After shredding its first four opponents by a combined score of 236-24, the Boerne Champion football was in for its first test of the season, and the Chargers passed it with flying colors after they defeated Austin Anderson at BISD Stadium, 61-32.
Chargers coach Blane Ellis said his team did well in the game where the starters played all four quarters.
“We talk about outside noise and what the world tells us, and the world has told us that we hadn’t played anybody, and this would be a test to figure out who the better team was,” he said. “Our expectations were to be dominant again and our guys did a good job of doing that.”
Champion fumbled on its first play of the game and fell behind 8-0 just a minute into the contest. Anderson took over at the Chargers 24 and took advantage of the short field and scored three plays later for the quick 8-0 lead.
Chargers quarterback Ryder Flugence said nobody panicked after they turned it over with a fumble on the first snap.
“We know ourselves, mistakes happen, and you don’t want those mistakes on the first play obviously, but we handled it tremendously and bounced back and went and scored on the next drive,” he said.
Champion bounced back in a big way as Flugence tossed touchdown passes to Will Burgess and Axton White to regain the lead at 14-8 midway through the first quarter. One of those touchdowns was set up by a Nixon Olfers fumble recovery.
Flugence took it to the house on Champion’s next drive on a 68-yard scamper and the Chargers were up 21-8.
The Chargers defense came up with the next score after Roman Flugence picked off a Trojans pass and returned it for a touchdown to make it 28-8. It’s the fourth Pick-6 TD by the defense this year.
After the Trojans got on the board with their second touchdown pass of the game from Cove Darbyshire to Gage Willis, Caleb Farias closed out the scoring in the first quarter with a 52-yard touchdown sprint and the Chargers took a 34-15 lead into the second stanza.
Things slowed down from there as the Trojans managed a field goal, but it was answered by another Ryder Flugence touchdown pass to White, and the Chargers held a 41-18 lead at halftime.
In their four previous wins, most of the Champion starters were out by the second half, but this time they played a full game and they finished strong.
Ryder Flugence threw two more TD passes in the third quarter, both to Zach Lopez and the Chargers had built a 55-18 lead and basically put it out of reach.
Trojans starting quarterback Darbyshire left with a shoulder injury and didn’t see the field in the second half, but Anderson still tallied a couple of late touchdowns. Willis had his third receiving touchdown of the night on the pass from Eli Elhert and then Elhert found Jay Fullmer on a 24-yard scoring strike.
Ryder Flugence ran it in from the 20 early in the fourth quarter to close out the Champion scoring as he tossed five TD passes and ran for two.
The Chargers remain perfect this season and improved to 5-0 (3-0 in district) and gave the Trojans (3-1, 1-1) their first loss of the season. Champion visits Lockhart Friday and then is off the following week.
