By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

LANETT – The Cornerstone Christian Chargers had Friday, Sept. 15 circled on their calendars for almost a year.

Ever since the Springwood Wildcats beat the Chargers in dominant fashion in the AISA 8-man state semifinals last October, the Cornerstone players and coaches have looked forward to this game as a chance to gain redemption and show Springwood that Cornerstone’s win over them in the regular season last year was no fluke.

The Chargers did just that, as Cornerstone won an overtime thriller over Springwood, 44-42, in Lannett behind a six-touchdown performance from Zeke Adams.

“The guys’ perseverance and how tight of a family they are made the difference in the end,” Cornerstone coach James Lee said. “I’m extremely proud of them, and I know the Charger Nation is also.”

The contest was similar to last year’s meeting between the Chargers and Wildcats, as the two teams battled it out down the stretch in a close game.

In the end, it took overtime to separate Cornerstone and Springwood and decide whether the Chargers would exact revenge or Springwood would take back-to-back meetings with Cornerstone.

In overtime, two points from Cornerstone made the difference as the Wildcats fell short and gave the Chargers a massive road win.

With the win, Cornerstone improves to 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in 8-man football. This was the Chargers’ AISA 8-man opener, meaning Cornerstone is also off to a 1-0 start against in-state 8-man opponents after beating the 2022 region champions.

Adams had another phenomenal night for the Chargers, as he went for six touchdowns with three on the ground and three passing touchdowns, as well as four 2-point conversions, against just one interception. Adams threw for 202 passing yards and rushed for 242 more as he recorded 446 yards of total offense.

Of those three touchdown passes from Adams, Noah Schober caught two of them in the end zone and Seth Dillard secured the other to help the Chargers win the game.

The Chargers defense also had a standout game as they recorded 23 tackles and an interception.

Up next for Cornerstone, the Chargers will return to Columbiana for the first of a four-game homestand against North River Christian on Sept. 22.