BRIDGEVIEW – Roosevelt picked up its first win over a Division I opponent in impressive fashion, dominating Chicago State 44-28 on Saturday at SeatGeek Stadium.
Jaden Bossie became the first Lakers player in three years to rush for a touchdown and catch a touchdown in the same game. He ran for 142Â yards and a score then also caught three passes for 61 yards and a touchdown as an all-around threat for Roosevelt. Tony Chahino threw for three touchdown passes and a modest 236 yards in the win.
The Lakers (1-0) exploded for 24 points in the second quarter to blow open the game after a cagey first 15 minutes of action. Sean Sample hit a 24-yard field goal to cap off a 16-play opening drive before Roosevelt's defense forced a quick 3-and-out from the Cougars on the first possession.
On the 11th play of Roosevelt's third drive, Bossie caught a Chahino pass over the middle and sprinted past the Chicago State defenders for a 19-yard touchdown that gave Roosevelt the lead for good. The Lakers defense stuffed the Cougars on fourth down near midfield then Chahino and Bossie connected again for 38 yards to put Roosevelt in the red zone.
Two plays later, Chahino rolled out to his right and found Dylan Hendee wide open at the pylon and threw his second touchdown pass of the day. Before the Lakers faithful had time to finish celebrating, Keron Pryor re-ignited the cheers by catching a deflected pass and racing 28 yards to the end zone for a pick-six that put Roosevelt up 24-7.
Right before the half, Roosevelt's punt block team forced the Chicago State punter to fumble the snap and fall on it. The Lakers would tack on three more points to end the half with Sample connecting from 22 yards out for a 27-14 halftime edge.
Chicago State went 3-and-out to start the second half and Roosevelt quickly added to its lead with Bossie. The senior from Chicago broke off a 54-yard touchdown run up the left sideline after snaking through a pair of tackles. The Lakers' defense wasn't done yet, though, as Stacey Terry was able to jar the ball free on the Cougars' next possession and Derek Whaley returned it 38 yards deep into Chicago State territory.
The Lakers would settle for a field goal after the takeaway to extend their lead to 23 points. Whaley was back in the middle of the action to start the fourth quarter as he stepped in front of a Chicago State pass for a third Roosevelt takeaway of the game. The ensuing drive ended with a 27-yard rainbow from Chahino to CJ Hood, who was running so fast when he caught the pass on the run in the end zone that he nearly ran into the wall surrounding the field.
Terry had 12 tackles, including one of Roosevelt's five tackles for loss in the game, to lead the Lakers. Brandon Harvey added six tackles and Whaley made six stops as well on defense.
Roosevelt converted on both of its fourth down attempts and scored on all five of its trips into the red zone against the Cougars.
UP NEXT: Roosevelt remains on the road in the state of Illinois, traveling downstate to face Quincy on Saturday at 1 p.m.
