By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
Carlisle trailed Rison by 11 points at halftime of Friday’s quarterfinal round of the class 2A state football playoffs at Fred C. Hardke Field, but the Bison outscored the Wildcats 22-0 in the second half to win 30-19, and advance to next week’s semifinal round where they’ll face defending state champion Junction City.
The Bison defense struggled to contain the Wildcats’ power run game in the first half as Rison led19-8 at halftime. Carlisle (12-1) committed three turnovers in the first two quarters played, and the Wildcats (9-4) had zero.
That statistic was reversed in the second half, as the Bison defense forced three Wildcat turnovers while the offense scored on all but one possession. That one scoreless possession came in the game’s final seconds and ended with two kneel downs by Bison quarterback Chase Brazeal.
“We may have brought a little more pressure, but it was just our kids figuring out that they’re going to come off the ball,” said Carlisle coach Brandon Barbaree of his team’s halftime adjustments. “Rison’s a good football team. They fire off the ball and hit you in the mouth.
“We adjusted to the speed of the game, and finally figured out that we needed to play just one play at a time, and our kids did that. We didn’t make mistakes in the second half, and we were able to pull it out.”
Rison got the ball to start the second half, but Carlisle’s defense forced a three and out, and the offense responded with a 14-play drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown run by senior standout running back DeRon Ricks.
The two-point conversion attempt was no good, but Ricks’ score cut the Wildcats’ lead to 19-14 with 2:52 to play in the third quarter. Rison’s offense was again held without a first down on its next offensive series, but on fourth and 3 from its own 43, the Wildcats tried to convert a fake punt.
Zuntario Oliver picked up 2 yards on the run, but was stopped a yard shy of the first down, which gave the ball back to Carlisle at the Rison 45-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Ricks broke through the Wildcat defense for a 34-yard run.
Three plays later, Ricks scored his second touchdown of the half on an 8-yard run with 11:12 remaining in the fourth quarter. Fellow senior and standout running back Bo Weddle punched in the two-point try, which put Carlisle ahead for the first time since late in the first quarter.
On the second play of Rison’s ensuing possession, leading rusher Jokenie Broughton fumbled after a 4-yard gain, and Bison senior defensive lineman Tristan Kirkman covered it at the Carlisle 49.
The Bison once again took advantage of the great field positioning by scoring the game-clinching touchdown on that drive. Carlisle’s offense put together a seven-play drive that ended with Ricks scoring his third second-half touchdown, this one on a 3-yard run with 7:09 remaining.
Rison managed a 13-play drive after the ensuing kickoff, but an incomplete pass on fourth down deep into Bison territory turned the ball back over to Carlisle. Starting from their own 16, the Bison picked up a first down on a 15-yard run by Ricks, and Brazeal followed that play with two kneel downs to end the game.
“We did stuff that was just uncharacteristic of us in the first half that put us in a bind,” Barbaree said. “In the second half we didn’t do that. We kept those feet moving – offensive linemen and backs. The defensive line was flying down the line.
“We finally figured out they were going to cut us, and we had to get off those blocks. Our kids just played hard and came away with a ‘W’ for us.”
Carlisle finished the game with 349 total yards of offense – 336 of those yards came on the ground. Rison finished with 216 yards, but was held to just 61 in the second half.
Rison struck first on the scoreboard. After the Bison offense turned the ball over on downs on their first offensive possession, the Wildcats answered with a nine-play drive that ended with a 15-yard score by Broughton with 4:41 to play in the game’s opening quarter. The PAT put the visitors up 7-0.
Carlisle answered with a nine-play scoring drive of its own on the following offensive series, which ended with the first of Ricks’ four touchdowns in the game. Weddle scored the two-point conversion to give the Bison their only lead of the first half at 8-7 with 18 seconds left in the first quarter.
Rison scored on its very next possession, this time on an eight-play drive that was capped by yet another 15-yard run by Broughton. The two-point try was no good, and with 8:56 to play in the second quarter, the Wildcats led 13-8.
The Bison turned the ball over for the second time on the following possession, and after taking over at the Carlisle 43, Rison found the end zone in nine plays. Running back Christopher Leaks scored from 5 yards out on a sweep left play with 48 seconds left in the first half to set the halftime margin at 19-8.
Ricks led the Bison ground game with 21 carries for 198 yards and four touchdowns, while Weddle added 17 carries for 123 yards. Broughton led Rison with 13 carries for 99 yards and two scores, with one fumble that led to a turnover.
Carlisle will make the long trip to south Arkansas next Friday to battle the defending state champion Dragons in Junction City. Junction City dominated Hector in its quarterfinal matchup 51-7 last night. Kickoff for next Friday’s game is at 7 p.m.
