Chambers holds off Palisades in a battle of unbeaten teams Thursday
Jamouri Nichols admits his team didn’t have its best performance, but his two touchdowns were enough to lift Chambers High School atop Palisades on Thursday night, 24-20.
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The senior quarterback, who transferred this season from West Charlotte, rushed and passed for a touchdown apiece, and Shawn Blackshear II notched a touchdown rush in the fourth quarter that sealed it.
Even so, both teams ended the game with over 100 yards of penalties.
For second-year head coach Captain Munnerlyn, mistakes like that need to be cleaned up if the team is to go as far as he predicted.
“We got a lot to clean up,” he said. “This group that we got, this coaching staff and some of these kids, we’re a new group. So we’re trying to build brick by brick. The kids are still trying to learn my style of play.”
But none of that takes away from his senior quarterback, a captain in his first year.
When Chambers needed a spark, Nichols was there to provide it, posting 5 rushes over 10 yards, including two over 20.
“He’s special,” Munnerlyn said. “He plays lights out every day, even in practice.”
For a team adjusting to a new staff and roster, Nichols is confident his play can ensure wins are had, even on imperfect nights.
“If my number is called, I’m just gonna make a play,” Nichols said. “I told Coach, ‘If you trust me, you trust me.’ I always say ‘Trust in me.’”
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For as many mistakes as it made, Chambers benefited from missed opportunities by Palisades.
The Pumas had three crucial drops, two of which would have been touchdowns and a third on fourth-and-9 from the 34-yard line.
The Pumas struck first, opening the game 6-0, before Chambers responded with 17 unanswered points. A 1-yard rush by Palisades senior linebacker Jacob Black and a 2-point conversion brought the score to 17-14, when Chambers responded with its own rushing touchdown.
Two of Palisades’ touchdowns came from passes by senior quarterback Cole Hough, a 23-yarder to Riley Hicks to start the second quarter and a 50-yarder to Nick Rankin late in the fourth to narrow the game to its final score.
Palisades could not stop the Cougars on their final drive, and the clock ran out.
As the Cougars now face their future as a minted 4-0 team, Nichols says staying focused is key.
“Keeping our head down and staying humble,” he said. “Because I’ve been here before. When you get big-headed, and you think you’re the biggest, and you think you don’t have to work as hard. No, you gotta really stay humble.”
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Chambers 0 10 7 7 — 24
Palisades 0 6 0 14 — 20
SECOND QUARTER
P: Riley Hicks 23 pass from Cole Hough (kick failed)
C: Malachi Gant 14 pass from Jamouri Nichols (kick good)
C: FG Chambers 25
THIRD QUARTER
C: Nichols 29 run (kick good)
FOURTH QUARTER
P: Riley Hicks 1 run (Hicks pass from Hough)
C: Shawn Blackshear 22 run (kick good)
P: Nick Rankin 50 pass from Hough (pass failed)
