Chandler Valley Christian will be able to wear its blue home uniforms the rest of the way after it dominated the ground game and coasted to the Class 2A state semifinals by routing visiting Wellton Antelope 45-20 Friday.
The third-seeded Trojans (9-2) are the highest remaining seed in the 2A bracket, as No. 2 Scottsdale Christian lost in the opening round and No. 1 Yuma Catholic fell Friday night to visiting Thatcher.
“I’d rather be the top seed. It puts us in our blue,” Valley Christian coach Bill Morgan said. “I love playing in blue. The only games I’ve ever lost here at Valley have been in white.”
The Trojans outrushed the Rams 281-6 in the first half. Running backs Anthony Kereluk and Brock Longanecker each ran for more than 100 yards and had two touchdowns apiece.
“I was really happy with my guys tonight, the way they controlled the line of scrimmage,” Morgan said. “On both sides of the line, I think we were pretty dominant.
“I would say it’s probably our best overall performance of the season. (Antelope) looked a little beat up tonight.”
Kereluk and Longanecker scored on the Trojans’ first two possessions to give Valley Christian a 14-0 lead. After an Antelope touchdown made it a 20-7 game early in the second quarter, Kereluk and Longanecker again scored back-to-back to give the Trojans a 32-7 halftime lead.
Junior quarterback Stephen Sasso added a pair of touchdown passes to junior tight end Ben Paterik in the third quarter to put Valley Christian ahead 42-7.
