The annual Battle of Chester was hard fought... two defenses battling it out for four quarters but ultimately it was the Thomas Dale Knights who survived the battle. A ground and pound game that featured tough defensive play, particularly in the first half with some big hits, some quick hits. A ground and pound game that featured the Knights making big plays while the Skyhawks tried to establish the run but with limited success.

The Skyhawks did not do themselves any favors as they continued to commit penalty after penalty. I counted 16 penalties against the Skyhawks, 9 in the first half alone.

As the game wore on, so too did the Skyhawks. Skyhawks were cramping and dropping as the game wore on. The offense unable to sustain any momentum went with a quarterback change and fared no better against an aggressive attacking defense. The defense ultimately wore down as the Knights kept forcing the run till they eventually broke off some big runs in the second half.

The goal was to wear the Skyhawks and that goal was achieved as Thomas Dale wins at LC Bird for the first time in the regular season since 2005.

To open the game the Skyhawks were on offense after the Knights won the coin toss but deferred to the second half.

LC Bird had the ball three times in this first quarter and not only were they forced to 3 & out every instance but they netted no yards. Negative 25 yards... that is unheard of for a Skyhawk program but it speaks to the defense the Knights brought to Bird on this night.

Malachi Madison was in on several tackles early setting the tone for the defense of Thomas Dale and what proved to be a big night for himself.

Malachi was not the only one making plays on defense. Dominic Gray had early success against the Knights offense including chasing Jasiah Williams down on a 3rd & 11 run. 4 yards short of the first, Dominic stopped a momentum builder early. Savion Parham made the highlight reel when he got to Jasiah Williams with a sack on the QB.

With the tactical and quick defense of Bird early, the Knights found themselves with just 4 yards of offense after their first two possessions of the game.

The first quarter ended with Bird punting for a third time and neither time gaining a first down.

Both defenses continued to play lights out in the second quarter.

The Knights absorbed two sacks on their second possession of the quarter with Tyson Pledger getting to Jasiah Williams on one of those sacks. The ball was nearly fumbled away but Thomas Dale was able to recover.

Neither team was having much success at all on offense until the 2:56 mark of the second quarter. That is when Thomas Dale finally ended the scoreless affair. The Knights were in business with the ball at the Skyhawk 8 after a poor punt. It only took two plays for the Knights to get in the endzone and that was courtesy of Chris Tyree.

With the way this one was playing out, a touchdown alone might have been enough to win the game.

The Skyhawks finally got a first down on a short 3-yard run on 3rd & 2 from Ramon Brown. Brown was held in check for much of the game and the Skyhawks just could not capitalize on breaks such as this.

It appeared as though LC Bird might get the spark they had been looking for the entire game on the second half kickoff. The Bird sidelines came alive after they recovered the onside kick.

That spark was extinguished by the Knights defense who again would not allow a first down.

The Skyhawks defense had a huge play when Tyler Henderson brokeup a pass intended for DeAngelo Gray. That play ended the Knights threat for the moment but the Skyhawk offense just could not match the play of the defense, again held to no first down.

Meanwhile Thomas Dale with 1:34 to go put a little cushion on the scoreboard. The Knights were determined to wear down the Skyhawks defense and Chris Tyree pounded the ball on three straight runs for 25 yards. With the ball on the 50 they just needed 4 yards for the first but Jasiah went with the keeper catching the Skyhawks off guard and broke off a 50-yard touchdown run! The Knights now were up two touchdowns on a team that could do nothing against the defense.

As we entered the final stage of the game the Skyhawks were getting only their second first down of the night if you can believe that. This came from a Ramon Brown run. The Skyhawks however got no further as KB Miles, in at quarterback bumped into his teammate on what looked to be intended as a keeper or hand off and the Skyhawks lost 4 yards.

Thomas Dale had the ball at their own 40 after another Skyhawk punt. DeAngelo Gray raced through the line, down the field and into the endzone with 8:20 to go in the game to give the Knights a 21-0 lead. The Knights were firmly in control and it appeared they were indeed wearing out the Skyhawks.

The Skyhawks on offense got another first down between the legs of Ramon Brown & Chris Barfield. Stop me if you've heard this one before... the defense comes up with the stop. The Knights defense again pushed the Skyhawks back, the Knights faced 3rd & 20 after a positive start and two straight penalties set them back even further.

After this punt the Knights were setup on the Skyhawk 20. The kicking game of Bird was a weakness all night long putting them in bad spots repeatedly. On the first snap Chris Tyree chewed up 11 yards. Tyree finished what he started on 2nd & goal from the 4. With 2:51 to go this one was in the bag for the Knights.

LC Bird on offense for the final time on this night got a first down courtesy of Trevor Schultz who was carrying the load with this game out of reach.

As time ticked off the clock, Thomas Dale was improving to 2-0 while handing Bird their first opening loss since 2008.

For both teams you got to look at the defenses as they were truly the story of the game.

On the Thomas Dale side you got to give it up to senior Judah Jones and sophomore Malachi Madison. Jones quietly got it done, I did not realize how many tackles he was on until I began adding them up... that total being 9. Malachi I saw a lot more of and maybe because he was so aggressive out there but he had himself 8 tackles. This duo plagued the Skyhawks offense all night long.

On the LC Bird side you got to give it up to senior Dominic Gray who I have at 4 tackles as well as Tyler Henderson who had the big pass breakup and Tyson Pledger who had numerous tackles in addition to a sack on Jasiah Williams.

It will be interesting to see how LC Bird looks going forward. I heard some describe this Skyhawks group as the worst ever but they were facing one of the best defenses in the region. Let's give the Skyhawks another game or two before we start passing judgment.

Last time Thomas Dale opened a season with back-to-back shutouts was 1996 when they opened the season with three straight shutouts.

This was the first shutout in the series since 2016 when the Skyhawks blanked Dale 33-0 and the 8th in the series overall.

This was the first shutout at home for the Skyhawks in the series.

This was the first shutout since Hermitage blanked the Skyhawks in 2011.

This was the first season opening loss for LC Bird since 2008 when they fell to Meadowbrook.

This was the first season opening shutout since 1983 when Clover Hill silenced LC Bird 14-0.