Lindale Eagle fans cheer as their team takes on Chapel Hill on Friday night at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium.

Lindale kept its magical season alive with a 36-7 win over Chapel Hill on Friday night at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium.

Already into the third round of the playoffs for the first time in program history, the Eagles added a trip to the state quarterfinals to their résumé.

In what was a packed stadium under COVID-19 guidelines, the Eagles wasted no time in making their mark.

After the Bulldogs deferred following the coin toss, Lindale needed just three plays to find the end zone as Sam Peterson threw a short swing pass to Jordan Jenkins, who did the rest for a 60-yard touchdown to give Lindale a 7-0 lead less than a minute into the game.

Chapel Hill got into Lindale territory on the next drive, but was forced to punt. Jenkins broke off a 41-yard run on Lindale’s first play following the punt, but the Eagles gave the ball back to the Bulldogs on the next play as Jahade Adams came up with the interception at the 4-yard-line.

Lindale forced a quick three-and out, and Jenkins powered the Eagles down the field on the way to a 3-yard touchdown. Jenkins also ran in the two-point conversion to give the Eagles a 15-0 lead with 3:40 left in the first quarter.

Jenkins tacked on his third touchdown early in the second quarter with a 21-yard run to make the score 22-0.

With Chapel Hill unable to get much going on offense, the Bulldogs turned to their defense to try to get back into the game.

With Lindale looking to extend its lead, Bam Ford picked off Peterson at the 30 and returned the ball 70 yards for a Chapel Hill touchdown to cut the score to 22-7 with 6:49 left in the second quarter.

Lindale quickly responded with a 32-yard touchdown strike from Peterson to Jacob Seekford.

The Eagles led 29-7 at halftime.

“I think our guys knew they had to come in and be really physical on both sides of the ball,” Lindale head coach Chris Cochran said. “They accepted the challenge. It was obvious Chapel Hill was getting after us up front at times. That’s just a testament to Coach (Jeff) Riordan and his staff. They do such a good job. Their guys improved each and every week. I told our guys that we’re improving every week, too. I’m just proud of the way they responded.”

Chapel Hill got the ball first in the second half and quickly got into Lindale territory, but the Eagles forced a fumble, and Airik Williams was there for the recovery.

That led to Jenkins find the end zone for the fourth time of the night — a 6-yard run on his final carry of the contest.

A week after scoring nine touchdowns, the Baylor commit carried the ball 27 times for 210 yards and three touchdowns, and he added three catches for 64 yards and two scores. Jenkins was quick to deflect the spotlight to his offensive line and the rest of his teammates.

“They did great handling the challenge as always,” Jenkins said. “I fully trust those guys. Even if they mess up, I know they’ll get it right. I love seeing all of my other teammates work and get more touchdowns. Even my backup (Kasey Villarreal), he works so hard and doesn’t get in much, so when he does, I cheer for him.”

Villarreal finished with 53 yards on 16 carries.

The Lindale defense continued to make life difficult for the Bulldogs the remainder of the way.

Chapel Hill (8-5) finished with 159 yards of offense — 77 rushing and 82 passing. The Bulldogs had scored at least 40 points in three straight games before the Eagles shut out their offense on Friday.

“That’s what they’re known for,” Cochran said. “And we talked to the defense again today about accepting that challenge. We wanted to make sure we put our stamp on it defensively. We gave up 42 last week, 56 on the scoreboard, but the defense gave up 42 points. We know we had to come in and play better, and our guys did that. Colton Widemon, Airik Williams, Jaymond Jackson, Christian King, Omar Webber, those guys did a really good job. I’m just really proud of all of them, proud of their effort.”

In a rematch from earlier in the season that Lindale won 52-6, the Eagles led from start to finish.

“It was just emotional and electric,” Williams said. “Every stop we got, it got us going, and it felt good. We knew they were going to be better last tie, so we just had to put the old score behind us and come out and be ready to play a new game.”

Lindale had 419 yards — 217 on the ground. Peterson was 8 of 17 for 147 yards. Jacob Seekford made four grabs for 56 yards.

Now, the Eagles (11-2) will get ready for another District 9-4A Division I rematch, as they will take on Kilgore Friday at Stephen F. Austin State University’s Homer Bryce Stadium in Nacogdoches. Lindale defeated Kilgore 47-40 in the final game of the regular season.

“I just told someone it was an instant classic last time,” Cochran said. “It as a heavyweight fight. We expect the same thing. The Kilgore Bulldogs are always tough and physical up front. I expect another slugfest, I really do.”

———

Lindale 36, Chapel Hill 7

Lindale 15 14 7 0 — 36

Chapel Hill 0 7 0 0 — 7

First Quarter

LIN — Jordan Jenkins 60 pass from Sam Peterson (Landon Love kick), 11:01

LIN — Jenkins 3 run (Jenkins run), 3:40

Second Quarter

LIN — Jenkins 21 run (Love kick), 9:35

CH — Bam Ford 70 INT return (Adolfo Tamayo kick), 6:49

LIN — Jacob Seekford 32 pass from Peterson (Love kick), 2:57

Third Quarter

LIN — Jenkins 6 run (Love kick), 8:29

LIN CH

First Downs 21 12

Rushes-Yards 36-272 29-77

Passing Yards 147 82

Comp.-Att-Int. 8-17-2 5-17-1

Punts-Ave. 3-50 7-40.6

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1

Penalties-Yards 8-65 9-87

Individual Statistics

RUSHING — Lindale, Jordan Jenkins 27-210, Kasey Villarreal 16-53, Sam Peterson 4-14, Chandler Paul 3-3, Team 1-(-8). Chapel Hill, Cameron Ford 19-48, Tyson Berry 3-28, Samari Willis 2-15, Kevin Brooks 4-12, Team 1-(-26).

PASSING — Lindale, Sam Peterson 8-17-2 147. Chapel Hill, Cameron Ford 5-17-1 82.

RECEIVING — Lindale, Jacob Seekford 4-56, Jordan Jenkins 3-64, Case Brooks 1-27. Chapel Hill, Ilonzo McGregor 4-68, Solomon Macfoy 1-14.