A-J falls to Carterville

The Anna-Jonesboro Community High School football team found itself on the wrong end of a lopsided game when they lost 43-8 to host Carterville Friday night, Oct. 12.

“We knew going in that their scheme (on offense) was going to be tough to defend,” A-J football coach Brett Detering said.

“But it wouldn’t have mattered who we played. We had five turnovers in the first half and seven in the game.” With those kind of numbers, a team is not going to win, Detering said.

Behind the turnovers, the Lions rolled to five touchdowns and a field goal in the first half to take a commanding 37-0 lead at halftime.

“Everything kind of went our way,” Carterville coach Dennis Drust said. “Our defense did a good job of causing turnovers and our offense was able to get some points on the board.”

The Wildcats appeared to be in good shape following the opening kickoff. A-J took possession near midfield after Alex McRaven’s return and a Lions penalty for a horse collar tackle.

After moving the ball into Lions’ territory, the Wildcats then fumbled the football and Carterville recovered.

Four plays later, running back Phillip Frangello scored on a 2-yard run. Frangello would turn out to be a thorn in the Wildcats’ side for the entire game.

Dalton Hoch’s extra point kick gave Carterville a 7-0 lead with 7:22 remaining in the first quarter. It was a lead the Lions would not relinquish.

The Wildcats then fumbled on the first play of the next drive and the Lions were on the move again.

A-J was able to finally stop the Carterville offense  but Hoch kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Lions a 10-0 lead with 4:32 remaining in the first quarter.

“We moved the ball in the first quarter,” Detering said. “And, our defense held them to that field goal, but it didn’t matter.”

The Wildcats’ offense began moving the ball downfield and moved into Lions’ territory as the first quarter ended. The drive stalled after an incomplete pass on fourth down.

Eight plays later, quarterback Mike Aschemann scored on a 24-yard run. Hoch’s extra-point kick put Carterville ahead 17-0 with 8:42 remaining in the half.

A-J was moving the ball again on its next possession but Frangello was able to intercept a lateral pass from Jay Kemp and return the ball to the Wildcats’ 1-yard line.  

Frangello scored on the next play. Hoch’s extra-point attempt failed but the Lions led 23-0 with 7:24 remaining in the first half.

Dalton Brown stopped A-J’s next drive by intercepting a Kemp pass. A few plays later, Aschemann scored on a 2-yard TD run. Hoch’s kick gave the Lions a 29-0 lead with 2:17 remaining in the half.

The Wildcats fumbled again on their next possession. Aschemann connected with Sam Stearns on a long pass to move the Lions to A-J’s 1-yard line. Frangello scored on the next play with seven seconds remaining to close out the first-half scoring. Hoch’s extra-point kick gave the Lions a 37-0 lead.

Carterville opened the third quarter with a 9-play drive that ended with Aschemann scoring on a 12-yard run. The extra point kick by Hoch gave the Lions a 43-0 lead with 8:57 remaining in the third quarter.

The 40-point running clock rule was then put into effect. With the rule in effect, the clock only stopped for time outs, scoring or injuries.

“They were able to keep fresh kids in there to keep the momentum going,” Detering said. “It was their Senior Night and they had a lot of momentum.”

Unlike A-J, Carterville had enough players on its roster, so many didn’t have to remain on the field to play both on offense and defense.

“Our defensive front really played well for us,” Drust said. “And, we’ve got some speed in our backfield. We’ve been getting better each game.”

The Wildcats’ Dustin Ryan recovered a Carterville fumble in the end zone for A-J’s only score. Wyatt Godddard successfully made the two-point conversion.

Damian Reed led A-J’s 132-yard rushing attack with 27 yards on 6 carries. Kemp added 24 yards on 14 carries, Austin Noble had 22 yards on 7 carries and Josh Merriman had 14 yards on 2 carries. A-J failed to complete a pass.

“They were a challenge for us with the no huddle offense,” Detering said. “But we didn’t match up with them (on the line). They dominated us up front, but you can’t have turnovers like we did against a good team like them or you’re in trouble.”

Carterville’s record improved to 5-3 and A-J fell to 6-2.