By: Paxton RItchie
CSC Sports Information Director
CHADRON, Neb. – For the second consecutive week, Chadron State football faced a top 10 nationally-ranked opponent, and for the second consecutive week, the Eagles suffered a 20-plus-point defeat, as the No. 5/7-ranked CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves beat the Eagles 33-6 at Elliott Field at Don Beebe Stadium on Saturday.
The ThunderWolves (4-0, 2-0 RMAC) scored in every quarter of a lengthy game that featured multiple postponements, including a weather/lightning delay of over two hours, before it was completed.
Chadron State (1-3, 0-2 RMAC) received two more field goals from Shay Prichard from 49 and 37 yards for its points and blocked two Pueblo kicks on the other end.
The ThunderWolves moved the ball consistently, generating 500 yards of total offense while CSC had 208. The visitors had four drives of 10 plays or more, including a 16-play, 88-yard touchdown drive late in the first quarter, but also struck for big plays with touchdowns of 78 and 70 yards coming on the second and first plays of their respective drives.
Offensively for CSC, Daytuawn Pearson led the Eagles with 98 rushing yards, 81 of which came in the second half and 68 of which came in the third quarter. Aidan Thompson started the game but exited early after completing three of his first six pass attempts – in relief, junior Wyatt Sprague completed 7 of 21 passes for 102 yards and an interception.
After both teams punted on their opening possession, Pueblo struck first on a 49-yard field goal, then threw two touchdown passes to Marcellus Honeycutt, Jr. to take a 17-0 lead. Honeycutt hauled in a 12-yard pass from quarterback Navi Bruzon to cap that 16-play scoring drive, then caught a 78-yard touchdown pass one minute into the second quarter.
Leading 10-0, Pueblo got the ball back when Aidan Thompson threw an interception to Tre Jordan, the first pick thrown by a CSC quarterback in 2026. After that play, Thompson exited the game and did not return.
Chadron State's best drive in terms of yardage came to end the first half, as the Eagles went 63 yards in nine plays, culminating in a 49-yard field goal by Shay Prichard with three seconds till halftime. Sprague hit Garet Schlabs for a 22-yard completion for the drive's biggest chunk play.
The Eagles seemed poised to rally to begin the second half. They leaned on Daytuawn Pearson, who carried six times for 60 yards on the drive to put the Eagles into the red zone, but Sprague threw an interception in the end zone, Kahden Rullo returned it 30 yards to the Pueblo 30-yard line and CSUP's Russell Patton took the ensuing handoff 70 yards to the end zone for a 24-3 lead.
The Eagles slowed the ThunderWolves' momentum somewhat when defensive back Rylan Wehr snagged a tipped ball for an interception, making it CSC's third consecutive game with at least one pick, and Prichard converted it into three points from 37 yards out.
After that, the most successful plays for CSC were when Pueblo attempted to kick. Pueblo added on a field goal and a touchdown early in the fourth, but Mason Kiewiet, a reserve quarterback who has been playing on special teams throughout the season, dashed off the edge to block a Pueblo PAT and hold the ThunderWolves to a 33-6 advantage.
Later on, the ThunderWolves lined up for a 45-yard field goal with around four minutes to go, and that too was blocked. Brady Dahlberg swatted down the kick for CSC while Chase Nelson picked up the loose ball and returned it 45 yards to the CSUP 27-yard line.
Unfortunately, the Eagles would have one more turnover on a sack/fumble by Sprague, allowing the ThunderWolves to retain possession and run out the clock.
Chadron State's top two receivers – Parker Schwarting with 47 yards and Richard Okuno with 25 yards – caught just one pass each. Devon Sundgren (2 catches for nine yards), Darias James (3 catches for five yards) and Devon Rivers (2 catches for minus three yards) were the only receivers with multiple receptions.
On defense, Reese Jacobs led the way with 12 tackles while Jarred Marquez had 10, plus a sack and a pass breakup. TC Shaw had seven tackles for the Eagles in the secondary.
Chadron State did excel in the return game. Chase Nelson ran back four kickoffs for 124 yards, plus the blocked field goal return for 45 more. Punter Triston Hite placed four of his six punts inside the 20-yard line, averaging 48 yards per boot with a long of 63.
The Eagles will face Colorado School of Mines next week in the Hall of Fame Game at Elliott Field. The Orediggers (1-2-1, 1-1 RMAC) defeated Fort Lewis 34-3 on Saturday, rebounding from a 45-17 defeat to this CSU Pueblo squad last week. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 26.