CARROLLTON - During every season there is always the game that sums up a team’s year, whether it’s right or wrong. Early in the 2016 campaign, the Carrollton Hawks didn’t finish strong against big time schools, but on a cold Friday night in Beardstown, they finally answered the bell when needed. The Hawks outlasted the Beardstown Tigers in a 38-32 shootout and picked up another vital win to continue their winning streak at five games.
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“It’s a huge win for the team. It goes along with the story this year. We keep battling and fighting and keep getting better and better,” Carrollton head coach Nick Flowers said. “This Beardstown team is physical, and they’ve outplayed a lot of teams, and they showed it tonight that they are very physical,” Flowers said. “We had to outscore them, and I’m very proud of the way our boys finished. We’re not satisfied; we want to finish strong with Triopia next week.”
A late 1-yard touchdown by quarterback Wade Prough pushed the Hawks to victory over a young, but talented and physical Tiger squad.
“It feels awesome,” Jeremy Watson said. “Beardstown is a great team, and we had defensive players step up.”
The Hawks go to 5-3 and Beardstown drops to 4-4.
Both teams went off on each other on offense. Carrollton gained 421 yards of total offense with 367 of it coming from Prough, who probably had the best game of his career. The senior quarterback threw for 276 yards with three touchdowns and rushed for 91 yards and two scores.
“Boy was he poised back there,” Flowers said. “We coached him up and said we needed positive yards from him.”
As the Hawks picked off the Tigers secondary, Beardstown hammered through Carrollton on the ground. Freshman phenom Pascal Guilavogui did just about everything for the Tigers. He ran for just under 300 yards and scored two times, as well as catching a pass and kicking a 36-yard field goal.
“He is something,” Flowers said.
Guilavogui wasn’t particularly a one person show. The Tigers compiled over 400 rushing yards as a team and frustrated the Hawks all night long.
“They were running counter on us. We practiced them running counter all week long; it’s just that they run it so smooth,” Flowers said. They’re handing it off with them coming forward, so they get your defensive linemen turned and get you walled off. It’s a great play, and it’s more like a power counter. They run it well, and they got a bright future.”
Beardstown played the whole game with no seniors, as their only one is injured last week and is out for the season. That still doesn’t excuse all of the yards and points the Tigers racked up.
“I’m not happy with the defense giving up some of the big plays. It was ridiculous, and we have to get back to the drawing board there,” Flowers said.
After both Carrollton had stopped Beardstown on a fake field goal attempt, the Hawks went nowhere, and the Tigers capitalized the next time. Quarterback Ike Riddle hit Guilavogui on a 23-yard touchdown catch to put the Tigers up 6-0 early in the second quarter.
Less than two minutes later, Prough connected with Watson on a 28-yard pass in stride and the Hawks converted on the two-point conversion to take the lead at 8-6. However, on the very next play from scrimmage, Guilavogui zipped 70 yards to the paydirt and got the lead back at 14-8. On their ensuing possession, Carrollton quickly drove down the field and got some help from the Tigers. On a fourth down and two, the Beardstown line jumped offsides to continue the trip. Later, on another fourth down, the defensive line jumped again, and on the next play, Prough hit Watson for the second straight time to give Carrollton a 16-14 lead.
On a fourth down for the Tigers, with time running out in the half, Riddle faked a handoff to Guilavogui, which caught the Hawks off guard and found his intended receiver in the end zone that gave Beardstown a 22-16 lead going into halftime.
After Guilavogui had connected on a 36-yard field goal, less than a minute later, Alex Bowker hauled in a pass and took it to the house for a 43-yard connection, and another successful two-point conversion brought the Hawks within one at 25-24. Again, Guilavogui was a couple of steps ahead, and the big, blessed freshman burst through for another long touchdown run for 64 yards.
After a big kickoff return for the Hawks, Prough muffed a snap inside the Beardstown 15, and the Tigers recovered, but less than two minutes later, Riddle through an interception to Jayce Arnett and the Hawks were back in business. Prough redeemed himself by capping off the drive with a 1-yard keeper and then scrambled to complete the two-point conversion, which tied the game back up at 32 all late in the third quarter.
Both teams failed to score on their following possessions, but the Tigers regained themselves and put together another solid drive that got them into the Carrollton red zone. At the five yard line, with under six minutes to go, on third down, the Tigers called for a play-action rollout. Riddle threw the pass to the end zone, but Watson came from behind and picked it off for a touchback.
“I saw the kid go in and I saw the other kid coming out. So I ran out and stuck my hand out, and I just grabbed it.”
Two plays later Prough found Watson on a splendid hitch-and-go route. He evaded multiple defenders, read his blockers, and was taken down at the Tigers 30-yard line.
“Jerrett Smith was the one that told coach Flowers that we should run that play. Wade made a great through, and we got a big gain out of it.”
“We continue to take what they give us, and the play Watson had on their sideline was unbelievable,” Flowers said. “It was a great and play a couple of nice blocks out there too.”
With 1:53 to go, Prough plunged into the end zone from three yards out and the Hawks led by six after failing to get the two-point conversion for the first time. Beardstown started their drive off from their 30 and got a first down on the first play, but it was called back for holding. The Tigers got as far as the 31 and Carrollton managed to hold on for a precious victory.
“It’s a huge win,” Watson said “It’s one step closer to the playoffs and one more win we get the automatic bid. It’s going to be awesome.”
