By Greg Morse (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Fans of old-school defensive football were given quite the treat during Friday night’s game between conference rivals Carl Junction and Willard.
The game started off with fireworks as Willard picked off Bulldogs’ senior quarterback Joe Kennedy on the first play of the game. On the very next play Carl Junction took the ball back thanks to senior Tyler White’s interception of Tigers’ Junior quarterback Reece Dawson. White had two interceptions on the night.
“I was just trying to stay disciplined and keep my eye on the ball. I wanted to be a ballhawk,” said White.
Despite getting the ball back, Willard was able to hold Carl Junction and force a punt. A fumble on their next drive gave the Bulldogs the ball back inside the Willard 50 and led to a 43-yard touchdown reception by junior Lance Ward.
Two possessions later, Carl Junction scored again on a 3-yard touchdown by quarterback Joe Kennedy.
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The Bulldogs defense kept the Tigers out of the endzone even after Willard intercepted Kennedy with around 5 minutes to go in the first half. An interception with just over a minute to go by Bulldog junior Teagan Armentrout set up a Carl Junction field goal, bringing the score to 17-0 at halftime.
On the first play of the second half, White got his second interception picking off Willard and putting the Bulldogs in great field position. However, Willard’s defense stepped up and forced a three-and-out.
The tables quickly turned as Willard held Carl Junction out of the endzone leading to their own shutout half. After several back and forth drives Tigers defensive back junior Maurice Grayer intercepted Kennedy and ran it back for a pick-six. A penalty brought it back, putting the Tigers on the Carl Junction 30. Junior Ethan Thompson ran it in for a 30-yard score on the first play of the drive, putting Willard on the board late in the third.
A couple drives later, the Tigers quickly marched down the field, thanks in part to a reception by junior Noah Pfeifer that went for over 50 yards and scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run by junior Garrett Rice with 59 seconds to go.
After missing the extra-point, the Tigers found themselves down 4 points with less than a minute to go. Carl Junction managed to hold on and recovered the onside kick, putting the game away for good.
“Defensively, I thought we played the best game we’d played all year. It was the most physical we’ve played, and we had to against a bigger football team. To be up 17-0 at the half showed we were much more improved on that side of the ball and I’m proud of those guys,” said Bulldogs Coach Doug Buckmaster, “Offensively, we did some good things, but I’d like to see us finish drives more and turn the ball over less. That starts with me calling better plays.”
Next week Carl Junction travels to take on Ozark, and Willard returns home to face Republic.
