The Chillicothe Swarm scored three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter on Saturday afternoon, pulling away from the Midwest (Kansas City) Titans for a 24-6 victory at the Old Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe.
A quickly improving rushing attack, aggressive defense, and timely forced turnovers were keys to the Swarms’ victory, as DeMarko Wright had 14 carries for 124 yards, and a 42 yard go-ahead touchdown for Chillicothe, early in the fourth quarter, while Trenton native Dillon Triplet carried the ball 20 times for 78 yards. In a postgame interview with UClick-TV, Triplet spoke about his breakout game on the ground:
The Swarm defense was outstanding, shutting out Midwest after the Titans scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak on the game’s opening drive. A Triplet one-yard plunge in the second quarter sent the game to halftime tied at 6.
Hayden Major led the Chillicothe defense with three interceptions, adding four tackles, while Chris Graves had five tackles for a Swarm group that consistently got defensive line penetration and forced late throws from the Midwest side.
Starting quarterback Clayton Dahlberg went only 3 of 15 through the air, with two interceptions. Albert Fitts had a 35-yard catch and Tanner Johnson a 33-yard reception for the Swarm.
Head Coach Jay Saucedo was pleased to see progress from his running game, coming off a 47-8 loss one week earlier to Omaha.
The win improves Chillicothe to 2-1 on the season, and 1-1 in the Midwest Football Alliance. The Swarm will host the Kansas City Bulldogs this Saturday at the new Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium, adjacent to Chillicothe High School. This week’s game was moved to the old stadium due to graduation use at the new stadium.
Photo credit – U-Click TV / Jim Bligh / Chillicothe, MO
