A long three-hour bus ride landed the Carmi-White County Bulldog football team in Warrensburg for the opening round of the IHSA 2A Football Playoffs.
Two teams with polar opposite playing styles, on paper this game seemed like it would be an offensive shootout, but that was not the case early.
Carmi-White County received the opening kickoff, and the Bulldogs struggled to move the ball. Carmi was forced to punt after three plays, but the Warrensburg-Latham returner muffed the punt, leading to a Bulldog recovery. Once again Carmi couldn’t move the ball, facing a 4th & 7 at the Cardinal 26 yard line, the Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs after Madden Anderson’s pass fell incomplete.
It only took Warrensburg-Latham 2 plays to find the endzone. Quarterback Brayden Hickey scrambled and threw it deep to Kaiden Gardner who snuck behind the Bulldog defense, and took it 62 yards for a touchdown. The Cardinals made the extra point to lead 7-0 with 7:15 to play in the first quarter.
Things didn’t get much better for Carmi on their second possession. The Bulldogs were given good field position at their own 41 yard line, but facing a 4th & 1 at midfield, Carmi turned the ball over on downs as their QB sneak was stuffed.
Before the 1st quarter had even ended, it seemed as if Warrensburg-Latham was on their way to a blowout victory, but then the Bulldog defense got a spark from one of their senior leaders, Kale Wiggins. On 4th & 10 at the CWC 25 yard line, Wiggins blitzed from his cornerback position and sacked the quarterback, giving the ball back to the maroon and white.
We saw a completely different Bulldog team from that point forward. Carmi marched on an 8-play, 58-yard drive, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown sneak by Anderson and just like that the Bulldogs were back in it. CWC missed the 2-point play and trailed 7-6 with 7:46 to play in the 2nd quarter.
Warrensburg’s high-powered offense didn’t skip a beat however, the Cardinals marched right back down the field and answered with a touchdown run of their own, this time by Lorenzo Wright from 11 yards out. WL led 14-6 with 4:47 left in the first half.
Carmi had plenty of time to drive down and try to score before the end of the half, and a great kickoff return by freshman Cooper Hill helped give the Bulldogs a short field to do so.
It took the Bulldogs just five plays to find pay dirt. The Cardinals defense sold out to stop the run, but a perfectly timed play-action pass allowed Kade Stockton to streak down the middle of the field without a single Cardinal defender within 10 yards. Anderson hit him in stride for the 35-yard touchdown. The Dogs once again missed the 2-pointer as Warrensburg-Latham led 14-12 with just 2:19 to play in the 2nd quarter.
Although it was an exciting score for the Bulldogs, it felt as if they left too much time for the Cardinals, and that they did.
Warrensburg-Latham scored in just 6 plays covering 60 yards, and capping off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Hickey to Catrell Lee. WL led 21-12 at halftime.
The Cardinals were set to get the ball to start the 3rd quarter, and it was apparent that Carmi needed a defensive stop to begin the half. A fantastic play on special teams by Kale Wiggins made that possible. Wiggins flew down the field to tackle the Warrensburg-Latham returner at the 15 yard line, on top of a block-in-the-back penalty against the Cardinals that started their drive at their own 7 yard line. A holding penalty on their first offense snap moved the ball even closer to their own endzone, and on the very next play Kade Stockton tackled the Warrensburg running back in the endzone resulting in a safety, giving the Bulldogs 2 points and making it a 21-14 game with just 30 seconds off the 3rd quarter clock.
Despite the momentum-shifting sequence, the Bulldogs weren’t able to capitalize on their next possession. Carmi punted after a three-and-out and gave the ball back to the Cardinals at their own 15 yard line.
Two plays later, the Bulldogs got the football right back. Hickey dropped back to pass, and pressure brought by Stone McGhee, Laeden Vargas, and Javan Agan forced Hickey to throw the ball into coverage, where freshman Dakota Brown intercepted the pass.
Five plays later, Noah Pollard found the endzone from 2 yards out. Stockton ran in the 2-point conversion and all of the sudden Carmi-White County had the lead, 22-21 with 6 minutes left to play in the 3rd quarter.
But once again, it didn’t take the Cardinals long to strike back. A long run by running back Brennon Bonds set up WL deep in CWC territory, and they capped off the drive with a touchdown reception by Bonds as he leaked out of the backfield on a wheel route. Hickey threw his 3rd touchdown pass of the game, and the Cardinals led 29-22 heading into the 4th quarter.
The Bulldogs didn’t panic, as they continued to do what they have done all season – matriculate the ball down the field. Carmi marched on a 15-play, 74-yard drive, and capped it off with 2-yard touchdown run by Kade Stockton. Stockton ran in the 2-point conversion and the Bulldogs once again took the lead, 30-29 with 8:10 to play.
The Bulldog defense needed one more stop, and a holding penalty on the kickoff return put the Cardinal offense exactly where CWC wanted them. Warrensburg-Latham started the drive at their own 7 yard line. The Cardinals ditched their high-flying playstyle, and went into conservative chew clock mode.
Warrensburg-Latham took it all the way down to the Carmi 15 yard line, and facing a 3rd & 7, Hickey escaped the pass rush and found Eastyn McKenzie open in the endzone for the touchdown. Hickey’s 4th touchdown pass of the day. The Cardinals drove 93 yards and burned 6:26 off the clock with a 15-play drive, only two of those plays were passes. The Cardinals missed the 2-pointer, but still led 35-30 with just 1:44 to play.
The Bulldog offense simply isn’t built to drive 88 yards in just over 90 seconds. Carmi was able to get the ball to their own 41 yard line, but on 4th down & 10, Anderson’s pass fell incomplete. Warrensburg-Latham took over on downs and kneeled out the clock, sealing the 35-30 win for the Cardinals.
The feeling of heartbreak overcame every individual wearing maroon & white. The Bulldogs were seconds away from their first playoff win in 11 years, and they came up just short.
For CWC’s six seniors, Noah Pollard, Cade Allen, Kade Stockton, Kale Wiggins, Stone McGhee, and Eli Bryant, it marks the end of their incredible football careers.
The loss also marks the end of the coaching career of head coach Kurt Simon. Simon came to Carmi in 1997, and in his 28 seasons led the Bulldogs to 166 wins, 19 playoff appearances, 3 Black Diamond Conference Championships, and 3 undefeated regular seasons.
