Cardinals soar past Eagles in season opener

Adamsville started the 2010 football season with a 27-17 victory over Chester County in their matchup on Friday night. The Cardinals jumped in front by a score of 21-3 through the first three quarters and held off the Eagles in the final quarter to pick up the victory.

Chester County struck first in the opening quarter with a 35-yard field goal in final minute of the quarter. Adamsville responded midway through the second quarter with a 73-yard touchdown pass from Bradley Melton to Justin Shoate. Shoate shook off several defenders inside the 10-yard line to cross into the end zone. Dustin Plunk added the PAT to give the Cardinals a 7-3 advantage.

Adamsville wouldn’t relinquish the lead the rest of the night. The Cardinals added a 57-yard touchdown pass later in the second quarter. Melton connected for the touchdown pass to Nate Garner on a third-and-16 pass play. Justin Salazar kicked the extra-point to give the Cardinals a 14-3 lead at halftime.

The Cardinals added to their lead in the third quarter. Melton connected on his third touchdown pass of the night at the 8:13 mark of the quarter. This time the recipient of the pass was Stephen Jackson on a 24-yard pass. After the PAT from Plunk, the Cardinals had a 21-3 lead. Chester County cut into the lead early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles scored on an 8-yard run to cut the lead to 21-9.

The Eagles tried some trickery on the ensuing kickoff, but the Cardinals were ready for the surprise. Garner fielded an onsides kick by Chester County on the 42-yard line and returned the ball for a Cardinal touchdown. The point-after attempt was no good, but the Cardinals still held a 27-10 lead with only 3:15 remaining in the game.

Chester County added a touchdown in the final minute of play to set the final score at 27-17. Melton only completed three passes in the game, but each of them went for Cardinal touchdowns. The senior quarterback totaled 154 yards in the air.

Senior running back Jamel Sanders led the Cardinals rushing attack with 107 yards on 16 carries. Sanders picked up 91 yards on just nine carries in the final two quarters for Adamsville.

Chase Gunn and John Blakely each had six total tackles to lead the Cardinals against Chester County. Josh Chappell, Hayden Reese, and Kasey Hurley each had five total stops in the game. Kameron McDaniel had an interception for Adamsville.