The Bellefontaine Chiefs (1-2) fell at home to the visiting Marion Harding Presidents (2-1) by a score of 14-7 on Friday night.

Coming into the game, the question was whether or not the Chiefs’ defense could bow their necks after being run on a week ago by Bellbrook.

Boy, did they answer the call.

After Marion Harding put together two touchdown drives on its first two possessions of the night, the Chiefs stiffened up and pitched a shutout for the remainder of the contest. For the final 36 minutes, the defense was great.

For most weeks, that would be more than enough for the Black and Red to get a W. It was not in the cards for this week.

The offense was moving the ball; they just found ways not to convert the opportunities given to them. On 4th and goal, after driving the field, the Chiefs saw a ball fall through the hands of a wide-open receiver.

On the next offensive possession, they drove the length of the field again, only to fumble and lose seven yards as soon as they got inside the 5-yard line. Both drives ended after failed 4th-down conversions.

The Chiefs went to halftime down 14-0, with the optimism that a strong start and finishing drives could see them get out of the night with a W.

They came out of the half and executed perfectly down the field once more, using tempo as a weapon and getting down to the 1-yard line. It was there that the Chiefs lost starting quarterback Blake Loomis to an injury that would keep him out for the remainder of the contest.

Backup quarterback Dillon Jones stepped in on 4th down and punched it in for the Chiefs, cutting the deficit in half and bringing the crowd to life.

The defense rewarded its offense’s energy by continuing to fight, time after time, giving the team a chance to tie the game and potentially win.

That is a lot easier said than done when you lose your starting quarterback.

Once Jones’s talents were needed back out wide, slot receiver Sutton Daring took his turn behind center — a job he certainly did not wake up Friday morning expecting to take on.

The offense sputtered and struggled to get going, with some plays picking up decent yardage here and there, but nothing of substance coming from the Chiefs’ offense.

Still, the defense continued to keep the Chiefs within striking distance.

Time and time again, the defense kept bailing out the offense until the final minutes of the clock ran out.

Opportunities went to the wayside all night, but the Chieftains put together their best defensive performance of the season in the contest. It was not the outcome the team may have wanted, but head coach Jason Brown can hang his hat knowing that his team did not give up.

Not a single moment looked as if the boys in black flinched in the line of battle.

Bellefontaine has a chance to get back to .500 next week when it takes on crosstown neighbor Benjamin Logan at home. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at AcuSport Stadium.