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By Caleb Thomas

The Goshen Eagles bested the Zion Chapel Rebels in a Class 2A matchup at Green Memorial Stadium in Jack on Friday night. Goshen won a 44-21 contest behind an explosive offense and a dominant run game.

Although it wasn’t the prettiest win, the Eagles went on the road and won on a wet, dreary night.

“We were sloppy and played undisciplined football,” said Goshen head coach Don Moore. “We’re thankful to come out with a win, but we have a lot of things to fix.”

Quarterback and defensive back Jayden McNabb was a star for Goshen, rushing for 310 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 carries. He also recorded an interception and a sack on defense.

“He’s taken control of this offense, and he’s one of our leaders and go-to guys,” said Moore on McNabb. “We trust him and count on him to do the right thing.”

Tyler McLendon of Goshen was a force to be reckoned with, taking the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown and catching a 25-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

After McLendon got the kick return touchdown, Zion Chapel wasted no time in fighting back. Although McNabb recorded a sack, Rebels quarterback John Foster Hamm rolled out and delivered on a pass that was taken 93 yards for a touchdown.

Goshen immediately scored again as McNabb connected with McLendon on a beautiful throw for a 25-yard touchdown, giving the Eagles a 14-7 lead. The teams exchanged punts for much of the second quarter before the offenses kicked back into gear.

McNabb was a threat on the ground, rushing for 149 yards on eight attempts in the first half alone. Much of that came from a 71-yard touchdown run that extended the Eagles lead to 21-7.

Rebels receiver Joseph LeGear promptly returned the kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown with under two minutes remaining in the first half.

“[LeGear] is a really good player, he’s gonna be a Saturday player,” said Zion Chapel head coach Cody Keene. “If you want to point to anybody in our program as an example of ‘this is the type of player we want,’ Joseph is a shining example of that.”

Although it was within a touchdown, Goshen scored on the next drive after Szemerick Andrews bullied his way into the end zone to give the Eagles a 28-14 lead at halftime.

The third quarter was slow, with Zion Chapel throwing a pick and neither team moving the ball well. However, Goshen put together a long drive that stalled with a fourth and five from the Rebels’ 10-yard line.

Zion Chapel came up with a huge stop on the play to keep Goshen out of the end zone. However, an intentional grounding in the end zone three plays later resulted in a safety to make it 30-14 Goshen.

The Rebels recovered the ball on an onside kick and Brayden Benbow scored on a 34-yard touchdown run, bringing Zion Chapel within nine points.

Andrews iced the game with a 12-yard touchdown run – his second of the game – in the fourth quarter. Goshen scored one more touchdown to extend the lead to 44-21 with three minutes left in the game.

The Eagles have a home matchup against Calhoun next week, while Zion Chapel travels to play Highland Home.