Athens, W. Va. – Charleston, the 19th ranked team in all Division II, took the trip down to the border of West Virginia to face the Concord University Mountain Lions. The Golden Eagles, rolling with an undefeated record with three consecutive wins, looked to find their second Mountain East Conference of the season, while the Mountain Lions sought after their first win of the season after a slow start to their campaign.
The Basics:
Location: Callaghan Stadium
Score: UC 42, CU 7
Records: UC 4-0 (2-0 MEC), CU 0-4 (0-2 MEC)
How it Happened:
From the first whistle to the last, it was a dominant performance from the MEC Preseason favorites. Charleston's defense started incredibly fast as they would force a punt on Concord's opening possession, which would be matched by Charleston's punt on their first drive of the game. The Golden Eagles would be left scratching their heads on their next possession as Levi Paxton's field goal attempt from 32 yards looked pure but was called wide right. On the ensuing play from the Mountain Lions, Charleston forced a turnover deep in Concord territory after a fumble was collected by Dyson Yuille, leading to their first score of the day on a Chavon Wright rushing touchdown from nine yards out to take the 7-0 advantage with 2:22 left on the clock in the first quarter. Yuille continued his dominance on the defensive front as he racked up two sacks on back-to-back plays on Concord's last drive before the end of the quarter.
Ean Hamric, in his first collegiate start, hit the ground running as he found a familiar receiver in Yves Bosmans in the corner of the endzone on Charleston's next drive, taking the 14-0 lead. Desperate to keep their next drive alive, Concord would throw the ball downfield on a 3rd and 17, only to be picked off by Louikenzy Jules giving Charleston prime real estate at Concord's 21-yard line. Playing great complimentary football, Niko Kausky would punch it into the endzone on a 3rd and 1 at the goal line for his first touchdown of the season, giving the Golden Eagles a 21-0 lead in the second quarter. Charleston's final score of the first half would be a quarterback-keeper from Hamric as he frolicked into the endzone from four yards out, extending the lead to 28-0 just before halftime.
In the second half, the visitors continued their route on both sides of the ball, scoring on their first drive of the half with a monstrous burst up the field from Wright as he would sprint into the endzone on a 58-yard rushing touchdown to move the lead to 35-0. After forcing another punt on defense, Charleston marched downfield on an 18-play drive that took over eight minutes off the clock, resulting in another touchdown from Chavon Wright for the 42-0 lead.
The Golden Eagles forced yet another turnover on downs in their own territory on Concord's first possession of the fourth quarter. Later in the quarter, Tristan Gabrels, after previously checking into the game at quarterback for the Mountain Lions, found Concord's only
touchdown of the game as he sailed a deep slant to Zion Odoms that resulted in a 79-yard touchdown reception. Despite giving up the late score, the game's outcome would not change as Charleston would take their fourth consecutive with a final score of 42-7 over the Mountain Lions.
Chavon Wright ended the game with 164 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, followed behind by quarterback Ean Hamric with 77 rushing yards and a score in his first career start. Andrew Chamblee rounded out his fourth game of the season with four solo tackle (2.5 TFLs) and a pass-breakup.
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles make their way back to the Capital City this weekend as they'll take on the Pioneers of Glenville State University for their 3rd Mountain East Conference Matchup of the season. In their last meeting, Charleston took the 52-17 victory in Gilmer County in 2023, but the Pioneers are coming off a two-game winning streak over MEC opponents, putting their hat in the ring for a chance to win the Mountain East Conference Championship.
