CJI Hawks Look to Regroup at Home After Opening Loss to Rangers

A rematch of last fall's 6-Man state championship game did not go the way the Chester-Joplin-Inverness Hawks hoped.

The defending state champions traveled to Grass Range on Saturday, August 29, and were shut out 47-0 by Grass Range-Winnett, the same team CJI beat 46-38 in double overtime last November to claim the title. It was a rough start to the season for a Hawks team that entered with plenty to replace from that championship roster.

CJI graduated quarterback Ryland St. John and standout Cooper Streit, its two most impactful players from a season ago, with Streit's interception in the second overtime sealing last year's title. Streit is now playing college football on scholarship at Montana Technological University. The Hawks were also without junior all-state player Blake Johnson, who is out for the season with an injury, another key piece unavailable as CJI tries to defend its title.

Grass Range-Winnett led just 8-0 after the first quarter before pulling away with 30 points in the second, capped by a touchdown catch from Randy Olson. Olson accounted for a touchdown passing, rushing, and receiving on the day, while his younger brother Ryan added two rushing scores of his own. Grass Range-Winnett coach Jaxon Allen credited his team's offseason focus on cohesion for the fast start, though he was quick to downplay the significance of the result.

"This game is meaningless. It's non-conference, no playoff implications," Allen said. "Yes, we want to do well, but the focus in camp was just getting cohesive and fluid. We're a really evenly keeled team in terms of talent."

CJI head coach Jim Vinson did not shy away from the result in a phone interview this week, placing the responsibility for the loss on himself rather than his players. He said the issues weren't a lack of effort so much as a lack of consistency, with players not always executing their assignments on the same play.

"There were things that were done right, but all in all, we talk to our athletes that every player, every play, has to do their one-sixth of what we need to do to make it a perfect play," Vinson said. "That's where we didn't perform well. It seemed like there were plays where some guys were doing what they were supposed to and others weren't. That comes back on me, making sure we play to perfection to get the result we want. It's going to take time and effort to turn the direction of the ship."

He also pointed to last year's regular-season loss to Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine as a reminder that an early setback doesn't have to define the season, so long as the response is right. That game, an 86-36 defeat at home on September 5, 2025, came with both teams unbeaten and ranked 1-2 in the state's 6-Man poll, and it cost CJI the top spot in the rankings. The Hawks used it as a launching point toward the state title three months later.

"It's hard to take a loss like that, especially with a team that holds itself to a high standard," Vinson said. "The first thing that has to be adjusted is the mindset. We have to allow ourselves to move forward without dwelling on what happened, but also use it as fuel to get better. At this point, it's not just game by game, it's practice by practice, minute by minute, making sure we're doing everything we can to get better and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Vinson emphasized that roster turnover is part of every season, and that his coaching staff will use the week to make corrections.

"I've always said, when you take a loss like that, it falls back on me," Vinson said. "I felt we were prepared, and obviously we weren't. I didn't have the kids ready to go. That will change. Every year the dynamics of a team are different. Every team loses seniors, every team has to reload and regroup. We were humbled in week one, and it's up to us as a coaching staff to make the adjustments, correct the errors, and be ready for what's next."

CJI will look to bounce back Saturday when it hosts Jordan's Garfield County Mustangs at home. The Mustangs enter the game 1-0 after a 64-32 road win over Lambert/Richey on August 28. Vinson said the matchup presents a similar challenge to the one his team just faced.

"Jordan has a very similar quarterback to what we saw in Randy Olson last week," Vinson said. "They're a very athletic team. Actually, they're one of the teams I predicted to be at the top of 6-man football before the season started. They're a very good football team, and it should be a good game. But I think we're capable. I think we have the personnel to go out and play a great game against these guys, and it's up to us to make the changes and be ready to go on Saturday."

Kickoff between CJI and Jordan is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at the CJI Hawks football field.