Both Winona Christian and Carroll Academy football coaches said that despite the records of both teams, anything could happen when the two teams met on the gridiron.
They were both right as Winona Christian used a pair of big plays to take a 13-12 win over Carroll on Friday in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Winona Christian improves to 8-2 on the season while Carroll falls to 1-8. Winona Christian will host Indianola in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs while Carroll will travel to North Delta.
WCS coach Ashley Kuhn said there were a lot of things that went against his team on Friday night.
“It was a perfect storm for us,” Kuhn said. “It was a rivalry game with a lot on the line. We were coming off a physical, emotional game the week before. We lot our mike linebacker, punter and long snapper and were just scrambling to get kids on the field. Our quarterback was limping around. At the end of the day, our kids found a way to win. But I thought Carroll outplayed us and were more physical than we were at times. I give them a lot of credit, they really got after us.”
Carroll got the first break of the game when the Stars turned the ball over on downs after a bad snap on a punt, giving the Rebels the ball at the WCS 38. Six plays later, Logan Upchurch booted a 29-yard field goal to give Carroll a 3-0 lead.
After swapping punts, the kicking game hurt the Stars again after a shanked punt gave Carroll the ball at the WCS 35. Six plays later, Upchurch hit a 32 yard field goal as Carroll took a 6-0 lead.
Carroll then got a big play from its defense when Owen Garrett intercepted a Brannon Hill pass. The Rebels then went 50 yards in eight plays and scored on a Nathan Matthews 1-yard run. The PAT failed and the Rebels led 12-0.
The kicking game then came up big for the Stars as Johnny Greene returned the ensuing kick 85 yards for a touchdown with just four seconds left in the half. Cannon Fisakerly’s PAT was blocked and Carroll led 12-6 at the half.
“That kick return kept us in the game,” Kuhn said. “It would have been 12-0 and with our lack of ability to move the ball, it would have been a tough halftime. But that gave us some momentum and made it a one-score game which wasn’t a big deal.”
Winona punted and turned the ball over on downs on its first two possessions of the second half. The Stars then hit another big play as Hill hit Braxton Leach on a quick pass that turned into a 37-yard touchdown. Fisakerly hit the PAT and the Stars led 13-12.
Carroll had a shot at taking the lead midway through the fourth but Upchurch missed a 35-yard field goal attempt. The Stars also turned the Rebels over on downs on their last possession to preserve the win.
“Two play were the difference in the game,” Carroll coach Bo Milton said. “I thought we played our butts off. It was another game where things didn’t go our way. We played hard but just can’t seem to buy a break this year. It was a perfect rival game. That’s what it’s supposed to be. Two teams battling it out in a close game. The kids did exactly what we asked them to do. The scoreboard doesn’t define who these kids are going to be in life. They are kids that are going to win in life.”
The Stars had 112 yards passing and 100 yards rushing for 212 yards of total offense. Hill was 3-of-14 passing for 112 yards with one TD and one interception. Will Irwin had 62 yards on 19 carries while Greene had 26 yards rushing on two carries. Braxton Leach had two catches for 72 yards while Greene had one catch for 40 yards.
On defense for the Stars, Luke Beckwith and Leach each had 13 tackles while Austin Horne and Jase Osborne each had eight tackles. Irwin and Austin Wiggins each had seven tackles while Hill, Kaleb King and Preston Fletcher each had six tackles.
Carroll had 165 yards rushing and 41 passing for 206 yards of total offense. Cohen Blaylock led the Rebels with 94 yards on 20 carries while Matthews had 55 yards on 13 carries with one TD. Owen Garrett had 26 yards on seven carries. Logan Upchurch was 4-of-10 passing for 41 yards. Reed Thomas had two catches for 31 yards while Garrett had 10 yards on two catches.
On defense for the Rebels, Reid Blaylock and Matthews each had nine tackles while Ryder Dowdle and Gage Ray each had seven tackles.
