MCPHERSON — Eating their first loss of the football season, the Chanute Blue Comets fell to McPherson Bullpups, 42-12, on Friday night in Week 3.
“They were a physical team that had a lot of upperclassmen on the field. They just beat us in all phases of the game,” Chanute head coach Clete Frazell said. “We’ve got to polish some things up. But McPherson is a good football team that will win some playoff games. We want to learn the most when we lose.”
McPherson’s offense tallied 467 total yards as the Blue Comets’ defense struggled to get off the field.
McPherson led Chanute, 21-6, at halftime and matched that effort in the second half.
“We just didn’t stop any of their stuff,” Frazell said. “They got after us upfront. McPherson’s offensive line is pretty good and they moved us around. They got to our linebackers in the second level, and we didn’t get off blocks to make plays.”
Chanute’s offense tallied 310 yards. “We did some good things on offense, we just stalled out,” Frazell said. “We lost our chance to score some touchdowns and make it a shootout.”
Jalen Duncan ran for 119 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns, one of them coming from 60 yards out.
“He’s pretty darn good,” Frazell said. “He was a little limited in the first two games. But he had a really nice run where he outran some dudes. He hit another gear and took it all the way. He did some nice stuff — broke tackles and ran for a lot of yardage after contact.”
Kris Harding II completed 10-of-22 passes for 105 yards.
“We talked about how this is definitely the type of game that makes us better, regardless of outcome,” Frazell said. “I thought if we played well, we’d have a chance to win. And that wasn’t the case. But this type of game helps us more than going and playing a lesser opponent and beating them, 55-0. This is a playoff type of game that was a learning experience. The kids understand that it has value.”
Up next
Chanute hits the road again to face Nemaha Central.
“They only lost a couple of guys from their team that lost in the state title game last year,” Frazell said. “They’re monstrous on film. They’re huge and physical and athletic. It’s rare for a 2A school to have the kids they have. They’ve got some special athletes that can beat 95% of the state in football, regardless of class. They’re a dang good team. They always make things hard for you. They eliminate big plays. And they’re a challenging team to stop.”
