SPORTS>>Carlisle survives, keeps advancing

By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor

For the second week in a row, Carlisle found itself trailing in the fourth quarter of a home playoff game. For the second week in a row, the Bison found a way to pull out another victory. This time it was a touchdown and extra point with 2:28 left in the game that lifted Carlisle to a 13-12 victory over Gurdon to advance the Bison to the semifinal round.

The Go Devils took their first lead of the game with 5:20 left when running back Juan Williams took a pitch left 10 yards for a touchdown. Zac King intercepted the two-point conversion attempt and Gurdon led 12-6.

Carlisle took over on its own 34-yard line and quickly faced fourth and two. With junior Chris Hart under center, and usual quarterback King split wide right, Hart hit King down the line of scrimmage. King juked two defenders, broke a tackle and gained 24 yards and a first down. A face mask penalty added another 15 yards to the end of the play, giving Carlisle first down at the Gurdon 19.

After a run for no gain, Carlisle got a break when a Gurdon defender was called for pass interference on a pass from Hart intended for Braxton Petrus. Petrus was open, but was tripped by the defender as the ball sailed over his head.

Two more plays gained no yards, and Carlisle faced third and goal from the 10-yard line. Hart dropped back to pass, and found Deric Herring at the 2-yard line, Herring broke one tackle and found his way to the end zone.

Herring also hit the game-winning extra point, the first and only converted extra point of the night for either team.

“Well we overcame,” Carlisle coach Scott Waymire said. “I don’t think it’s our best game but we made some plays when we had to on both sides of the football. Give Gurdon credit. They made some really big plays. I’m just proud of our guys and the way they competed.”

Gurdon started its last drive at its own 31-yard line. Williams got five yards on first down up the middle. He got the call on second down, but junior linebacker John Reynolds flew into the gap and stuffed the play for a 1-yard loss.

That forced Gurdon to throw, but two passes fell incomplete and Carlisle took over to run out the clock.

“That was a big play,” Way-mire said of Reynolds tackle. “John Reynolds, he’s made some big plays for us. He’s a heck of an athlete. He gives us a different dimension up front because he’s a little more athletic than our bigger guys.”

Carlisle needed someone to step up and make a play on the inside. Ty Vaughn, the team’s leading tackler at inside linebacker, went down for the remainder of the game midway through the third quarter.

Two plays after Vaughn’s injury, Williams went up the gut for 19 yards and Gurdon’s first score of the game.

“Ty’s our best linebacker,” Waymire said. “He got hit, they chopped him. We just had people step up and make plays.”

Carlisle made it look like it was going to be easy on its first drive. The Bison went 64 yards in five plays, with sophomore Bo Weddle scampering 42 yards and the score with 9:24 left in the first quarter.

Austin Reed then picked off an Austin Kirkpatrick pass on Gurdon’s third play, giving Carlisle the ball at its own 33.

Nothing came as easily the rest of the night.

Carlisle’s next possession went three and out. Gurdon threatened on its second possession, but was called for holding on first and goal from the 9. A Weddle sack backed the Devils up to the 25. The second and goal pass was incomplete. On third and goal from the 25, a pass was completed, but lost a yard. The fourth-down pass was incomplete and Carlisle took over at the 26.

Neither team threatened again until Gurdon’s last drive of the half. Starting at their own 6-yard line, the Go Devils drove to the Carlisle 15. The big play was a 39-yard reception by A.J. Brown on third and 12 that made first down at the 25.

The bounces seemed to be going Gurdon’s way. On second down, Austin Reed broke in front of Kirkpatrick’s pass, but the ball skipped off his face mask and into the hands of Gurdon receiver Ed Hood.

Things suddenly bounced Carlisle’s way on the next play. A well placed pass bounced off the hands of the Gurdon receiver and into the arms of Cade Mader at the 12-yard line with seven seconds left in the half.

Carlisle’s first drive of the second half ended on a fourth and one play that gained no yards. That set up a short field for Gurdon’s first score.

“We let ‘em stay around,” Waymire said. “We had some chances. We had that fourth and one. That’s a call I’m going to make all day long, but that time it backfired on me.”

Carlisle had trouble getting the running game going, forcing the change of plan in the second half that moved Hart to quarterback and King to wideout.

“We’ve been able to throw,” Waymire said. “But they were very good up front. Number 54 (JuJuan Marks) is a very good ball player, very strong and he caused us some problems. They took away the toss. They did a good job and we did a bad job. Several times we don’t block back side and they make a play back side on our double handoff. We’re supposed to block down and they just beat us off the ball. So those are things we’re going to have to work on if we’re going to keep playing.”

Weddle finished with 18 carries for 104 yards as the Bison compiled just 217 total yards of offense. Hart completed three of six pass attempts for 59 yards and a touchdown. King had two catches for 49 yards.

Gurdon had 282 total yards

Kirkpatrick threw 16 times, competing nine for 128 yards and two interceptions. Williams had 15 carries for 83 yards and two scores. Brown had three receptions for 78 yards.

The Bison, 12-0, will host East Poinsett County next Friday and Fred Hardke Field. EPC beat Bearden 12-6.

The other semifinal will pit Junction City against conference rival Strong. Junction City upset Magazine 9-3 while Strong beat McCrory 16-14.