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Cowboys top East in Battle of Y-town

Staff photo / Brian Yauger Delshawn Petrosky (2) of Chaney tries to run past East defender Edger Nebron (35) Friday night at Rayen Stadium. The Cowboys closed out their first football season since 2010 with a 6-4 record after beating the Golden Bears, 27-0.

YOUNGSTOWN — In the first “Battle of Youngstown” in nearly a decade, the Chaney Cowboys capped off their first season back on the gridiron with a 27-0 victory over East on Friday at Rayen Stadium.

“The guys played hard, they played a good game,” Cowboys coach Chris Amill said. “We came out and did what we wanted to do and what we were supposed to do, and I’m happy for them, especially for our seniors.”

Chaney had a strong first quarter and carried the momentum throughout the remainder of the game.

Quarterback Delshawn Petrosky broke off a 25-yard run for the opening score early in the game.

The extra point was no good, but it didn’t matter as Cowboys defensive lineman JR Tellington forced a safety on the ensuing Golden Bears possession.

Staff photo / Brian Yauger Robbie Sullivan (7) of East tries to reach back for a reception as Malcolm Lambert (9) defends for Chaney.

Later in the first quarter, Tellington ran for an eight-yard score to extend the Chaney lead.

After shutting down East again, the Cowboys drove down the field. Petrosky called his own number and ran for a 20-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.

That surge in the first half came from a few discussions about not being able to capitalize on opportunities in prior games.

“We talked all the time about how we leave points on the board in the first half,” Amill said. “The experience that we’re gaining as we keep playing, we’re learning how to fight guys off and keep it going. We came out like world beaters and they made some adjustments and slowed us up, but we got the victory.”

The Cowboys scored once more with Marshall Herron scoring on a 25-yard rush.

Despite being a frigid night, fans from both sides flocked to see this game. Amill mentioned how important it is to the city to have this rivalry back.

“This is great for the community,” Amill said. “For Youngstown to be able to come out and see our young men and young women come out and play a hard-nosed game physical game, fly around, get stuff done, with no issues. You can’t beat it. This is big for the city of Youngstown. It’s only going to grow.”

That sense of community was in every aspect of the game, even down to the postgame handshake.

Players and coaches from both teams were not only shaking hands, but embracing each other

“A lot of them played together last year,” Amill said. “A lot of us coached together last year. We knew it was going to be a rivalry on the field, but once the game is over, at the end of the day, there’s respect, love, friendship that we have for each other. There’s no hard feelings … At the end of the day you shake hands, you congratulate each other, and you move on.”

Chaney ends its first season back on the field with a record of 6-4, including wins over Liberty and Howland. The Cowboys also picked up their first win against the Youngstown East program that was re-established in 2007.

“This season was a roller coaster,” Amill said. “There were some games I thought we should have won, that we didn’t win. I honestly feel we should be sitting at 9-1 right now, but it’s by far the best football season I’ve been a part of.”

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