The schools in Iowa which play eight man football have become the largest class in terms of the number of schools who play football in the Hawkeye state.. At last count sixty four schools play the eight man game. Characteristically, eight man teams rack up a lot of points in what has become a wide open game. Last night the ACGC and Woodward Academy eleven man teams put a total of one hundred and five points on the scoreboard--a number that sounds like it could be an eight man score. The Charger offense was in high gear as it pummeled the Knights, 72-33 in the Charger home opener.

ACGC left little doubt as to the outcome when it roared to a 22-7 lead after the first quarter and put up thirty two second quarter points to take a 54-13 lead at the intermission. Three additional touchdowns in the second half accounted for the seventy two points. It took last year's Charger team six games to score a total of seventy two points! But this isn't last year's Charger team. This edition of ACGC football is a much improved version and last night's rout has given its fans a significant clue in solving the mystery about how good this team is. At the very least, this is a respectable Charger football team. Time will tell if it moves beyond respectability to something even better. For now, it feels good to bask in the aura of respectability.

The Chargers took the opening kickoff and marched right down the field to score the first points of the game on a fourteen yard scamper by Kolby Jacobe with 8:42 remaining in the quarter. Gavin Cornelison added the two point conversion to give ACGC an 8-0 lead.

Following a Knight fumble recovered by Lucas Marsh on the visitors thirty six yard line, it took just five plays for ACGC to score again, with quarterback Bryce Little going in from the three yard line. A second turnover by the Academy, this time a pass interception by Jacobe, led to a another touchdown for the Chargers with Charlie Crawford scoring on a thirty four yard run. Cornelison's run PAT made the score 22-0. Woodward Academy got on the board with :27 showing on the clock when quarterback Anthony Barber lofted a thirty three yard TD pass to Steven Williams.

The points kept coming for the home team in the second stanza. Following the Knight kickoff, ACGC marched sixty eight yards on a drive that carried into the second quarter and found Littler going in from the two yard line with 9:30 to go in the quarter. The Knights countered with an eighty two yard touchdown pass from Barber to Zavahan Pascascio to make the score 28-13.

ACGC then scored three consecutive TD's: an eight play, sixty five yard drive that included a twenty eight yard run by Crawford and was capped off by a three yard plunge by Cornelison;

a sixteen touchdown yard run by Crawford that was set up by his own twenty five yard punt return; an eighty yard TD run on a pass interception by Cayden Jensen. Wow! The Chargers went into the halftime break with an insurmountable 54-13 lead.

Woodward Academy put two scores on the board in the third quarter--one was another Barber TD pass, this time a thirty eight yarder to William Jefferson, and the other was a twenty one yard run by Barber. ACGC added a TD between the two Knights scores. A forty two yard kickoff return by Jensen was followed by two Jacobe rushes totaling thirty eight yards. Cornelison then scored from four yards out to make the score 60-27 after three quarters.

Charger reserves played the entire fourth quarter and added two more scores to the total. With Reid Rumelhart picking up thirty eight yards on a fifty five yard drive and Brock Littler the other eighteen yards, including a one yard TD run, the Charger point total total reached sixty six.

A forty yard kickoff return by the Knights set up yet another passing touchdown by Barber--a twenty yard toss to Isaiah McCarl that was Barber's his fourth TD pass of the night! Including his touchdown run, Barber figured in all of the Academy scoring.

The Chargers wrapped up the scoring with a sixty five yard drive that ended with a four yard TD run by Cole Plowman with forty one seconds remaining in the game. So, what may look like an eight man score was indeed a high scoring eleven man game. The seventy two points represent an ACGC school record. The previous record was thirty eight scored last year in a win against Clarinda.

Once again the Charger offense accounted for over four hundred yards--four hundred sixty to be precise, with all but six yards coming on the ground, Crawford and Jacobe both went over the hundred yard mark with one hundred and eight yards apiece. Seven different Chargers scored touchdowns, with Cornelison hitting pay dirt three times.

ACGC will be on the road next Friday when it travels to Greenfield to take on Nodaway Valley. The Wolverines are 2-1 following a 40-21 win last night over Clarke of Osceola. Game time is scheduled for 7 PM. Go Chargers!

Score by quarter:

WAcad 7 6 14 6--33

ACGC 22 32 6 12--72

Charger statistics:

Passing: Bryce Littler: One competion in two attemtps for 6 yards

Rushing: Gavin Cornelison: 12 attempts for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns; Charlie Crawford (5-108-2); Kolby Jacobe (9-108-1); Austin Funkle (1-1-0); Gunnar Larsen (2-23-0); Brock Littler (6-37-1); Bryce Littler (5-22-2); Ben Marsh (1-8-0); Cole Plowman (5-42-1); Reid Rumelhart (4-35-0)

Receiving: Gavin Cornelison: 1 reception for 6 yards

Tackles: Gage Buttler: 0 solo 2 assists; Gavin Cornelison (3-7); Charlie Crawford (2-1); Seth Danker (3-3); Victor Gonzalez (0-1); Cael Hoing (0-1); Dallas Jacobe (0-2); Kolby Jacobe (2-0); Cayden Jensen (3-8); Gunnar Larsen (1-1); Brock Litter (0-1); Bryce Littler (1-3); Sam madsen (0-3); Ben Marsh (1-5); Lucas Marsh (1-2); Christian Nolte (1-0); Cole Plowman (1-0); Seth Reno (1-0); Reid Rumelhart (0-3); Clayton Wardyn (2-1); Nolan Wheatley (1-1); Quynton Younker (0-5); Preston Zimmerline (0-1)

Interceptions: Kolby Jacobe: 1 for 0 yards and 0 touchdowns; Cayden Jensen (1-80-1)

Fumble recoveries: Lucas March: 1 for 0 yards returned

PAT kicking: Mackenzie Reinhart: 3 attempts for 0 made

Kickoffs: Charlie Crawford: 10 for 39.3 average

Kickoff returns: Cayden Jensen 1 for 38 yards; Gunnar larsen (1-6); Jake Thomas (1-0); Clayton Wardayn (1-0)

Punt returns: Charlie Crawford: 1 for 25 yards