense.

Although Chatham (0-2) came away with a safety on Tunstall’s ensuing possession, the Cavaliers would have preferred a seven- or eight-point score instead of the two-point safety.

“It’s stuff like that just absolutely kills you,” Chatham coach Malon Dalton said.

The Cavaliers got the ball back on a free kick following the safety, but they fumbled the possession away on the second play from scrimmage.

When momentum seemed to be shifting back into Chatham’s favor in the second half after Justin Adams’ touchdown closed the gap to 14-8, the Cavaliers couldn’t seize the moment. The gobbled up a Tunstall fumble only to give it right back. Tunstall’s Dre Thomas forced a fumble on a blindside hit to quarterback Cam McClellan and defensive lineman Allan Broadnax scooped it up and ran it in 31 yards for a touchdown in the final seconds of the third quarter.

“He was at the right place at the right time to pick it up,” Tunstall coach Buddy Brown said of his 6-foot-1, 286-pound senior. “I’m glad he did. That was a big lift there.”

That play seemed to be the final nail for Chatham.

“That really hurt us,” Dalton said. “We set up a big play and it was there, but they brought a guy from the edge. They capitalized on the situation.”

Tunstall (2-1) had its fair share of chances to put the game away. They took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a 3-yard quarterback sneak by Tae Gunter. And Justin Williams’ 43-yard touchdown run just before halftime certainly made the Trojans feel good going into the locker room.

“It gave us a little boost,” Brown said.

However, other than their first scoring drive, Tunstall struggled to move the ball in the first half. They had just one first down the rest of the half. In the second half, the fumbled their first two possessions away before Williams scored for the second time.

“We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot,” Brown said. “You can’t do that. When you let a team hang around, they can make a run on you. We were fortunate.”

Williams finished with 18 carries for 142 yards. He also had a 74-yard touchdown run called back on a holding penalty.

Adams led Chatham’s offense with 20 carries for 73 yards.

“I think we played hard, but we weren’t right there on the execution,” Dalton said. “The consistency needs to be there.”

Chatham did improve its ball security. Last week against Randolph-Henry, the Cavaliers lost six fumbles, including four in the first quarter. Against the Trojans, they only fumbled it away twice.