FORT SCOTT — Staying on the inside lane in the race for an SEK League title, the Chanute Blue Comets took down the Fort Scott Tigers, 24-12, in Week 6 football action on the road.
Chanute’s offense was one-yard shy of being a perfect 50-50 blend of run and pass with the Blue Comets tallying 181 rushing yards and 180 through the air.
Chanute quarterback Kris Harding II completed 14-of-17 passes for 180 yards while also leading the Blue Comets in rushing with 88 yards on 11 carries. Harding II totaled two touchdowns.
“We did a good job of staying balanced on offense and keeping Fort Scott on their heels,” Chanute head coach Clete Frazell said. “Kris had a really good night and we turned him loose a little more. Some of our young receivers made some nice plays. It was one of those games where it was hard to put a bunch of points up because Fort Scott did a good job of eating clock and keeping our offense off the field.”
Jacob Thompson hauled in five catches for 62 yards and a score.
“He had a heck of a game and he’s tough,” Frazell said. “He just battled. He’s catching balls in traffic, he’s turned into a heck of a football player. He is not scared of going over the middle and making catches. That’s something we need.”
Thompson’s touchdown came on a 20-yard strike from Harding II as part of a no-huddle two-minute drill at the end of the first half. That score gave the Blue Comets a 12-6 halftime edge.
“We got the ball back and we had to go 70 yards. We started with quarterback draw and got 20 yards on it, then we got into our no huddle,” Frazell said. “It was awesome to execute that. It’s something you practice every week. Seeing it work is pretty nice.”
Jalen Duncan and Jordan Patterson each added rushing scores while Duncan had 73 yards on 15 carries.
Asher Love and Bo Small each led Chanute with 10 tackles, while Small added an interception.
Chanute improved to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in SEK League play with the win while Fort Scott dropped to 1-5 overall.
Up next
Chanute stays on the road for its final two regular season contests.
The Blue Comets face the Pittsburg Purple Dragons in Week 7. A Week 8 road tilt against the Labette County Grizzlies in Altamont will be for a chance to secure an outright league crown.
“I just want to keep playing well,” Frazell said. “Pittsburg looks the part and they’ve got some physicality. They get after it on defense and bring pressure to try and confuse you. We want to play well to give ourselves a chance to win it. Then it’s a big game against Labette County for the league title. But we’ve just got to prepare this week.”
