CHADRON, Neb. – After doing battle with a Division I opponent in their first game of the season, the Chadron State football program will pivot to a different type of challenge this Saturday – a rivalry game, as the Eagles take on Nebraska-Kearney on the road with the Good Life Trophy on the line.
 
Chadron State (0-1) and Nebraska-Kearney (1-0) met last year in the season-opener, won 18-6 by the Lopers, as the renewal of a rivalry with a new trophy attached that had stagnated somewhat after UNK's move from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference to the Mid-American Athletics Association (MIAA). 
 
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT on Saturday from Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field. 
 
Tailgate Info
For fans that are traveling to Kearney, an official Chadron State tailgate will take place in the visitor parking lot outside Foster Field. The event is open to any CSC fans, parents and alumni and starts at 4 p.m. MT/5 p.m. CT (two hours before kickoff). Food will be provided while supplies last.
 
Programming Notes
Saturday's game will be available on News Channel Nebraska television. 
 
Looking Back
Chadron State had the edge of yardage, time of possession and total plays against a Division I opponent but couldn't convert red zone opportunities and fell to Northern Colorado 17-3.
 
RECAP: Eagles Held Against UNC In Opener
 
Chadron State outgained UNC 333-291, including by a 304-103 margin across the final three quarters. The Bears scored two touchdowns in the first quarter but only managed three points the rest of the way, while the Eagles received a 29-yard field goal from Wilson Yee but missed two other attempts. 
 
Both teams also had to sit through a nearly two-hour lightning delay that paused play with two-and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter. Dax Yeradi and Logan O'Brien had six tackles apiece to pace the Eagles defensively while Tucker Peterson chipped in five.
 
UNK-CSC History
by Con Marshall
Through the years, the Chadron State-Kearney rivalry has had its ups and downs for both teams. Overall, Nebraska-Kearney has a 51-21-1 advantage in the all-time series.

The series was about even after Ross Armstrong's Eagles beat the then-Antelopes in both 1947 and 1948 while dominating the Nebraska College Conference. 

But Kearney won 31 of the next 32 games vs. CSC, some of them by wide margins and some of them heartbreakers for the Eagles. The rivalry was discontinued in 1980, but in 1996, after Kearney joined the RMAC, the series resumed full-time. 

By then, the Eagles under Coach Brad Smith were a program on the rise. They won the first six games after the series resumed, just one of them by more than six points, making the rivalry more exciting than ever. 

The Lopers finally won again in 2002. CSC prevailed 28-22 in '03 while Kearney won in both 2004 and '05. From 2006-2008, the Eagles won the next three tilts, helping them claim three consecutive RMAC championships and giving them a 10-3 lead over UNK from 1996 through 2008. 

The Lopers won the final three games of the rivalry before leaving the RMAC. Nearly 10 years later in 2020, as COVID-19 had caused hundreds of football games to be canceled, the two Nebraska programs arranged a late-season match-up. The Lopers won 45-35 in the biggest shootout the rivalry has seen – the cumulative 1,080 yards and 80 points are both the most ever in the history of the intrastate rivalry. 

The two teams renewed acquaintances last season, when the "Good Life Trophy" awarded to the winner was introduced. UNK won 18-6, with all scoring occurring in the first half, as the game for CSC was marked by several injuries on offense that left the Eagles down to their third QB and without their all-conference receiver by the end of the first half.

Century Mark
In last year's season opener against UNK, quarterback DJ Ralph and wide receiver Tommy Thomas were both injured and did not finish the game. In 2025, not only did both players complete four quarters, but they turned in an extremely productive day at the office. 
 
Thomas was CSC's leading receiver with seven catches for an even 100 yards. The highlight was a 35-yard contested grab where Thomas high-pointed the ball at full extension to make the catch for CSC's longest play of the game.
 
It is only the fourth 100-yard game in the decorated career of Thomas, who earned First Team All-RMAC honors in 2023 and Second Team All-RMAC honors last year despite missing three games. Thomas does well against teams with yellow in their color scheme – his previous 100-yard games were against Black Hills State twice (147 yards in 2023 and 146 in 2024) and Fort Lewis (225 yards in 2023) before last Saturday against UNC.
 
"Special" Plays
Chadron State found ways to make an impact on special teams, as the Eagles' third unit had two of the more memorable plays during last Saturday's action.
 
Redshirt sophomore Griffin Clubb split the UNC protection to block the Bears' first punt of the day in the first quarter, altering the kick with an extended right hand and causing it to only travel 18 wobbly yards. Thanks to Clubb, Chadron State is already on the board for blocked punts in 2025 after finishing second in the RMAC with three during the 2024 season. 
 
Then, late in the first half, Chadron State successfully executed a fake field goal attempt, with punter/holder Brodie Eisenbraun taking the snap and rushing eight yards for a first down. Last season, the Eagles had Eisenbraun throw a pass on a fake punt against Western Colorado, with the Academic All-American linking up with now-graduated tight end Peter Krohn for a 28-yard completion.
 
The Eagles were on the brink of another game-changing play on special teams, as UNC muffed a punt near their own goal line, but the Bears recovered the fumble and the returner was ruled to be in the end zone at the time of his first touch, making the result of the play a touchback.
 
New Committee Faces
Chadron State had three running backs earn multiple carries during Saturday's game, and that trio combined for only two carries last season in a Chadron State uniform.
 
Last season's workhorse back, Jake Marschall (154 carries), played on special teams only last Saturday as he continues to try to regain his burst after suffering a broken leg late in the 2024 season. 
 
Instead, the lion's share of the carries went to redshirt freshman Quincey Ryker, who electrified CSC's homecoming crowd last season with a 72-yard touchdown run on his first college touch and finished the year with 80 yards on two carries. As a feature back in game one of 2025, Ryker grinded for 47 net yards on 14 carries, with a long of nine yards. 
 
A pair of running backs made their Chadron State debuts on Saturday. Daytuawn Pearson, a junior from Pittsburg, California who transferred in from City College in San Francisco, rushed four times for 24 yards, including a 13-yard scamper. Redshirt freshman Anthony McMillian, a San Diego State transfer, rushed three times for two yards. 

Quarterback DJ Ralph can also do his part in the run game. Ralph finished with 40 yards on the ground, though deducted yardage from sacks left him with only 19 net rushing yards. The QB had Chadron State's longest run of the game though, traveling 16 yards on a scramble. 
 
Preseason Picks
Chadron State finished in a tie for seventh place in the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The league's 10 head coaches each submit a ballot without ranking their own program, and Chadron State finished tied on points with New Mexico Highlands in the voting, one year after CSC, Highlands and Fort Lewis tied for seventh in the league standings in 2024.
 
There were multiple ties throughout the preseason voting, including at the top. Defending league champions CSU Pueblo and defending runners-up Western Colorado finished in a dead heat for first place at 76 points, both receiving the exact combination of five first place votes, three second place votes and one third-place vote. 
 
Colorado School of Mines, whose five-year streak of having at least a share of the RMAC title was broken last season, finished third in the voting while Colorado Mesa finished fourth. Regional rivals South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State tied for fifth. After the Eagles and New Mexico Highlands in seventh, the poll was rounded out by Fort Lewis in ninth and Adams State in 10th. 
 
The Eagles also earned three selections on the Preseason All-RMAC Team, which is determined by the top returning players in each position from last fall's all-conference voting. Earning the honor for Chadron State were a trio of redshirt seniors – safety Dax Yeradi, wide receiver Tommy Thomas and punter Brodie Eisenbraun.
 
Elite Company
Redshirt senior safety Dax Yeradi earned a coveted preseason national honor as he was named to D2Football.com's Elite 100 Watch List.
 
Yeradi appears on the annual Top 100 after a breakout junior season. The Wright, Wyoming native earned First Team All-RMAC and Second Team D2CCA All-Region selections as a safety, then picked up an additional honorable mention All-RMAC nod as a punt returner. Yeradi tied for the RMAC lead with four interceptions and finished with 51 tackles and eight passes defensed. 
 
The 100-player national watch list includes 25 first-team players and 25 second-team players (11 offense, 11 defense, 3 special teams), then 50 "squad" players (25 offense, 25 defense). Yeradi was named as a defensive "squad" player.
 
2025 will mark the third straight season that Chadron State has had an Elite 100 Watchlist selection, after now-graduated defensive end Hunter O'Connor appeared on the list in the previous two seasons.
 
Yeradi's inclusion makes Chadron State one of only four RMAC programs to be represented on the Elite 100 list. There are nine total RMAC athletes among the 100, including four from CSU Pueblo (first-team WR Reggie Retzlaff, first-team DB Donovan English, squad OL Tyler Ethridge and squad LB Gary Seidenberger), two from Western Colorado (first-team DL Ricky Freymond, second-team QB Drew Nash) and two from Colorado School of Mines (first-team WR Flynn Schiele, squad DB Jackson Zimmerman). 
 
The Staff
Head Coach Jay Long returns for his 14th season at the helm of the Chadron State football program, accumulating a 62-64 record at CSC over his previous 13 seasons.
 
The core of Long's staff all returns for 2025, including sixth-year offensive coordinator Micah Smith and fifth-year defensive coordinator Clint Sasse. Long, Smith and Sasse are all Chadron State football alumni. Special teams coordinator Wes Coomes and quarterbacks coach Tommy Wilson also return to their roles from 2024. 
 
Four of the Eagles' six coaching assistants are new to the staff this year, with three bringing Division I experience. 
 
DeMarcus Felton (running backs) and Herbert Frazier, Jr. (wide receivers) both come to CSC from the staff of Dekaney High School in Houston, Texas, where they mentored several eventual Division I and Power 4 players. Both Felton and Frazier were members of the Texas Tech (Division I, Big 12) football program, with Felton racking up 10 rushing touchdowns during his Red Raider career.
 
Lorenzo Neal (defensive line) joins the CSC staff after a playing career at Purdue University, where he served as a team captain and earned two Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selections. Neal's father, Lorenzo, played for 16 seasons in the NFL and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and a three-time All-Pro as a fullback.
 
The final new coaching assistant is Deunte Moody (defensive backs), who begins his coaching career at Chadron State after concluding his playing career at Black Hills State last season. Returning to the staff are coaching assistants Steve Chang (linebackers) and Logan Zacharias (offensive line). 
 
Other Eagle support staff includes strength and conditioning coaches E.J. Kreis and Chase McClendon and athletic trainer Allison Wood.
 
Scouting the Lopers
by Con Marshall
The Nebraska-Kearney Lopers, like CSC, opened their 2025 season on the road last week, but squeezed past in-state rival Wayne State 28-21 when quarterback Abram Scholting scored on a three-yard touchdown run with 67 seconds left in the game.

Scholting did not start the game – that honor went to Daron Bryden, who left the game and did not return after a third-quarter hit. Bryden completed seven of 11 passes for 67 yards and threw his team's only touchdown pass, while Scholting was 3 of 4 passing for 51 yards and ran for 40 yards and two TD's. Bryden is not listed on the two-deep roster depth charts exchanged on Monday.
 
Regardless of who starts at quarterback, UNK's main weapon is 5-foot-8, 190-pound tailback Isaiah Harris. The senior led the charge against Chadron State last season, finishing with 24 carries for 121 yards against CSC in 2024, and had another outstanding game against Wayne State last week, rushing 21 times for 169 yards. 
 
Chadron State does return more starters on both sides of the ball than UNK from last year's matchup against UNK. The Eagles have six repeat probable defensive starters (edge William Stemler, linebackers Reed Henkel and Kearney native Logan O'Brien and safeties Dax Yeradi, Tucker Peterson and Sutton Pohlman. UNK just has three – end Jack Johnson, linebacker Parker Wise and safety CJ Kuehl.
 
The Eagles have four returning starters on offense – guard Levi Banuelos, receivers Tommy Thomas and Rollin George III and quarterback DJ Ralph, although Ralph and Thomas did not finish the game. UNK will likely only have two repeat starters – Harris and guard Wyatt Marr.

Eagle Volleyball Drops Two Friday Matches

CHADRON, Neb. – The Chadron State volleyball team played two games on Friday at the Eagle Classic, one against Augustana College and the other against Northern State University. The Eagles played a thrilling five-set match against Augustana, taking the first two sets before the Vikings came back for a 23-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-11 win. The Eagles then fell against nationally ranked Northern State University in three sets, 25-20, 25-11, 25-22.

Augustana and the Eagles were back and forth most of the game, the ending score being within five points of each other for all sets. Augustana won its second straight five-set match after beating Black Hills State in five on Thursday.

Kally Kirkwood led the team against Augustana with 19 kills, followed by Mataya Ward with 13. Kirkwood also led the team with three blocks, tying with Shelbi Hazlitt. 

Augustana opened the first set by scoring three points before an attack error put the Eagles on the board. The set continued to change leads until a four point streak from Chadron put the Eagles ahead 12-10. Kally Kirkwood took over with five kills in the set, with her final one giving CSC a 21-19 lead. With the score tied at 23, an Augustana service error followed by an ace from Avery Lacy ended the set for the Eagles. 

After the Eagles scored the first point of the second set with a kill from Hazlitt, the Vikings answered with their own four point run to lead 4-1. The Eagles tied the score again at 7-7 after a kill from Kirkwood and a bad set from the Vikings. After back-to-back kills from Mataya Ward gave the Eagles a 23-22 lead, CSC's Gibson Beckler scored the last two points with a kill and an ace, ending the set 25-23. 

The beginning of the third set bounced back and forth until the Vikings went on a five point run, making the score 9-3. Augustana continued to lead the rest of the set despite the attempts of Chadron State, including a five point streak from the Eagles that cut the lead to 21-18. Ultimately the Vikings took the third set, 25-20, sending the game into a fourth set. 

The Eagles came into the fourth set fighting, starting with kills from Hazlitt and Kirkwood. The Eagles were able to hold onto this lead until Augustana tied it 7-7 from an attack error. Augustana grew their lead with multiple 4-0 scoring runs, eventually taking the set with a 25-20 finish, tying the set scores. 

Augustana carried the momentum from the past two sets into the finishing set. The Eagles fought hard going on a four point streak to tie the score 7-7. Augustana pulled ahead, winning four of the last five points to win the set 15-11 and win the match 3-2. 

In the Eagles' following game against Northern, the first set began with a kill from Beckler before the Wolves took control, keeping the lead the rest of the set. The Eagles had a four point run with kills from Ward and Beckler and an ace from Shelby Harding, cutting the lead to 18-15. Despite the run, the set ended 25-20, Northern. 

The Wolves came in hot for the second set, scoring six straight points to open. The Eagles tried to respond, but Northern won the second set handily, 25-11. 

CSC fought back in the third set, going on a six point run in the beginning, with kills from Bella Adams and Jillian Donovan and an ace from Beckler to take the lead 8-4. The teams continued to compete, with Northern scoring five points in a row to take the lead before a kill from Hazlitt and another ace from Harding gave the Eagles the lead back at 14-13. The set was neck to neck before Northern pulled away, ending the set 25-22, and winning in straight sets. 

Ward led the team against Northern State with seven kills, followed by Kirkwood and Beckler with five. Harding led the team in serving, scoring three aces. Adams, Ward and Hazlitt all tied with three blocks. 

The Eagles will play their last game of the Eagle Classic on Saturday at 1 p.m. against the University of Mary Marauders. 

Rodewald's Top Five Finish Leads XC In Opener

SPEARFISH, S.D. – Samantha Rodewald raced to a top five finish to lead Chadron State's performances at the season-opening Gage McSpadden XC Invite, hosted Friday by Black Hills State University.

Rodewald ran the women's 4K event in 15:10.7, crossing the line fifth and running 18 seconds faster than she did in the same event last year. The junior from McCook, Nebraska averaged a 6.06 mile time during her race. 

Blaine Johnson was Chadron State's top finisher on the men's side, crossing the line of the men's 6K in 15thplace with a time of 19:29.7 out of a field of 83 men's runners. Johnson, a senior, bested his previous career-best time at the 6K distance by over 15 seconds. 

Behind Rodewald, the secondary pack of Chadron State female runners paced one another, with CSC freshman Paige Kehmeier, sophomore Kyndall Carnahan and junior Katelyn Beshara crossing 26th, 27th and 28th, respectively, with times in between 16:12 and 16:13. Junior Ivy Hise rounded out CSC's scoring five with a 52nd-place finish in 17:59.9.

The Eagles finished fifth of six in the team results, with their score of 124 besting RMAC rival South Dakota Mines's 127 but coming in behind Carleton, Black Hills State, Rocky Mountain and MSU Billings. 

Johnson led a pack of 10 Chadron runners competing in Spearfish, with a mix of freshmen, veterans and returners up and down the team leaderboard. Two Nebraska freshmen – Grand Island's Kaden Boltz and Hemingford's Boady Hunter – both found their way into Chadron State's scoring five, with Boltz finishing 22nd with a time of 19:37.2 and Hunter crossing 49th in 20:35.1. Nate Mann, a senior who redshirted last cross-country season, returned to the lineup and was the third Eagle across the line behind Johnson and Boltz, running 19:40.0 to finish 24th. 

Junior Adam Beard rounded out the CSC scoring with a 55th-place finish in 20:59.2. In the team standings, the CSC men were fourth out of six, trailing Black Hills State, Rocky Mountain and South Dakota Mines but ahead of Carleton and MSU Billings. 

Five other CSC athletes competed and did not score team points – senior Miles Mitchell (65th, 21:32.9), freshman Mizaiha Babers Webb (70th, 21:44.2), freshman Andrew Walsh (80th, 22:39.7), sophomore Carmelo Ayala (82nd, 22:56.2) and redshirt freshman David West (83rd, 22:57.0).

The Eagles have over three weeks off before their next competition date on September 27 at the Ted Castenada Classic in Colorado Springs.