The Carmi-White County Bulldogs defeated the Eldorado Eagles on Friday Night to improve their record to 7-0 for the first time since 2011. The loss for Eldorado dropped their record to 2-5, as they are now eliminated from playoff contention.
It took a few minutes for the Bulldogs to play their game. Carmi-White County forced the Eagles to punt, but junior Landon Driscoll couldn’t catch the kick cleanly, Eldorado recovered on the Carmi side of midfield. The Eagles did not hang on to the ball for long however, a few plays later quarterback Parker Price would be picked off by Trayton Vickers. Vickers ran the interception inside the Eldorado 20 yard line, but the run back was called back due to a block in the back penalty. On the next play, the Bulldogs would put the football back inside the Eldorado 20 yard line thanks to a long run by Isaac King. King would cap off the drive a few plays later with a 3-yard touchdown run, King would also run in the 2-point play to make it 8-0. With that touchdown and 2-point conversion, King tied Logan Rogers on the all-time scoring list at CWCHS. On the next drive, King would break the record.
After an Eldorado punt, Carmi again would march right down the field, capping it off with a 2-yard touchdown run by Draxtyn Aud. King would run in the 2-point conversion to give him the record, making him the all-time leading scorer in CWCHS history with 304 points. The Bulldogs led 16-0 with 10:15 to go in the 2nd quarter.
After another Eldorado punt, the Bulldogs found the endzone once again, this time on a 28-yard run by Andrew Dodgson. 22-0 CWC with 6:49 to go in the half.
The Eagles finally showed some signs of life offensively as Price would keep it on the QB run and take it up the Bulldogs sideline for a 78-yard touchdown run. Eldorado missed the 2-point attempt to make the score 22-6 Bulldogs.
Anything the Eagles could do, the Bulldogs would do better. Three minutes later, Aud would take it in from 4 yards out, extending the Carmi lead to 30-6, and that would be the score at halftime.
The Bulldogs found the endzone two more times in the 3rd quarter to put the nail in the coffin. Aud would score his third touchdown of the night on a 21-yard pass from Warren Legg, and King would score his second touchdown of the night from 6 yards out.
The Bulldog defense continued its dominance in the 2nd half, and CWC pulled away with a 46-8 victory.
“Our lineman came off the ball hard tonight, Isaac (King) had a great night and it was great to have Drax (Aud) back tonight,” said CWC head coach Kurt Simon. “Overall I thought the kids played hard, played together and came out with the win.”
The Bulldog defense held Price to just 99 yards rushing, 78 of which came on his one touchdown run. Keeping him in check was the top item on Carmi’s to-do list, and they did just that.
“I thought our other coaches did a great job getting the kids ready and preparing them for what they do offensively, and I thought our secondary did a pretty good job.”
Despite the win, Simon knows his team still has to improve in order to be successful in the coming weeks.
“It’s week 7, but we still have to get better.”
Now it’s time for the game of the year. The undefeated Bulldogs will travel to Johnston City on Friday to face the undefeated Indians. A win for Carmi-White County will give them their first Black Diamond Conference championship since 2011. A win for Johnston City will give them their third consecutive conference title.
Stats for Carmi-White County (courtesy of Toby Brown and crew):
Isaac King – 20 carries, 227 yards, 2 touchdowns
Andrew Dodgson – 2 carries, 66 yards, 1 touchdown
Draxtyn Aud – 12 carries, 58 yards, 2 touchdowns (1 reception, 21 yards, 1 touchdown)
Noah Pollard – 5 carries, 39 yards
Cade Allen – 2 carries, 3 yards
Warren Legg – 3 carries, 2 yards (1/1 passing, 21 yards, 1 touchdown)
Tackles:
Landon Driscoll – 6 solo
Bryson Moore – 4 solo, 1 TFL
Caleb Seibers – 2 solo 2 assists
Draxtyn Aud – 2 solo, 2 assists
Eli Bryant – 3 solo
Gavin Peyton – 3 solo
Nelson Rider – 2 solo, 1 assist
Trayton Vickers – 2 solo
Branten Stockton – 1 solo, 1 assist
Nate Brown – 1 TFL
Isaac King – 1 solo
Kale Wiggins – 1 solo
