By Greg Morse (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Carthage Tigers rallied to overcome a 13-point deficit Friday night against the Carl Junction Bulldogs to win 21-20. The game started out sloppy for both sides with the Bulldogs having T punts and a turnover on downs. Carthage had two turnovers and a punt, leading to a scoreless first quarter. It appeared the Tigers had drawn first blood on a 21-yard touchdown, but it was ultimately called back on a holding penalty.
Things heated up quickly in the second quarter. Coming off a short punt and a quick drive, senior Drew Patterson hauled in a 4-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Alex Baker on the first play of the second period. On the ensuing kickoff, the Bulldogs pulled off a surprise onside kick and recovered the ball on the Tigers’ 37-yard line. On the very next play Baker hit senior Cole Stewart for a 37-yard touchdown. The Bulldogs scored 13-points in 12 seconds but missed the extra point. That fateful kick would turn out to be the game changer.
As the game looked to be quickly getting out of hand, the Tigers continued to pound the ball on the back of sophomore Luke Gall, who was coming off a monster five-touchdown performance last week. After the back-to-back CJ touchdowns, they kicked the ball out-of-bounds, and committed a personal foul, placing the ball at the 50-yard line. The Tigers took advantage and finished the drive off with a two-yard rushing touchdown by senior quarterback Patrick Carlton.
“That touchdown felt good,” said Carlton, “It was my first rushing touchdown of the season and hopefully I get a lot more during the season. Our team plays hard throughout the entire game, and I knew we would come back and with more energy in the second half, and that’s what we did.”
After getting the ball back with just over seven minutes left in the half, the Bulldogs marched down the field and scored their third touchdown on a 38-yard reception by senior Noah Southern. Sporting a 20-7 deficit, and the game looking almost out-of-hand, the Tigers pushed the ball down the field for a long 5 minute drive, only to be intercepted by Carl Junction senior Brendan Jewell on the Bulldogs with 26 seconds left, ending the first half.
Jewell had a big night for the Bulldogs, playing on both offense and defense. Besides the interception, he had a fumble recovery, and a couple of nice receptions on offense including a big 21-yarder.
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The Tigers once again received the ball to start the second half, but the promising drive ended on a fumble after a 30-yard quarterback keeper. Deep in their own territory, Carthage forced Carl Junction to punt, and once again relied on their ground game, led by quarterback Patrick Carlton and running back Luke Gall. They finished off the 65-yard drive with a 15-yard rushing touchdown by junior Cale Patrick.
“Similar to last week, we had a lot of turnovers to start out the game, but we still felt in control the whole time, as odd as that sounds,” said Carthage Head Coach Jon Guidie, “We battled through some adversity, which you love to see in Week 2. Most of our adjustments were on offense, where we basically came out with a whole new scheme after halftime.”
Patrick Carlton rushed for over 100-yards on the night, and Gall pummeled his way for over 70 yards on a whopping 29 carries, refusing to give up against a stout Bulldog defense.
“I was just trying to make yards. They had a good defense, some great linebackers, I just wanted to make as many yards as I could and not get tackled in the backfield,” said Gall.
Now clinging to a six-point lead, the Bulldogs continued to be aggressive, throwing the ball downfield, but the Tigers forced a punt to end the third quarter. After that, the Tigers bled the clock on a seven-minute drive to start the final frame, completing the comeback with an eight-yard touchdown from sophomore Hudson Moore.
Moore had a quiet first half, before exploding for 60 yards and the touchdown on just five catches. Outside of the touchdown he also had a game saving 15-yard reception on fourth down to give the Tigers a first down.
“The play before conversion I dropped the ball, and that was just mental, but I knew my team needed me and I did what I needed to do to catch the ball,” said Moore.
Tigers coach Jon Guidie also had high praise for the sophomore, saying, “Hudson is going to be special. We haven’t seen the last of him yet. He still learning the position, but I think he’s going to be really, really good. What a night he had.”
With just under six minutes remaining and the Tigers up by just one point, the game was hardly over with Carl Junction appearing to mount a game-winning drive. It stalled, but Carthage briefly muffed the punt giving new life to the Bulldogs, only to have the Tigers make the recovery. Still, the Bulldogs eventually forced a turnover on downs with just under 2 minutes left. Despite making it past the 50-yard line, Carthage held on and completed their comeback.
“I think our coaches did a heck of a job, adjusting at halftime, especially up front. Our kids then came out and executed perfectly. I’m really proud of them,” said Guidie.
