Chargers get tough road test at Wagner

Chargers get tough road test at Wagner

Champion records homecoming win before 6,439 fans

KERRY BARBOZA Sports Editor

Boerne Champion will put its perfect record on the line Friday when they visit Wagner for a game at Rutledge Stadium.

The Chargers enter the contest at 6-0 and 3-0 in district, while the Thunderbirds are 4-2 overall and 2-1 in district.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday. Even though they’ve each played three district games, Champion and Wagner have not played mutual opponents at this point.

The Chargers have defeated NB Canyon, Buda Hays and Seguin, while the T-Birds have beat MacArthur and Lehman but lost to Smithson Valley.

Wagner walloped Mac last Friday 63-0 and Champion is coming off a 52-19 shellacking of the Matadors at BISD Stadium.

The Chargers were clicking early before a homecoming crowd of 6,439 and scored four touchdowns before Seguin even had a first down.

Champion scored on its first five possessions and were led by QB Jordan Ballin who finished with a hat trick after he tossed, ran and caught touchdowns to score three different ways.

Ballin caught a touchdown pass from Brock Browning on a trick play that resembled the “Philly Special,” a play the Philadelphia Eagles used in the Super Bowl a few years ago. The QB hands off and becomes a receiver and in this case, Ballin was wide open and strolled into the end zone.

Chargers coach Blane Ellis said they want to get Ballin involved as much as possible and not just as the quarterback.

“He’s the guy that makes us go and whenever we get him going, the kids respond to it,” Ellis said.

“We’re looking to get him touches just as much as anybody else and so anyway we can use him to manufacture some of that, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Ellis noted that they wanted to be aggressive against the Matadors.

“We wanted to get on these guys early and get up on them. We wanted to call plays aggressively and take some chances and we did,” he said. “The kids executed and played ready to go. I’m very proud of our guys coming off a bye week and having the first half that they did.”

Wagner has historically been a very good program and beat the Chargers last year, 47-7.

“They’re good up front on both sides of the ball. They’re a traditional Wagner team, very explosive,” Ellis said. “Offensively, they run the veer and do a good job with it. Their quarterback is back from last year and he makes good reads. They run a different style of offense than we’re used to seeing.”

Ellis said they have to limit the Wagner offense.

“We have to get off the field defensively,” he said. “We have to win first and second down and get them in third and longs.”

Defensively, Ellis said the Thunderbirds return a lot of experience.

“They bring a good core back and they do a good job of getting to the ball,” he said. “Their defensive line and their outside linebackers are very good.”