Brett Spour and Luke Bonnstetter seemed at ease in their new offensive roles Friday night, helping the Charleston Trojans dominate Herscher in the team’s football season opener, which was also coach Brian Halsey’s return to CHS.
Spour, who played quarterback last season, rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries – often carrying defenders along the way.
Bonnstetter, a receiver last season, completed 11 of 18 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. He showed poise under pressure, completing one pass after the ball was hiked on the ground toward him, and he also placed a tight throw into the far end zone just over the outstretched hands of a defender to Langdon King for a 19-yard score just five minutes into the game that put the Trojans ahead 14-0.
“They’re (Spour and Bonnstetter) special players,” Halsey said. “And I can’t say enough praises for Brett Spour. The kid never came off the field. He’s such a team guy. He plays 110 percent always. And I don’t care if it’s football or basketball or baseball, he’s a true Trojan. We go as he goes.”
CHS’s defense, meanwhile, dominated the interior, stuffing Herscher’s attempts at running up the middle. Herscher managed only 35 yards rushing on 19 carries, fewer than two yards an attempt.
“I felt pretty good about our performance tonight,” said CHS defensive coordinator Alex Koebele. “Guys that I thought would step up, did step up. This is the most veteran defense that I’ve ever had. And, you know, this was the first game with a new system. I thought we set the tone very well early.”
Halsey said he had lots of emotions after the game, his first on the CHS sidelines since 2014.
In his first tenure at CHS, Halsey’s teams went 75-75 between 2000-2014 with five Apollo Conference championships and seven state playoff appearances.
The team won a school-record 11 games and earned a Final Four appearance in 2011. The team rewrote the offensive and defensive record books in 2012, which is the program’s last playoff appearance.
“I’m sure it’s going to hit me a little more as the night goes on, as the weekend goes on,” Halsey said. “But it’s for the kids, first and foremost. And I wanted this win for my dad. I know he’s watching.”
Note: We’ll have a more in-depth analysis of the game, with more photos and insights from players and coaches later this weekend.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Herscher | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 – | 13 |
| Charleston | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 – | 42 |
Scoring plays
FIRST QUARTER
CHS: Malik Perry 2 yard run (Weber PAT), 8:10
CHS: Langdon King 19 yard reception from Luke Bonnstetter (Weber PAT), 5:01
SECOND QUARTER
CHS: Spour 16 yard run (Weber PAT), 11:13
CHS: Langdon King 48 yard reception (Weber PAT),2:03
THIRD QUARTER
HHS: Jaxon Ruder 22 yard pass from Tanner Jones (Danica Woods PAT), 6:24
CHS: Brett Spour 13 yard run (Max Weber PAT), 0:59
FOURTH QUARTER
HHS: Mason Roberts 24 yard pass from Tanner Jones (2-point conversion failed)
CHS: Ben Coffey 1 yard run (Max Weber PAT), 2:05
| TEAM STATS | CHS | OPP |
| First Downs | 20 | 8 |
| Total Yards | 365 | 197 |
| Rush Yards | 192 | 35 |
| Pass Yards | 173 | 162 |
| Passing | 11-18 | 10-24 |
| Sacked-Yards | 3-(-11) | 3-(-29) |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties | 7-55 | 7-54 |
| 3rd Down | 5-12 | 2-10 |
| 4th Down | 1-2 | 1-4 |
| Punts | 3-22 | 3-40 |
| Time of Poss. | 29:38 | 18:22 |
| Offensive Plays | 57 | 44 |
| Ave. Drive Start | 41 | 33 |
INDIVIDUAL STATS
| Charleston Rushing | Attempts | Yards | TD |
| Luke Bonstetter | 5 | -8 | 0 |
| Brett Spour | 18 | 142 | 2 |
| Malik Perry | 3 | 20 | 1 |
| Cody Bell | 6 | 19 | 0 |
| Ben Coffey | 4 | 18 | 1 |
| Alex Matheny | 1 | -3 | 0 |
| Ezekiel Hall | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Charleston Passing | Comp | Att | Yds |
| Luke Bonstetter | 11 | 18 | 173 |
| Charleston Receiving | Catches | Yards | TD |
| Gavin Drake | 1 | 25 | 0 |
| Jacob Roe | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Chet Shrader | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Langdon King | 3 | 85 | 2 |
| Luke Nelson | 3 | 41 | 0 |
| Aidan Archibald | 1 | -1 | 0 |
HERSCHER STATS
| Opponent Rushing | Attempts | Yards | TD |
| Tanner Jones | 5 | -1 | 0 |
| Kenneth Royal | 10 | 24 | 0 |
| Alek Draper | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| Mason Roberts | 2 | 13 | 0 |
| Opponent Passing | Comp | Att | Yds |
| Tanner Jones | 10 | 24 | 162 |
| Opponent Receiving | Catches | Yards | TD |
| Jaxon Ruder | 4 | 50 | 1 |
| Jarrett Wakey | 2 | 36 | 0 |
| Dylan Tobey | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mason Roberts | 3 | 76 | 1 |
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