A-J upsets Carterville in Class 3A playoffs

Carterville High School football coach Dennis Drust said his team would have to stop three players in particular on the Anna-Jonesboro squad to be successful.

The host Lions failed to accomplish that task and the No. 13 seeded Wildcats pulled off a 41-35 upset win over No. 4 Carterville in opening-round action of the IHSA Class 3A playoffs Saturday, Oct. 31.

“I thought our kids did well and did a nice job running the option,” A-J coach Brett Detering said. “Offensively, we were able to run the ball effectively.”

The win propelled the Wildcats, 7-3, to a second-round game at Pana, 7-3, this Saturday.

Saturday’s game was the first meeting between the two teams since the 2002 season.

A-J’s victory halted an eight-game winning streak for the Lions, who finished at 8-2 overall.

Fullback Jordan Chamness paced the Wildcat rushing attack with 155 yards in 12 carries and a pair of crucial fourth quarter touchdowns.

A-J running back Gabe Pecord added 101 yards on 18 carries and a pair of TDs.

Quarterback J.R. Woodward chipped in 94 yards on 18 carries and added a pair of scores.

“Pecord made a lot of good runs early and Chamness made  two big runs in the fourth quarter,” Detering said. “We didn’t throw much, but when we did we had people open.”

Woodward was 2 of 3 passing for 77 yards.

“Our offensive line did a good job,” Detering said. “And, David Frank really blocked well on the line.”

With a little over a minute remaining, Chamness scored a 44-yard touchdown to put A-J out of reach by a pair of touchdowns.

The Wildcats scored on the second play after recovering an onside kick midfield.

Wildcat kicker Travis Smith missed his first extra point kick of the game but A-J was ahead 41-28 with 1:23 remaining.

The Lions refused to quit, marching downfield and scoring on  quarterback Jeff Aldridge’s 8-yard TD strike to Zac Halterman. Alec Waldron booted the extra point kick to close out the scoring with 8 seconds remaining.

Woodward dropped to a knee to run out the clock and preserve the win.

“We just couldn’t put them away,” Detering said. “They’ve got a lot of weapons. I don’t look forward to playing Carterville the next couple of years with that sophomore quarterback. Carterville is going to be a great addition to our conference.”

Carterville will drop out of the Black Diamond Conference this year and join the Southern Illinois River-to-River Mississippi Division next season.

The Wildcats sealed the win by scoring three fourth quarter TDs.

However, A-J’s opening drive stalled.

“Our first drive didn’t do very well,” Detering said. “It took us a while to figure out how they were playing us.”

After the Lions drove deep into  A-J territory and missed a 31-yard field goal, the Wildcats were on the move.

Woodward scored on an 8-yard run to cap a 13-play, 80 yard drive.

Smith’s extra point kick boosted the Wildcats to a 7-0 lead with 11:15 remaining in the second quarter.

Following a Lion punt, the Wildcats engineered a 9-play drive that was fueled around a 31-yard pass from Woodward to Pecord that culminated in a 10-yard TD run by Pecord. Smith’s kick gave A-J a 14-0 lead with 5:15 remaining in the first half.

Later, after a two-play drive, Woodward scampered for a 47-yard jaunt before being pulled down at the 1-yard line by Ryan Bonfield.

On the ensuing play, Woodward scored. Smith’s kick gave the Wildcats a 21-0 lead with 2:39 remaining in the first half.

The Lion offense finally got rolling.

The drive appeared stalled when A-J’s Jerad Merriman sacked Aldridge for a big loss.

However, Carterville recovered and Aldridge scored on a 3-yard run at the end of a 11-play drive. Waldron’s kick closed out the scoring in the first half at 21-6 with 15 seconds remaining.

The Lions came out fired up in the second half after a nifty kickoff return by Dalton James. After a 6-play drive that appeared stalled after Merriman and Josh Flamm sacked Aldridge, the elusive quarterback scored on a 28-yard run. Waldron’s kick pulled Carterville to 21-14 with 9:07 remaining in the third quarter.

Carterville was on the move again. Trevor Pullum scored on a 5-yard run at the end of a 5-play drive. Waldron’s kick tied the game 21-21 with 11:55 remaining in the game.

Woodward kept A-J’s next drive alive with a 47-yard pass reception to Brady Carter.

“That was a big third down pass play to Brady Carter,” Detering said. “I’m proud of our kids responding with an 89-yard play.”

 After a 9-play drive, Pecord scored on a 2-yard run. Smith’s kick boosted A-J to a 28-21 lead.

  On A-J’s next drive on its second play, Chamness scored on a 59-yard run. Smith’s kick put the Wildcats on top 35-21 with 3:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.

After a 7-play drive, Carterville’s Dalton James scored on a 7-yard run. Waldron’s kick pulled the Lions to 35-28 with 1:40 remaining in the game.

Chamness’ final TD run put the game out of reach.

“They presented some challenges to us,” Detering said. “We just couldn’t put them away.”

The Wildcats were successful in keeping kickoffs away from the fleet-footed James, who is noted this season for nifty punts and kickoff returns. He only had one lengthy kickoff return.

“We did a good job keeping it away from James,” Detering said.

Both Pecord and Woodward noticeably limped several times during the game, but Detering said the injuries didn’t appear serious and both players should be available for second-round action.

“We’ve had to persevere,” Detering said. “Hopefully, we play well enough to keep it going.”