Chaffee encounters playoff-tested Thayer in regional round

~ The Bobcats have played in two of the last three Class 1 championship games

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The Thayer Bobcats have reached the Class 1 playoffs four straight years and played in the state championship game in 2007 and 2008.

However, they will be playing a team that owns a state title and has not lost a playoff game in more than 27 years. The catch is, that team has not won a playoff game either since winning the Class 1 championship in 1983.

The truth be known, the Chaffee Red Devils will be making their first playoff appearance in 27 years tonight when they visit Thayer for a 7 p.m. regional game.

And the Red Devils (4-6) will be playing the role of the underdog when they face the powerful running attack of Thayer (8-2).

Chaffee enters on the heels of a 49-10 loss to perennial power Valle Catholic in a District 2 title showdown, while Thayer steamrolled its way through District 1 and brings a five-game winning streak into the game.

"The kids are resilient," Chaffee coach Charlie Vickery said. "Even in past years, they've always bounced back good. Their attitudes have been good."

Thayer, in search of its first state title, plowed through District 1 by a combined score of 138-15. Two of the wins came against Hayti and Portageville, which defeated Chaffee by a combined 84-6 in Weeks 2 and 3 this season. The Bobcats, whose two losses have come to Mountain View Liberty (46-6 in Week 2) and Ava (30-16 in Week 5), have outscored the opposition 265-35 in their current winning streak.

To keep their distant playoff winning streak alive, the Red Devils will need to handle a Bobcats offensive line that boasts three seniors who weigh in at 250, 260 and 265 pounds.

"There's no reason why we can't stay with them," Chaffee senior Andrew Terhune said. "We might be littler, but we've faced big teams before."

The hefty line leads the way for senior Cameron Carey, who has rushed for 1,620 yards this season.

"He has decent speed but plays real physical," Thayer coach Billy Webber said, adding that Carey, 5 foot 11, 180 pounds, has been getting attention from some Football Championship Subdivision schools, formerly Division I-AA.

The running attack, which operates out of a split-back backfield, also features junior Jeremy Cabrales (5-11, 215).

Senior quarterback Jared Foley (6-3, 180), a three-year starter, directs the offense.

The Bobcats average nearly 7.5 yards per rushing attempt this season, having ground out 3,483 yards on 466 carries. They've passed just 65 times for 448 yards. The total offensive output comes out to nearly 400 yards a game.

"They're a physical team," Vickery said. "They're not going to out-finesse you."

Chaffee has come on stronger on offense the second half of the season and averages around 210 yards a game.

The Red Devils have had a more balanced attack with 1,126 yards passing and 990 yards rushing. Junior running back Tyson Estes topped 200 yards in each of his first two district games and has 629 yards this season. His 200-yard streak ended against Valle, which held him to 15 yards on 17 carries.

"To be good, you've got to be able to run the ball somewhere," Vickery said. "Even if you only get 75 or 80 yards, you have to have some run game to get them to respect that."

Vickery said junior quarterback Jordan Yahn, who has split time with freshman Cody Payne this season, will start against Thayer. Yahn started against Valle after Payne opened under center the previous two weeks. Yahn is 55 of 99 passing for 662 yards.

Senior receiver Mike Rutherford has a team-high 28 catches for 277 yards, while junior Zach Dannenmueller has 19 catches for a team-high 285 yards and junior Alex Davie has 18 catches for 267 yards.

Chaffee has just six seniors on its roster and has been making strides as the season progressed.

"It's good for us in the future that we've got almost everyone coming back," Vickery said. "To get this experience and get an extra game or two is really going to be big for us."

But the Red Devils are not conceding anything to Thayer.

"I'd like to get [a win] for the seniors," Chaffee junior linebacker Trevor Cannon said. "I'm not looking forward to next year. I want to go with this year. There's always next season, but I want to do what I can this year."