The Cherryvale Chargers closed the regular season with a 35-12 loss to the Riverton Rams last Friday, finishing the year with a 4-4 record under head coach Harry Hester.

A win would have moved the Chargers into third place in their district and earned them a more favorable seed in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs; however, a second-half surge from Riverton prevented Cherryvale from finishing the regular season at 5-3.

The Chargers were without starting quarterback Remington John on Friday after he suffered an injury against Humboldt in Week 7. Hester says it has been a next-man-up mentality, with players stepping into new roles as teammates recover from injuries.

Cherryvale will hit the road for a three-and-a-half-hour trip to face the Sabetha Bluejays, the top-ranked team in Class 2A, in the first round of the postseason. Hester says the pressure is on Sabetha, and his team is well prepared for the challenge after facing several of the top teams in Class 2A throughout the regular season.

The matchup between the No. 14-seeded Chargers and the No. 3-seeded Bluejays on the east side of the Class 2A bracket is set for Thursday, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. in Sabetha. If Cherryvale advances, they'll play the winner of Osage City and Riverton.