Cardington’s bid at a second-half comeback win over visiting Centerburg was thwarted when the Trojans scored a late touchdown to steal a 24-20 decision.
The Pirates found themselves in an 18-6 hole at the half. After taking an early 6-0 lead on a short run by quarterback Nate Hickman, Cardington watched Centerburg score three straight touchdowns to lead by 12.
However, Cardington dominated the third quarter to move in front. Eli Huffman scored on a three-yard run and Hickman added a five-yard touchdown. Also, Ashton Plowman scored on a two-point conversion to make the score 20-18 going into the fourth.
It remained that way until the final seconds of the game, when Centerburg scored on a 15-yard pass from Jack Gregory to Jarred Rings with 25 seconds left on the clock.
Hickman had a big day for Cardington. He completed 17-of-22 passes for 200 yards and also ran for 108. Joe Denney added 50 yards on the ground, 60 on five receptions and completed his only pass for 35 more. Ayden Plowman caught eight passes for 83 yards and also ran for 34. Ashton Plowman finished with three catches.
Mount Gilead Indians
Mount Gilead ran into a juggernaut when East Knox came to town and left with a 49-10 victory.
The score was close early. After the Bulldogs opened with a touchdown, Garrett Lamb-Hart responded with a field goal to make the score 7-3. However, East Knox would then score four straight touchdowns to open up a 35-3 lead. MG ended the first half with a nine-yard scoring pass from Carter Kennon to Paul Butterman, but would not be able to light up the scoreboard again in the contest. The Bulldogs added one touchdown in both the third and fourth quarters to solidify their lead.
“We got beat by a pretty good team tonight,” said head coach Mike Reid. “East Knox has too many weapons that can make you pay for every defensive mistake. We have to get off the field on third downs. I can’t say how many times we were in third down situation and just could not get off the field.”
Garrett George had a big game for MG on the ground, finishing with 138 rushing yards. Kennon and Elijah Chafin combined to complete five passes for 31 yards, with Butterman catching three balls for 19 of that total.
