|
CJ players honored
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The following players were
recognized by Big 8 coaches, receiving
All-Conference honors:
First Team
Nii Abrahams, Kicker
Chase Price, Linebacker
Second Team
Jake Stevenson, Receiver
Jacob Wall, Center
|
Abrahams named to
All-District Team
Carl Junction senior Nii
Abrahams was named to the Springfield
News-Leader All-District First Team for Class 4
as a placekicker for Special Teams.
|
Zach Waranch, Running Back
Honorable Mention
Levi Maggard, Linebacker
Brandon Ray, Guard
Dakota Sailor, Defensive End
Bulldogs lose
season finale
By Anvil Welch, The Joplin Globe
The unbeaten Webb City High School football team nailed
down the Class 4 District 12 championship by beating
Carl Junction 54-0 on Thursday night in Cardinal
Stadium.
The 10-0 Cardinals’ first-round
opponent in the playoffs, however, won’t be known until
Republic visits Branson at 7 tonight. Their game was
pushed back because of field conditions.
Top-ranked Webb City, defending state
champion, will take an overall winning streak of 25
games into Wednesday’s home 7 p.m. contest. It was their
sixth straight unbeaten regular season and boosted that
streak to 64.
Webb City, 3-0 in District 4-12,
ended the Bulldogs’ season at 5-5 and 1-2.
Webb City, which recognized its
seniors, scored four touchdowns in the first period and
was ahead 47-0 by halftime.
Quarterback Patrick Drake finished
7-for-7 passing for 162 yards and four touchdowns. Boo
Rodgers grabbed scoring passes of 36, 16 and 33 yards.
Said Cardinal coach John Roderique:
“We wanted to get out of the gate fast. We came out
doing a lot of things on offense.
“Patrick (Drake) threw the ball about
as well as he’s thrown it,” Roderique said. “Boo
(Rodgers) made a difference with his athleticism and
speed.
“We feel like we played well in all
aspects of the game,” Roderique said.
The Webb City defense limited Carl
Junction to 98 rushing yards and 28 passing. The
Cardinals finished with 295 on the ground in addition to
Drake’s 162.
Cardinal TDs in the first period were
supplied by Austin Daniel (33 pass from Drake), Rodgers
(36), Jeremiah Box (1-yard run) and Rodgers (16).
Drake, in the second, scored on an
11-yard run, and hooked up with Rodgers on the
33-yarder.
Maddy Johnson scored on a yard plunge
in the second and closed out the scoring in the third
with a 38-yard run.
Box rushed six times for 77 yards,
Braxton Baker six for 47, Johnson five for 44 and Drake
six for 28.
It wasn’t a happy homecoming for Carl
Junction head coach Bret Gosch (a 1981 Webb City
graduate)
“We’re hoping this serves as a wakeup
call,” Gosch, who praised the effort by Webb City, said.
“Our players need to exceed their own expectations. We
need to hit the weight room. We have to increase our
numbers.
“We can’t get 54 points hung on us
and expect everything will be good next season,” Gosch
said. “I hope this is a turning point where everyone
involved in our program — parents as well as players —
can look back at it as a wakeup call.”
Two-way guard Andrew Kolb was one of
the happy Webb City seniors surrounded by family and
fans after the game.
“We just take one game at a time,”
Kolb said quietly of the six straight perfect regular
seasons. “We try not to look too far down the road.”
Kolb, a 5-foot-11, 200-pounder, added
defensive duty this season.
“Now, I’m in good shape,” Kolb,
grinning, said. “I wasn’t the first couple of weeks."
Big plays spark
Tigers to victory
By Richard Polen, The Joplin Globe
Carthage had a night of big
plays in moving a step closer to the Class 4 playoffs
with a 40-3 victory Friday night against district rival
Carl Junction.
The Tigers, who led 25-0 at halftime,
allowed just one first down in the first half and
harassed Carl Junction quarterback Matt Thompson by
batting down several passes at the line of scrimmage.
Junior running back Brian Poston, who
rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns in the first
half, finished with 164 yards on 21 carries.
“He’s a hard runner. He does not
quit,” said Mason Siebert, a senior who had three
receptions for 84 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown
on Carthage’s second possession of the second half that
gave the Tigers a 33-3 lead.
Quarterback Derek Peterson completed
8 of 11 passes for 121 yards, but his biggest play of
the night came on third-and-10 when Siebert made a
leaping catch over Carl Junction defensive back Jake
Stevenson, who was injured on the play and was helped
off the field.
“Derek threw a great pass,” Siebert
said.
Carthage, 7-2, ran just six plays in
the third quarter as Carl Junction controlled the ball
and the clock with two long, time-consuming drives but
came away with just three points.
The Bulldogs drove 40 yards in 11
plays to the Carthage 7 but were stopped when Thompson’s
pass to Stevenson in the end zone was incomplete and
then, on third down, Preston Shivley sacked Thompson for
a 7-yard loss. Thompson completed 4 of 5 passes on the
drive for 34 yards. Nii Abrahams kicked a 31-yard field
goal.
After Carthage’s long touchdown pass,
Carl Junction drove 62 yards in seven plays to the
Carthage 5, highlighted by a 30-yard pass from Thompson
to Trent Landes.
But on fourth-and-5 from the 8,
Stevenson’s pass toward the sideline near the goalline
was intercepted by Devron Moore, who eluded several
tacklers on his way to a 99-yard return for a touchdown
that gave Carthage a 40-3 lead.
“He made a great break on the ball,”
Carthage head coach Jon Guidie said. “We got pressure on
the quarterback and made him throw a little sooner than
he wanted to.
“Our defensive line got some good
pressure, batted balls down and hurried him,” Guidie
said. “It was a great game for our seniors to have on
Senior Night.”
Poston and senior defensive back
Trevor Hole also had interceptions for Carthage, which
plays at Nevada next week. Carl Junction, 5-4, plays
next at unbeaten Webb City.
Carl Junction played without leading
rusher Zach Waranch, who is out for the season with a
knee injury, head coach Bret Gosch said.
Chase Price led the Bulldogs with 57
yards on 18 carries, including 49 yards on 11 carries in
the second half.
“Down 25-0 at halftime, they had a
lot of pride on the line,” Gosch said. “These seniors
don’t quit. The kids were playing hard.
“Carthage has a lot of athletes,” he
said. “They use different ways to attack you and they
used every one of them tonight.”
Carthage controlled the ball most of
the first half but failed to take advantage of a scoring
opportunity on its first possession when, on
fourth-and-goal at the 5, Peterson’s pass for Siebert in
the end zone fell incomplete.
Poston’s 9-yard run on a counter play
gave Carthage a 7-0 lead with 2:09 left in the first
quarter, and the Tigers made it 13-0 on a 9-yard sweep
by Moore with 10:50 left in the half.
Poston then scored two more
touchdowns before halftime, first on a 23-yard sweep to
the left and then on a 43-yard burst up the middle.
“He’s one of the best running backs
we’ve had in a long time,” Siebert said. “He’s going to
be a great senior.”
"Senior Night"
victory!
Fans who left Bulldog Stadium early Friday missed a
game's worth of action in the final three minutes of
play.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-0 lead before Nevada
rallied with a pair of touchdowns at the end of the
third quarter and three minutes into the fourth.
After the teams exchanged punts, Carl Junction took over
near their own 40 with 6:16 to play.
The Bulldogs embarked on a lengthy drive, but still led
only 21-14 with three minutes to play and needing a
score to try to put the game out of reach. Up to
that point, Carl Junction had already scored on a pair
of Matt Thompson touchdown passes to Nathan Skaggs and
Jake Stevenson, covering 18 and 47 yards, respectively,
plus a 3-yard touchdown run from Chase Price.
The Bulldogs turned to Price again, getting a 5-yard
touchdown run from the senior. Nii Abrahams's
fourth extra point of the game gave CJ a seemingly
comfortable 28-14 lead with only 2:40 to play.
But on the ensuing kickoff, Nevada's returner broke into
the open and was on his way to a long return to pull the
Tigers back to within seven. However, there was
one problem - Abrahams, the Bulldogs' kicker, was broke
down and ready to challenge the returner. Abrahams
ignored the shake and bake and not only made the tackle,
but forced a fumble as well.
The Bulldogs' Drew Snyder recovered the loose ball,
sending the CJ offensive unit back on the field.
From his own 17, Thompson took off through a hole on the
right side and raced 83 yards for CJ's final
touchdown of the night and a 35-14 lead with 2:10 to
play.
During the play, Nevada was whistled for a personal foul
and committed yet another on the PAT. The pair of
penalties allowed Abrahams to kick off from Nevada's
30-yard line, and the senior kicker booted one beyond
goal posts and into the dark.
The two teams were flagged for penalties on the game's
next four plays, meaning the referees' yellow hankies
littered the field for six consecutive plays.
Adam Hertzberg grabbed his second interception of the
night on the Tigers' next possession and the Bulldogs
looked content to run out the clock behind some basic
dive plays. Nevada, however, used their allotment
of timeouts to prolong the highly-penalized game and the
Bulldogs' Abrahams booted a 22-yard field goal to
provide the final score of 38-14.
Stevenson grabbed an interception of his own to go with
his long touchdown reception.
Seniors from the football team, as well as senior band
members, cheerleaders, mascots and dance team members,
were all honored before the game.
Carl Junction's victory boosted their record to 5-3,
while the Tigers fell to 3-5. More importantly,
the Bulldogs now stand at 1-0 in district play heading
into their game next Friday night at Carthage.
Webb City defeated the Tigers 35-14, meaning Webb and
Carl now sit on top of the district standings while
Carthage and Nevada are each 0-1. The top two
teams from each district advance to the state playoffs.
Cassville scores
quickly, shuts out Bulldogs
The Cassville Wildcats used a
strong rushing attack, including a 78-yard run on their
third play from scrimmage, to knock off the visiting
Carl Junction Bulldogs 28-0.
The Wildcats rushed for over 340 yards, including the
78-yard run by Josh Lewright, a pair of touchdown runs
from Trevor Tanner (from 28 and 8 yards), and a final
57-yard touchdown sprint from Joseph Gouvion.
Gouvion was the workhorse for Cassville, carrying 30
times for 190 yards. Cassville needed only five
pass attempts on offense, completing a pair for 22
yards.
The Bulldogs' offense turned the ball over on four
interceptions, including a pair of passes ending drives
that were picked off in or near the end zone.
Carl Junction finished Big 8 play locked into fourth
place with their 4-3 record, unless either Cassville,
Monett or Seneca (all 4-0 in the Big 8) lose their final
three games of the season.
District play opens Friday, when the Bulldogs will host
the Nevada Tigers at Bulldog Stadium. Senior Night
festivities are planned prior to the game.
Bulldogs overwhelm
Patriots in 52-7 homecoming victory
Jake Stevenson
returns the opening kickoff against East Newton
(Greg Thompson
photo) |
In a nearly flawless performance,
the Carl Junction Bulldogs simply dismantled East Newton
while claiming a 52-7 homecoming victory.
The win lifted the Bulldogs
to 4-2 while the Patriots fell to 0-6.
The Bulldogs
offense finished with seven scoring drives and no
turnovers, being forced to punt only once (after a pair
of offensive penalties).
The Bulldogs defense
stopped East Newton nearly all night long, returning one
fumble for a touchdown, recovering another, snagging and
interception and successfully defending two fake punts
by the Patriots.
Perhaps the
Bulldogs’ only real mistake of the night came early in
the game.
While already leading 14-0,
the Patriots faked a punt from their own 20-yard line
and raced 80 yards for their only score of the night.
The successful PAT pulled
the Patriots to within 14-7, but the Bulldogs would
score the game’s final 38 points.
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Senior Leslee
Russell was crowned homecoming queen in the pre-game
festivities.
Her escort was Nii
Abrahams, and with the festivities completed, Abrahams
and his teammates quickly returned to the locker room
for final preparation.
Carl Junction returned to the field a
short time later, proving quickly they were ready to
play.
The Bulldogs’
starting offensive unit was barely introduced before
they marched 80 yards down the field in the game’s first
2:10.
Using a total of seven
plays, including two big runs from Chase Price, another
chunk of ground yardage from Trent Landes, and a Matt
Thompson pass completion to Nathan Skaggs, Thompson then
completed his first touchdown pass of the season to Jake
Stevenson.
The scoring play covered
seven yards, and coupled with the first of five
successful PATs from Abrahams, gave the Bulldogs an
early 7-0 lead.
Just over a
minute later, with the Patriots facing their first of
many third downs on the evening, the Bulldogs’ “D”
forced a fumble.
Brandon McCoy scooped up
the loose ball and ran 22 yards untouched for the game’s
second score.
Carl Junction was up 14-0
just over three minutes into the game.
After the Patriots’ successful fake
punt from their own 20 resulted in their only score, the
Bulldogs scored 25 more points before the first half
ended.
The scoring
spree began after senior linebacker Levi Maggard
intercepted a pass and returned it six yards to
midfield.
From there, Carl Junction
moved the ball 50 yards before the drive came to
completion on Zach Waranch’s 36-yard touchdown run.
Waranch, returning from a
knee injury only two weeks ago, had earlier picked up 34
yards on his first carry of the game.
Landes picked up
27 yards on the Bulldogs’ next possession and Waranch
capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run.
The Patriots were offsides
on the PAT, allowing the Bulldogs’ Thompson to score
from a yard and a half out for a successful 2-point
conversion.
The scamper around the left
end put the Bulldogs up 29-7 with 6:18 to play in the
second quarter.
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The Bulldogs'
Coury Ferson hauls in a pass
(Greg Thompson
photo) |
East Newton went
three-and-out, punting to their own 45-yard line.
From there, Thompson hit
Coury Ferson for a 30-yard completion before Waranch
scored his third and final touchdown of the evening,
this time from five yards out.
The Bulldogs
stuffed the Patriots again, forcing another punt.
This time, CJ took over at
the East Newton 37 in the half’s final minute.
Thompson completed passes
to Skaggs and Stevenson, setting up a successful 25-yard
field goal from Abrahams as the half expired.
The Patriots returned the second
half’s opening kickoff 55 yards, but from there were
stopped on fourth down after gaining only five yards in
four plays.
Carl Junction,
facing third-and-10 from their own 30-yard line, picked
up another first down on a 53-yard pass from Thompson to
Stevenson.
Waranch carried six
consecutive times, gaining 16 yards but being stopped at
the 1-yard line on fourth down.
|
East Newton once
again went three-and-out, punting 23 yards to the East
Newton 26-yard line.
Thompson scored on a
quarterback keeper, covering 24 yards and putting the
Bulldogs up 45-7.
Abrahams’ PAT was blocked.
The Bulldogs’
Brenden Kuse recovered a Patriots fumble on the final
play of the third quarter, giving Carl Junction the ball
at the East Newton 40.
Price picked up 20 yards on
first down, followed by a five-yard pickup from Landes.
Adam Hertzberg, on his
first carry of the year, raced 15 yards to the end zone
for the Bulldogs’ final touchdown.
Carl Junction now moves on to next Friday’s game, when
they’ll travel to Cassville.
The Wildcats (5-1) are currently ranked in the
state’s top 10 and are the defending Missouri Class 3
state champions.
They’ve lost only twice since last season’s 23-22 loss at
Carl Junction.
Bulldogs stand
strong against Cubs but eventually fall 14-0
| |
Dalton England
records one of his 20 tackles against Monett
(Greg Thompson photo) |
Monett, averaging over 37 points per game and ranked
number one in Missouri Class 3, took advantage of a
gift-wrapped touchdown on their first play and proceeded
to squeak past Carl Junction 14-0.
The Bulldogs
took the opening kickoff but failed to pick up a first
down, shifting into punt formation from their own
23-yard line.
But the snap from center
sailed high over the punter’s head, giving the Cubs the
ball at the 1-yard line.
One play later and only a
minute and a half into the game, Monett led 7-0.
Carl Junction,
despite a second bad punt snap, a lost fumble and an
interception during their first four possessions,
allowed Monett to reach the end zone only one more time.
The Cubs capped a 50-yard
drive with a 6-yard touchdown run, building a 14-0 lead
with 7:11 to play in the second quarter.
But that would bring the scoring to
an end for the evening.
|
The Bulldogs,
averaging 25 points per game, drove inside the Cubs’
10-yard line twice but came away empty both times.
Another drive, beginning at
their own 11-yard line, stalled after Carl Junction
moved to Monett’s 23.
| |
Carl Junction finished with
a balanced offensive output, rushing for 106 yards while
passing for 102. Senior quarterback Matt Thompson
accounted for all of the passing yardage, completing 8
of 19 while throwing one interception.
Big plays for the Bulldogs included a
48-yard run from Thompson, a 20-yard run from senior
tailback Chase Price and a 46-yard pass completion from
Thompson to Price.
Monett managed just over 300 total yards, including a
game-clinching 32-yard run for their final first down of
the game with two minutes to play.
The Bulldogs stopped Monett on downs once, recovered a
Cubs' fumble, and forced five punts among Monett's 11
possessions. Two possessions ended as each half
expired, with Monett still in their own territory each
time.
|
Jake Stevenson
prepares to cover a Monett receiver
(Greg Thompson photo) |
| |
Senior Devin Hance makes a tackle
(Greg Thompson photo) |
Among the defensive stars for Carl Junction was senior
linebacker Dalton England, who finished the game with a
career high in tackles with 20 total (including 4
unassisted).
Brandon Ray also recovered a fumble for the Bulldogs,
while Levi Maggard, Jake
Morey and Price were all involved in quarterback sacks.
But in the end, a pair of Monett touchdowns was just
enough for the Cubs to move to 5-0, while Carl Junction
fell to 3-2 overall and in Big 8 play.
The Bulldogs return to action this Friday, entertaining
East Newton at Bulldog Stadium. Homecoming
festivities are planned, including the annual homecoming
parade Friday afternoon. The Patriots are 0-5 this
season.
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Big 8 tilt goes to
Seneca
| |
Senior Zach
Waranch picks up nice yardage in the first
quarter against Seneca
(Joplin Globe photo)
|
The looks on the faces
of the Carl Junction players' faces at game's end told
the story. The concern wasn't nearly as much about
the hard-fought 21-10 loss to Seneca realized moments
earlier. Instead, Bulldogs players were more
concerned about their teammates and the feeling of an
uncertain future.
With three seniors already sidelined
with injuries prior to Friday's kickoff, the team saw no
fewer than four other players exit the battle with
Seneca. Tailback Zach Waranch, quarterback Matt
Thompson, linebacker Levi Maggard and junior Trent
Landes all saw their night come to an end with various
injuries.
|
Waranch, entering the game as the
area's leading scorer, showed early success running the
ball before departing with an apparent knee injury in
the game's first quarter.
Carl Junction had opened with a 3-0
lead on Nii Abrahams' 32-yard field goal.
But with Waranch out, Seneca began to
gain momentum and scored on the opening play of the
second quarter. The result was a 38-yard touchdown
pass with 11:52 to play in the half and a 7-3 lead for
the Indians.
Seneca scored again with 6:41 to
play, this time finding the end zone with a 33-yard
touchdown pass.
The Bulldogs lost a fumble on their
next possession, but then held Seneca on a
fourth-and-one.
Carl Junction strung together a good
drive, advancing to Seneca's 16-yard line. But the
Bulldogs would miss a 37-yard field goal attempt, giving
the Indians one final chance before halftime.
Senior Jake Stevenson picked off a
pass to end the Seneca drive, recording his second
interception of the season.
The Indians took the second half's
opening kickoff and spent four minutes driving 81 yards.
Their possession eventually resulted in a 32-yard
touchdown run, giving them their largest lead of the
evening at 21-3. Thompson was injured on the play
from his defensive back position, staying in the game
for the extra point but then watching the rest of the
game from the sidelines.
Junior quarterback Drew Snyder
entered the game, but the Bulldogs fumbled on the first
play during the exchange between Snyder and senior
running back Chase Price.
Seneca couldn't advance, however,
giving the Bulldogs the ball back deep in their own
territory.
Snyder looked composed in finding
sophomore Nathan Skaggs wide open for a 68-yard
touchdown pass. Abrahams' extra point pulled Carl
Junction to within 21-10 with 3:32 to play in the third
quarter.
But that would be the end of the
scoring.
CJ did recover an onside kick and
picked up a key first down on a hard fourth down run by
Price. But Abrahams' 44-yard field goal attempt
was wide left, stopping the Bulldogs' final, real threat
of the evening.
A tale of two
halves: Carl Junction wins overtime thriller
|
Coury Ferson (38) and
Chase Price (33) stuff Mt. Vernon's Corey
Phillips
(Greg Thompson Photo)
|
By halftime Friday night, the
scoreboard told the story.
Mt. Vernon, benefactors of
three Carl Junction turnovers and a recovery of their
own onside kick, had built a 17-0 lead.
In the first half, the Bulldogs, with
the fumble woes, only advanced the ball beyond midfield
once.
But for as sloppy as the Bulldogs
played in the first 24 minutes, they played to near
perfection in the game’s final 24 minutes of regulation
to force a 17-17 tie.
Their game-tying touchdown
came on a 7 yard run by Matt Thompson with 9:02
remaining in the fourth quarter.
Each team would get two more
possessions in the game's final period, but the
score remained deadlocked at 17 all. Mt.
Vernon's two possessions ended in a fumble
recovered by the Bulldogs and another stop on
fourth-and-one, with each drive ending in
Bulldogs territory.
|
Mt. Vernon lost
the overtime coin toss and took possession of the
football first.
The Bulldogs’ defense,
after shutting down the Mountaineers’ offense during the
third and fourth quarters, recorded a huge third down
sack of Mt. Vernon quarterback Corey Phillips.
The Mountaineers
had earned one first down after starting the extra
session at the 25-yard line.
But from the 9, the 14-yard
sack backed them up to the 23.
After an illegal procedure
penalty backed them up another 5 yards, Phillips
completed a fourth down pass but the receiver was
quickly swarmed by a pack of Bulldogs far from the end
zone.
The Bulldogs
took their turn in overtime, and wasted little time
completing their comeback effort.
Zach Waranch picked up 11 yards on
first down.
From the 14,
Waranch swept right untouched.
Wide receiver Jansen Adams
blocked the cornerback to the outside and Waranch made a
cut back to the inside for a game-winning, 14-yard
touchdown scamper.
The score was
Waranch’s second TD run of the evening, giving him 9
touchdowns this season in three games.
His earlier scoring run
covered 3 yards on a fourth-and-1 play.
Waranch rushed
for nearly 100 yards in the second half and overtime.
Waranch added
his first career pass completion as well, hitting Adams
for a 17-yard completion on a third down, halfback
option play from the Bulldogs’ own 45-yard line.
The drive eventually
stalled at the 17-yard line before senior Nii Abrahams
nailed a 35-yard field goal to pull the Bulldogs to
within 17-10.
Abrahams’ ensuing kickoff sailed
through the end zone for a touchback.
From there, it
was three-and-out for the Mountaineers, but Phillips’
punt was blocked.
The huge special teams play
put Carl Junction back in business, this time at the Mt.
Vernon 26-yard line.
The Bulldogs,
with a short field in front of them, picked up 7 and 12
yards on consecutive carries from Waranch.
After earning a first down
at the 7-yard line, quarterback Matt Thompson swept
around the right side and picked up another great wide
receiver block, this time from senior Jake Stevenson.
The senior QB found the end
zone and Abrahams’ PAT kick evened the score at 17-17
with 9:02 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs
defense, standing firm during the second half, appeared
to have Mt. Vernon shut down yet again. But Phillips converted
a third-and-10 pass for 14 yards, keeping the drive
alive.
Phillips and his
teammates added another pair of first downs and faced a
second-and-2 at the Carl Junction 35-yard line.
But the senior QB was
wrapped up on the following option play with the
Bulldogs’ “D” forcing a fumble.
Junior defensive lineman
Dakota Sailor pounced on the loose football, bringing
the potential game-winning drive to an end.
With the
Bulldogs taking over for their own potential
game-winning drive, Thompson had a huge 19-yard
scramble, taking the ball out of bounds at the Mt.
Vernon 46.
But from there, the
Bulldogs could go no further and were forced to punt.
Mt. Vernon’s
final possession of regulation started at their own
21-yard line.
They struck quickly,
completing a deep pass before the ball was fumbled by
the Mountaineers receiver.
However, Mt. Vernon quickly
recovered their own fumble, earning them another first
down after the gain of 47 yards.
After an incompletion, Mt. Vernon
picked up 9 yards on a pair of completions and faced
fourth-and-1 at the Carl Junction 23-yard line.
But on fourth down, Carl Junction
stopped the Mountaineers’ run for no gain.
The second half defensive heroics,
combined with three scoring drives, allowed the Bulldogs
to rally from the 17-point deficit.
The overtime stop and subsequent
Waranch TD run brought victory to the Bulldogs for the
third time in as many games.
Down 17-0 and
following a dismal first-half performance, many teams
could have quit.
In fact, the stands could
have begun to empty.
But this team
believed in themselves and had the character to complete
the improbable comeback.
And the packed stands
celebrated, having witnessed one of the greatest Carl
Junction comebacks of this decade.
Bulldogs put on
complete game with 38-7 win over Aurora
Brandon McCoy (85)
and Brandon Ray (64) stop a 'Houn Dawg runner
(Greg Thompson
Photo) |
After allowing three touchdowns in
week one to Lamar, Coach Bret Gosch had his defense
fired up and ready for the Aurora ‘Houn Dawgs.
The Bulldogs responded well
to the challenge, recovering three fumbles, returning an
interception for a touchdown, stopping a fake punt,
recording a safety and holding Aurora scoreless for the
first three-plus quarters.
With the
Bulldogs “D” shutting Aurora down, senior tailback Zach
Waranch was busy tacking on touchdown after touchdown,
finishing the evening with four scores.
Unofficially, he carried 23
times for 140 yards (6.1 yds/carry) and topped off his
night running untouched around the right end for a
26-yard touchdown.
Waranch now has seven touchdowns in
the first two weeks.
|
Carl Junction,
which led 14-0 at the half, built a lead of 37-0 before
freely substituting on defense late in the third quarter
and into the fourth.
Aurora finally mounted a
scoring drive, going 60 yards in 10 plays and reaching
the end zone with 8:58 remaining in the game.
Each team rushed
for right at 200 yards.
Aurora finished with 32
passing yards on 4 of 13 passing from senior quarterback
Garrett Ormsby. Carl Junction’s Matt
Thompson finished 4 of 8 for 46 yards.
| |
Adam Hertzberg
returns the opening kickoff against Aurora
(Greg Thompson
Photo) |
With the two teams closely matched in
total yards, the game turned on the big plays of Carl
Junction’s defense.
The game was
scoreless after one period when Aurora made their first
critical mistake.
Facing fourth and ten from
their own 38-yard line, the ‘Houn Dawgs lined up in punt
formation but ran a fake.
The play was stopped for a
1-yard loss, putting the Bulldogs in prime field
position.
Carl Junction
mounted a 7-play, 37-yard drive, capped by Waranch’s
3-yard run.
Nii Abrahams added his
first of five extra points for the evening, giving CJ a
7-0 lead with 7:11 remaining in the second quarter.
Aurora picked up
a first down on their ensuing possession before fumbling
the ball away to Carl Junction’s Levi Maggard.
The play set the Bulldogs
up in excellent field position again at the ‘Houn Dawg
38.
Five plays later, Carl Junction
recorded their only turnover of the night, fumbling the
ball away on second down inside the 10-yard line.
But Aurora gave
the ball right back, fumbling on second down.
Brandon McCoy pounced on
the loose football for the Bulldogs and Waranch promptly
found the end zone again with a two-yard burst up over
the left side.
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Aurora picked up
a huge chunk of their rushing yardage on one play during
their next possession.
A 59-yard burst nearly
resulted in a touchdown, but senior Devin Hance chased
down Ormsby at the 16-yard line.
Carl Junction then stopped
the ‘Houn Dawgs on fourth down for the second time in
the first half and ran out the first half clock.
Aurora took the
second half kickoff but the Bulldogs forced a
three-and-out.
Standing in punt formation,
the snap was high and found its way thru the back of the
end zone for a safety, putting the Bulldogs on top 16-0.
The next series for Aurora lasted
only one play when Bulldogs senior Dalton England picked
off an Ormsby pass and returned it 12 yards for a
touchdown.
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Matt Thompson
looks for an open receiver
(Greg Thompson
Photo) |
The ‘Houn Dawgs went three-and-out
again and punted to the Bulldogs’ 41-yard line.
Waranch and his
offensive line took over.
He carried seven
consecutive times, covering the entire 59 yards and
scoring on a 2-yard run.
Another three-and-out and Aurora punt
gave Carl Junction the ball at the Aurora 47-yard line.
Thompson found
Jansen Adams on first down for a 20-yard completion.
Waranch carried for 1 yard,
then raced around the right side untouched for a 26-yard
score.
The Bulldogs
moved to the top of the Big 8 Conference standings
courtesy of their 2-0 start.
Seneca and Cassville stand
at 1-0 in league play after earning week two conference
wins over Lamar and Mt. Vernon, respectively.
Carl Junction entertains Mt. Vernon
in week three and Seneca in week four.
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