Kelly caps regular season with 48-0 win at Chaffee

Looking to motivate his team going into the regular season finale, Kelly head coach Lance Powers promised his players a postgame celebration at McDonalds if they can keep their opponents scoreless.

Such as the Grimace effect on the New York Mets, the Kelly Hawks were inspired by the lure of the Golden Arches and went on to defeat the Chaffee Red Devils 48-0 on Friday, Oct. 25, in Chaffee.

“It’s an amazing feeling because that’s our first shutout of the season,” Kelly senior defensive back Hunter Carlyle said, “and Coach Powers, he’s buying us McDonalds because of this.”

Carlyle set the defensive tone early with an interception on the first drive of the game. A Chaffee pass to Connor Berry was bobbled and fell into Carlyle’s arms.

“It was a bad read by me,” Carlyle said. “I jumped the start early and he had to be beat at first but I saw him bobble that ball, so I grabbed it as fast as I could. I had all my teammates blocking for me and I got a pretty good return.”

A deep pass to receiver Grant Burleson set up a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Skyler Still. Burleson, who entered the game third in Southeast Missouri with 554 receiving yards and tied for second with eight touchdowns, broke the Kelly record for receiving yards.

“It’s amazing,” Burleson said, “just to think that out of everybody that’s played the sport at my school, no one’s done what I’ve done yard-wise. I came out here and done my best and I feel like I showed myself.”

With 70 percent of Still’s passing yards has gone to Burleson, a receiver he’s thrown to since they were in middle school.

“He’s a pretty big factor in our team,” Still said. “Any passing play usually goes to him. If it doesn’t then I put trust into the other receivers to make a play.”

Still found the end zone two more times to give Kelly a 24-0 lead, including a touchdown run that went 85 yards.

“If I don’t see anybody open, it just makes me happier knowing I can make a play on my legs,” Still said.

Berry intercepted Still’s pass in the end zone, but the offense gave Kelly two more points when a snap went over the head of the punter in the back of the end zone for a safety.

Still shook off the interception and added two more touchdown passes to his season total (11). One went to senior Ryder Krause and the other went to Gabe Sneed, a pass he has to scramble from one side of the field and throw towards the other.

“The right side of the line just came outside of me so I spun out of it and started running right,” Still said. “I told Grant before the play, ‘I gotta get Gabe one on this play. I’m gonna try.’ So then I looked over and I saw a little bit of separation so I just tried it and it worked.”

Kelly closed out the first half leading 40-0 on a Burleson interception. Burleson snagged an interception in the first game of the season and one in the last game to put him among the program’s all-time leaders in picks.

“I feel like it’s a way for me to show how versatile I am and that I can do both things without a problem,” Burleson said.

Kelly rounded out the scoring in a hastened second half on a rushing touchdown by Justin Waters. The Hawks were 2-5 at one point but back-to-back wins to close out the regular season have reinvigorated their spirits going into the district tournament.

“It’s everything,” Burleson said. “We were kind of low in the middle of the season but last week’s big win and this week’s big win definitely boosted everybody’s morale and got us excited for the playoffs.”

A change in mindset from a senior class that is living out their final moments on the gridiron has made dividends in the locker room.

“As we say before every game now, play to be happy, don’t play just to be here,” Still said. “Before every snap, we tell each other to be happy. So we just have fun out here and just let it happen.”

The Hawks started Week 9 at the bottom of the Class 2 District 1 standings. However, with a win and a loss from both Portageville on Thursday and Scott City on Friday, the Hawks may potentially see themselves in the middle of the pack come playoff time.