CHARLESTON – For the Charleston junior high Tigers, the last game Tuesday night against Dardanelle was basically a recap of what they’ve done all season: dominate. Charleston scored early and often, moving the ball at will in a 42-7 win over the Sand Lizards to complete a perfect 10-0 2026 season.
Charleston took the opening kickoff from Dardanelle and went straight to work with two carries from Grant Little. On the third play, Daeton Stewart found Carson Lensing down the sideline for a 34-yard touchdown pass to put the Tigers up 8-0 after the two-point conversion.
After a Dardanelle three-and-out, Jaxson Todd returned the Sand Lizard punt 36 yards to the 33-yard line. It would only take the Tigers one play to score this time, a 33-yard pass from Stewart to Tanner Schilling to put Charleston up 15-0 with 3:38 to go in the first quarter.
Dardanelle would manage one first down on their second possession on a 22-yard run near midfield. But faced with fourth down and nine to go, Kurt Lachowsky brought down the Dardanelle QB scramble for a turnover on downs.
Charleston would capitalize on their next possession quickly once again, this time leaning on Cooper Carruth. Stewart would find Carruth on a 44-yard pass, followed by a 33-yard pass from the same duo for a touchdown. The PAT attempt was blocked to give Charleston a 21-0 advantage near the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers were far from done. On Dardanelle’s next possession, Charleston defensive lineman Erick Araujo had a tackle for loss on third down and three to force another Sand Lizards punt. The Tigers would score in two plays, with a 4-yard Grant Little run setting up a 50-yard touchdown pass from Stewart to Schilling to put Charleston up 28-0 with 4:45 to go in the first half.
On the next Dardanelle offensive possession, the Sand Lizards would have more problems moving the ball. On third down and five, Charleston’s Aiden Akers had a quarterback sack for a 12-yard loss, forcing another Sand Lizard punt.
Charleston would make quick work of their final offensive possession of the first half, with a 43-yard pass from Stewart to Schilling setting up a 2-yard Little run to give Charleston a 35-0 lead going into halftime.
“We didn’t have many snaps in the first half, but several went for explosive scores,” said Charleston junior high head coach Matt Stewart. “Daeton was on tonight and the receivers had some good runs after the catch.”
Stewart also had heavy praise for his offensive line, who didn’t allow a quarterback sack all season. Let’s give it up to the ‘dudes’ up front: Maddox Loyd, Cam Fox, Aiden Akers, Kurt Lachowsky, and Easton Harrington.
“The offensive line has been superb all year,” said Stewart. “They created clean pockets and huge running lanes all season. They have been the cornerstone of this team.”
In a mercy-rule shortened second half, both teams would score once. Dardanelle would score on their first drive of the second half on a 42-yard rushing touchdown. Charleston would answer with a 38-yard kickoff return from Jaten Murray into Dardanelle territory. Pass completions from Barrett Smith to Kolton Ballard and Bentley York would set up an Eli Robinson touchdown carry to give Charleston the 42-7 lead.
Dardanelle would get one final offensive possession, but the defense would hold strong, highlighted by a 4-yard tackle for loss on third down by freshman Braylon Fugate.
Daeton Stewart would finish a perfect 6-6 for 237 yards and four touchdowns. On the season, the sensational freshman was 53-73 passing (73% completion percentage) for 1,342 yards and 25 touchdowns. He only played in the second half twice all year, against Ozark and Mansfield.
“We made the decision back in the summer to throw a lot more on these guys playbook-wise,” said Charleston assistant coach Tyler Reese. “We did a really good job all year continuing to grow and learn. We were solid all year up front in pass protection and run blocking.”
Coach Reese would also have praise for how Daeton Stewart handled all of what was being asked of him.
“Daeton was really good all year,” he said. “We put a lot on the QB in terms of checks, motions, reads, and getting us out of bad plays and into good ones.”
Stewart’s favorite targets on the season were Tanner Schilling with nine touchdowns, Cooper Carruth with seven, Jaxson Todd with six, and Carson Lensing with three.
“Our receivers and running backs played great too,” said Reese. “We had multiple guys that were explosive threats anytime they got the ball in their hands. This is a good group to spread the ball around with and force defenses to cover from sideline to sideline.”
As dominant as the Charleston offense was on the season, the defense was just as effective. The Tigers first string defense only allowed 20 points all season, and a total of only six first downs.
“Overall it’s been a great season defensively,” said Charleston assistant coach Brett Ward. “They did a great job understanding their alignments and assignments, and when Thursday nights rolled around, they tackled really well and played physical football.”
Coach Ward is excited about the future of his defensive unit.
“I’m really proud of the effort, the physicality, and growth these guys showed throughout the season,” he said. “I’m excited to see that growth continue with next year’s junior high Tigers!”
“The season was a great success because the kids continued to show up, spend quality time in the weight room, and compete against each other it what seemed like a never-ending summer heat,” said Stewart. “There were many lessons that the kids navigated through individually and as a team. I’m happy for the kids to experience the gratification of accomplishing team goals and finishing the season well.”
With a perfect unbeaten season, comes expectations for the future as to what this team can accomplish at the senior high level. But Coach Stewart knows that success will be earned, not given.
“I expect this group of freshmen to do what they have been doing the last few years,” he said. “They need to stick together, stay in the weight room, make good grades, and continue to impact and represent our school, community, and sports programs as good young men.”
