Ramberg, Nelson Each Find the End Zone Three Times as Hawks Outlast Power Dutton/Brady 50-46

By Chad Smith / HLSN Sports

Chester-Joplin-Inverness celebrated a packed homecoming weekend Friday night with a game that had a little bit of everything, and in the end the Hawks needed every bit of it. They managed to hold off Power Dutton/Brady 50-46 at the CJI Football Field in a back-and-forth affair that came down to the final possession. The crowd was a big factor down the stretch, with screaming fans filling the bleachers and lining the fence from end zone to end zone, helped by the game coinciding with the community's annual Hi-Line Harvest Festival which is going on this weekend.

CJI built an early 6-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Titans answered with a big second quarter of their own and led 30-28 at halftime. The Hawks regained the lead in the third quarter on the strength of a defensive score, with senior Ryan Ramberg intercepting a Titans pass and returning it 76 yards for a touchdown, part of a swing that pushed CJI ahead 36-30 heading into the fourth. Neither offense let up from there, with the two teams trading scores deep into the final quarter.

With less than two minutes remaining and CJI trailing 46-42, the Hawks put together a drive that will be remembered for a while. It culminated with Avery DeVries connecting with Levi Nelson on a long touchdown pass with 50 seconds on the clock to make it 48-46, and Nelson then kicked the PAT to make it 50-46. The defense then held off a determined Titans drive that ended with DeVries intercepting a Vick pass on the Titans' final play to seal the win after the clock had run out. It was as tense and dramatic a final stretch as CJI has played all season, rivaling the intensity of last year's double-overtime state championship win.

Ramberg's night was one for the highlight reel. In addition to his pick-six, he caught two of Avery DeVries' touchdown passes, giving him three total touchdowns on the evening. DeVries was efficient in a shootout that demanded it, completing 7 of 13 passes for 71 yards and three touchdowns, and adding a rushing touchdown of his own late in the fourth quarter to help CJI answer a Titans score. Junior Levi Nelson matched Ramberg's three touchdowns, carrying the ball 19 times for 209 yards and two rushing touchdowns, including a 43-yard long, then hauling in the decisive fourth-quarter touchdown pass. Nelson also handled placekicking duties, making three of five PAT attempts, and opened the game with a first-quarter interception on defense, giving him a hand in 24 of CJI's 50 points. Senior Dane Grammar handled CJI's kickoffs, six of them for a 48.7-yard average and three touchbacks.

CJI's defense was impressive as well. Nelson and Ramberg led the team in tackles, each finishing in double digits, Nelson with 11 and Ramberg with 10, to go with their big nights on offense. Shane Woods and Avery DeVries were a constant presence in the Titans' backfield, pressuring Vick on play after play. Jace Ramberg, Woods, and Jaxon Buffington each recorded a sack, and Buffington's came at a key moment in the second quarter, forcing a fourth-and-28 the Titans couldn't convert and shifting the momentum of the game in that period.

Power Dutton/Brady made the Hawks work for every point. Titans quarterback Mason Vick had a big night through the air, throwing for 350 yards and six touchdowns spread across four different receivers, keeping the Titans in the game and forcing CJI to answer possession for possession all night. It was exactly the kind of tightly contested, high-scoring game that makes Friday Night Lights such an exciting and integral part of the fabric of this community, just like it is for so many small communities all across the nation.

Coach Jim Vinson said the finish, while thrilling, is something he would like to clean up going forward.

"You definitely want to run more time off the clock than we did when we scored with 50 seconds left," Vinson said. "But against a quality opponent like that, when you get an opportunity to take it and run with it, that's what you do."

Despite the games turned in by Ramberg and Nelson, Vinson was reluctant to single out any one performer, instead crediting the group up front and the depth that stepped in behind the starters.

"The way we moved the ball offensively, I give credit to the big boys up front," Vinson said. "And when we had to spread it out, some of the younger guys came in and did a phenomenal job. We had one drive all game that we didn't score on."

Vinson also had plenty of respect for the opponent. Power Dutton/Brady came into the game with two losses, against top teams West Yellowstone and DGSG, teams Vinson considers quarterfinal or semifinal caliber.

"You throw the records away on a team like that," Vinson said. "They played a great game, and I think they'll have no problem winning their conference. It might be a matchup we get to see again in the quarterfinals if we do what we're supposed to do this year."

The homecoming festivities extended well beyond the final score. Seniors Dane Grammar and Kyra Anderson were crowned homecoming king and queen at halftime, sashed and crowned by first-graders Kershaw Hendrickson and Blake Fraser.

The halftime break also included a special recognition of the 1966 Chester Coyotes basketball team, marking 60 years since that squad finished as Class B state runner-up in Glendive, the highest placement of any Chester basketball team during the school's time in that classification. The 1966 team won its divisional championship and beat Thompson Falls and Circle at state before falling to Cut Bank in the championship game, and Friday's ceremony recognized several living members of that team along with its cheer squad, honoring the way that group's success helped set the stage for the multiple state championships Chester and CJI teams have won since.

Halftime also included the FFA's annual 'Kiss the Critter' fundraiser, in which students vote with donations for one of four staff members, with the top vote-getter kissing a sheep at midfield. Social studies teacher Rhonda Petersen took the honors this year.

The win improves CJI to 3-1 on the season. The Hawks will look to keep it going September 25, when they host Burlington, Wyoming, at home for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

For more action photos from this evening's game and festivities click the link below:
https://gallery.chadsmith.photography/?r=533389