Herrin tops A-J 37-28

The Anna-Jonesboro Community High School football team closed out its regular season with a 37-28 loss to host Herrin in a non-conference game Friday night, Oct. 19.

“We played better than we did the week before, but we’re not doing what we did earlier in the season,” said A-J football coach, Brett Detering.

“We’re not tackling well. For some reason, we’re not making the tackles we made earlier. We have to make the necessary adjustments.”

The Wildcats end the regular season with a 6-3 record. The Tigers  improved to 5-4.

Both teams have advanced to the Illinois High School Association postseason playoffs and are scheduled to be in action this Saturday.

Herrin rushed for 279 yards as a team. Running back Chase Merrill racked up 154 yards rushing on 17 carries. Teammate Austin Butler added 104 yards on 14 carries.

The Wildcats finished with 155 yards rushing. Jay Kemp led A-J’s rushing attack with 69 yards on 12 carries. Josh Merriman added 34 yards on 6 carries, Austin Noble rushed for  32 yards on 9 carries and Damian Reed had 21 yards on 6 carries.

“We didn’t run the ball effectively,” Detering said. “Our rushing yards are a little deceptive. We did a better job of throwing the ball.”

Kemp was 6 of 15 passing for 157 yards for A-J.  Reed also completed one pass. It was an 87-yard touchdown pass on a halfback option play.

The Wildcats’ defensive unit was tested early in the game. The Tigers got off to quick start, scoring on a 7-play drive. Patrick McCowen scored on a  5-yard run. Josh Haynes kicked the extra point to give Herrin a 7-0  lead with 9:26 remaining in the first quarter.

The Wildcats came roaring back with a scoring drive of their own. Kemp scored on a 33-yard touchdown run on the third play of the drive. Reed’s run was successful on the 2-point conversion attempt giving A-J  an 8-7 lead with 7:40 remaining in the first quarter.

The Wildcats were able to force the Tigers to punt on the next possesion and regain control of the football.

A-J then was able to catch a break when they took a gamble and attempted a pass on a fourth down and long yardage play. The pass was incomplete, but a pass interference penalty was called against the Tigers, giving the Wildcats a first down.

Merriman then scored on an 18-yard run. The run for the 2-point conversion failed and A-J led 14-7 with 11:09 remaining in the second quarter.

Herrin’s offense didn’t let up and scored again on a 20-yard pass from quarterback Austin Starkweather to Jared Daugherty on the ninth play of the drive. Haynes’ extra point kick tied the game 14-14 with 7:09 remaining in the first half.

The Tigers were moving the ball downfield again just before halftime. They weren’t able to get the ball into the endzone but did manage to score.

Haynes successful 21-yard field goal attempt gave Herrin a 17-14 lead with 16 seconds remaining in the first half.

The Wildcats got off to a bad start in the second half, fumbling on their first play of the third quarter. The Tigers recovered the football.

“We’re behind 17-14 and that was a big fumble at the time,” Detering said. “We needed to at least hold on to the football.”

Herrin marched downfield and was able to score again on a Nathan Vaughn 1-yard run to cap a 5-play drive. Haynes’ extra point kick gave the Tigers a 24-14 lead with 9:13 left in the third quarter.

The next Wildcat drive came to an end after an incomplete pass on fourth down.

Herrin was able to then march downfield and finished the scoring drive when Haynes kicked a 33-yard field goal to give them a 27-14 lead with 4:36 left in the third quarter.

A-J didn’t quit though. On the fourth play of their next drive, Reed was able to connect with Alex McRaven for a 87-yard halfback option pass for a touchdown. Garrett Nadeau’s extra point kick closed the scoring gap to six points, 27-21 with 2:04 left in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, Haynes added a 39-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 30-21 advantage with 11:50 remaining in the game.

A-J bounced back with another scoring drive of their own. Reed capped a 11-play drive with a 7-yard  touchdown run. Nadeau’s extra point kick pulled the Wildcats to within 30-28 with 6:36 remaining in the final quarter.

A-J still had time left to get a defensive stop and have a chance to win the game. The Wildcat defense was able to force the Tigers into a fourth and short yardage situation near midfield.

Herrin was able to get the first down. Merrill then scored on a 37-yard run. Haynes’ extra point kick closed out the scoring with 1:40 remaining in the game.

Butler intercepted a Kemp pass to end the final scoring threat for the Wildcats.

“They really won up front against us on both sides of the ball,” Detering said. “We need to do a better job blocking, tackling and holding on to the football.”