Records aside, any time the Carmi-White County Bulldogs and Fairfield Mules face each other, it is an all-out battle and that was the case as these two teams met on Monday night at Harrington-Jeffries Sports Complex.
You read that right, the game was postponed to Monday due to the remnants of Hurricane Helene making its way through the tri-state this weekend.
By the way the Mules started the game, you never would’ve guessed that there was a change of schedule, or that they were playing without two of their top three rushers. On just the second play from scrimmage, Fairfield fullback Israel Sargent took the handoff and went 47 yards nearly untouched to the endzone, and just 40 seconds into the game the Mules led 8-0.
It might’ve taken the Bulldogs just a hair longer to get in their rhythm, as the Bulldogs punted the ball back to the Mules after three plays on the ensuing drive. However, the Bulldog defense stepped up and forced a three-and-out of their own, leading to a Mule punt.
The Bulldogs were looking for a spark, and that is exactly what they got. Cade Allen fielded the punt at his own 25 yard line, ran to the outside, cutback to the middle, and then ran past the entire Fairfield punt team, going 75 yards to the house. It was the first punt return touchdown for the Bulldogs since Bryce Northcott returned one against Hamilton County in 2016. Noah Pollard ran in the two-point conversion and the game was tied 8-8 with 7:46 to go in the 1st quarter.
The Mules put together a nice drive on their third possession, taking the ball all the way to the Carmi 11 yard line, before a miscue on the snap led to a fumble which the Bulldogs recovered.
CWC then marched on a 10-play, 86-yard drive, capped off by a 26-yard touchdown run by Noah Pollard, putting the Bulldogs up 14-8 with 4 minutes to go in the half.
Fairfield still had plenty of time to score before halftime, and another impressive drive, sparked by a 30-yard pass play on 3rd down & 21, allowed the Mules to march all the way down the field and tie the game on a 1-yard run by Sargent. 14-14 at the half.
Carmi got the ball to start the 3rd quarter, and they pieced together an 11-play, 60-yard drive, that took over 5 minutes off the clock, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by Kade Stockton on 4th & goal. The Bulldogs led 22-14 with 6:40 left to play in the 3rd.
The Mules used two long runs by Michael Barner, and another bruising run by Sargent to take the ball deep into Carmi territory, and they capped off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jude Carter. On the two-point play however, Carter fumbled the snap and the Mules were held out of the endzone. A play that loomed large later in the game. Carmi led 22-20 with 90 seconds left to play in the 3rd quarter.
On the ensuing Bulldog drive, a holding penalty put Carmi behind the chains and they were forced to punt it away after a three-and-out, giving the ball back to the Mules at the start of the 4th quarter.
Fairfield’s mission was to slowly move the ball down the field, taking as much time as they could off the clock, and that is what they were able to do. The Mules burned 5 minutes of clock, slowly moving the football into Bulldog territory. But on 4th & 11 at the CWC 36 yard line, Carter’s pass fell incomplete, turning the ball back over to the Bulldogs. Easton Sullivan was able to bring pressure up the middle, effecting Carter’s throw and leading to the incompletion.
It was now Carmi’s turn to slowly move the ball down the field and burn as much time as possible. The Bulldogs weren’t able to do that, but for a good reason. On the 4th play of the drive, Kade Stockton took the handoff and dashed 43 yards to the house. Stockton added in the 2-pointer and the Bulldogs extended their lead to two possessions, 30-20 with just 5:21 to play.
Fairfield entered hurry up mode, needing two scores in 5 minutes. Facing a 4th & 14 at the Carmi 37 yard line, Stone McGhee blitzed through and sacked the Fairfield quarterback to give the ball back to the Bulldogs with just over 4 minutes to play.
The Bulldogs milked more clock, and drove down for their final touchdown of the night, putting their cherry on top with a 1-yard touchdown run by Madden Anderson to extend the Bulldog lead to 36-20, and that would be the final score.
The Bulldogs improve to 4-1 on the year as Fairfield drops to 2-3. CWC will host Christopher-Zeigler Royalton this Friday for Homecoming.
Current BDC Standings:
T1. Sesser-Valier (5-0)
T1. Johnston City (5-0)
3. Carmi-White Co. (4-1)
4. Flora (3-2)
T5. Eldorado (2-3)
T5. Hamilton County (2-3)
T5. Fairfield (2-3)
8. Edwards Co. (1-4)
9. CZR (0-5)
