By John Miller (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Willard, Mo. – It wasn’t an incredible halftime speech or major adjustment that spurred the Carthage Tigers to a dominating second-half at Willard on Friday.
“We didn’t change a whole lot,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “If you feel good about where you’re at and what you’re doing, there’s not going to be a lot of adjustments.”
Carthage blew open a close game, outscoring Willard 28-0 in the second half, en route to a 42-7 turbo-clocked road win. The visiting Tigers scored touchdowns on all four second-half drives and forced three straight three-and-outs from Willard to open the half, putting the game out of reach.
Quarterback Patrick Carlton was a man among boys. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior ran through and past defenders, tallying 164 yards and two touchdowns on the ground on just 14 carries. He even threw a lead block on a 49-yard reverse by junior Cale Patrick that ended in a touchdown.
“Any time I have a chance to go out there and hit someone, I definitely want to do that,” Carlton said.
Carthage (5-0) showed its physicality on defense, with 13 tackles for loss and six sacks on the night. Max Williams and Micah Lindsey both had two sacks apiece. Willard’s starting backfield of Tyler Janes, Owen Bushnell, and Evan Hancock combined for six rushing yards on 24 carries.
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The only thing that worked offensively for Willard (1-4) was its passing game. Janes completed 7 of 12 passes for 79 yards. Kanin Keller caught three of those passes for 49 yards and picked up two third-down conversions on Willard’s only scoring drive of the night. The air attack was silenced after halftime, as a weary and undersized Willard offensive line gave way to Carthage’s defensive front.
“We wanted to be physical tonight,” Guidie said. “We wanted to show up and be physical, and I think we showed that on both sides of the ball.”
Carthage out-gained Willard 452-121 and averaged 10 yards per play. The visiting Tigers didn’t record a negative rushing play all night. Sophomore Luke Gall tallied 97 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Patrick rushed for 63 yards and a score on three carries. Senior Ashton Lancaster and sophomore Clay Kinder combined for 42 yards and a touchdown in six garbage-time carries.
“A lot of the credit goes to our offensive line, tight ends, and h-backs,” Guidie said. “We have some kids up front that have been in some big football games and these guys wanted to come out and prove that they can be a physical football team.”
Treston Reagan led Willard in rushing with 37 yards on six carries.
Carthage 42, Willard 7
1Q – CHS – 5:12 – Luke Gall 3-yd run (Chris Mejia kick)
2Q – WHS – 10:05 – Owen Bushnell 2-yd run (Matt Tardie kick)
2Q – CHS – 7:56 – Cale Patrick 49-yd run (Chris Mejia kick)
3Q – CHS – 9:44 – Luke Gall 8-yd run (Chris Mejia kick)
3Q – CHS – 5:16 – Patrick Carlton 5-yd run (Chris Mejia kick)
3Q – CHS – 0:11 – Patrick Carlton 6-yd run (Chris Mejia kick)
4Q – CHS – 7:20 – Ashton Lancaster 3-yd run (Chris Mejia kick)
