Worth County got a lucky break when they won the coin toss and the wind at the start of the game. They turned it into an early rout of an improved East Atchison Wolves squad, pulling away to win 66-0 in a halftime game. Worth County remains alive to play Stanberry, which hammered Rock Port on the road 76-34 to set up a rematch. Since St. Joseph Christian won 42-30 on the road in Mound City, that means that North Andrew will host Christian. If Christian wins, then Worth County travels to the Lions’ Den assuming they win Friday, since Christian will have had fewer home games. If North Andrew wins, then Worth County hosts a semifinal game since they are the top team on the bracket in an odd numbered year and both teams will have hosted an equal number of home games.
With the wind at their backs, Worth County kicked the ball into the end zone. East Atchison tried to come out firing, but could not do anything all night against Worth County. Ryan McClellan broke up a pass intended for Shae DeRosier, Mason Hawk sacked Jake McEnaney, and Briacin Bywater met Tevin Cameron for a loss of one as the Wolves were forced to punt.
There was a heartstopping moment on the kick as Tevin Cameron nearly muffed it before recovering it at the 38, but from there, Worth County only needed one play as nobody covered Caleb Parman, who scored on a 42 yard pass play from Ryan McClellan. Tevin Cameron ran in the extra points to make it 8-0 with 10:36 left in the first.
East Atchison was buried on their own 11 and was driven back. Devin Jackson got a sack, Drake and Isaac dropped Bywater for a loss of three after a short pass, and DeRosier was dropped for a loss of one as Worth County nearly got a safety back to the one. East Atchison was forced to punt, but it was shanked and blew back to the two yard line. Had it rolled into the end zone, it would have been either a safety or a touchdown depending on who would have recovered it.
Worth County fumbled the ball, but it didn’t matter after East Atchison got the touchback. The Wolves went to their Triple Option game, but McEnaney was dropped for a loss of four, and fullback Ian Hedlund took a handoff only to meet Ryan McClellan and Devin Jackson for a loss of one. Bywater dropped a pass and the Wolves were forced to punt. Tevin Cameron was driven back to the 40 by the punt, bobbled it, but recovered and ran it back for a 40 yard return. Tevin ran a power sweep to the right for the extra points, aided by blocks from Drake Kinsella and Devin Jackson, who had lined up as a fullback, to make it 16-0 with 7:52 left.
East Atchison tried to isolate prize receiver Gage McAdams on Isaac Alarcon, but Isaac drilled him for a loss of six and a sack by Mason Hawk drove the Wolves back to the five. On the ensuing punt, Tevin started down the left side, reversed his field down the right side of the field, broke a couple of tackles, and was off for the races to get Worth County’s third score with 5:51 left in the first. Cameron ran in the extra points behind the blocking of Mason Hawk to make it 24-0.
Once again, East Atchison tried unsuccessfully to isolate McAdams, who met Alarcon for a loss of four after a short pass. Worth County ran the punt back to the Wolves 20 and only needed one play to score as Cameron shot through a hole, broke a host of tackles, and scored with 3:36 left to make it 30-0, still in the first quarter.
The Wolves had burned all three of their timeouts while the first quarter was still in progress, to no avail as three straight incompletions forced them to punt. Worth County set up shop on their own 30 and Isaac Alarcon rumbled for 23 yards into Wolves territory. Tevin Cameron got a block from Mason Hawk for nine more, then two catch and runs from Caleb Parman and Bryant McCord put Worth County into the end zone with 1:47 left.
Mason Hawk batted away a pass that could have been ruled a fumble, and Drake Kinsella shot through unblocked for a sack back to the 10. A fake punt attempt fooled nobody as Tevin Cameron, instead of going back for the punt, stayed up on defense and Worth County got the ball back at the 17. The Tigers only needed one play to get in as Tevin Cameron scored behind the power sweep and broke a tackle to get in with 44 seconds left in the first. Isaac Alarcon took an option pitch, hurdled a defender, and got in to make it 44-0.
East Atchison finally found some daylight on a 53 yard pass play to McAdams and got help from the officials as they claimed Bryant McCord was guilty of pass interference even though he was zeroed in on the ball and did not put his hands on Gage McAdams, putting the ball first and goal on the Tiger seven. It didn’t matter as Tevin Cameron tipped a pass and Bryant McCord picked it off and returned it to the five to kill the drive.
Cameron lost two yards on the first play, but then shot through a small hole up to the 20 to take Worth County out of danger. Isaac Alarcon picked three and an offsides penalty moved it to the 28. Then, the officials tried to help out East Atchison as Tevin Cameron scored an apparent touchdown only for the referees to call it back to the 40, claiming Drake Kinsella held even though he was doing nothing but running down the field in a crowd of black and orange jerseys after Cameron was well past the play. It didn’t matter as Cameron bounced down the right side after starting down the middle on the next play, getting a block from Mason Hawk to get in from 40 yards out with 9:23 left in the second quarter.
Devin Jackson got his second sack of the game and East Atchison was forced to punt. Even though the wind was at the Wolves’ back in the second quarter, it didn’t matter as the kick was shanked and drilled one of their cheerleaders and the Tigers got the ball on the Wolves’ 18. An offsides penalty put it on the 13 and then Isaac Alarcon’s counter sweep got 12, aided by blocking from Drake Kinsella and Mason Hawk. He scored off a quick hitter with 8:04 left and Caleb Parman was all alone in the left corner of the end zone with 8:04 left to make it 60-0.
Mason Hawk and Devin Jackson combined on a sack to force another punt and the second string came out to play. The Tigers were stopped for fourth and two at the East Atchison 31, but the Wolves sold out to stop the run and left Jaxon Anderson all alone as Jacob New threw him a strike down to the one. Wayde Parman ran in the touchdown with 3:48 left to make it 66-0.
East Atchison made one last bid to get on the board and Jake McEnaney’s pass to Gage McAdams from 30 yards out looked on the spot. But then just before he gathered it in, Bryant McCord jumped up, snatched it out, and came away with the pick at the Tiger 2 and Worth County was able to run out the clock. Andrew Alarcon and Jeremy Wimer got some good gainers in the closing seconds.
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