Carthage overcomes turnovers, tops Carl Junction

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October 22, 2011

By Rick Dunaway The Joplin Globe The Joplin Globe Sat Oct 22, 2011, 01:12 AM CDT

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage won ugly but decisively Friday night.

The Tigers overcame four first-half turnovers and rode Seth Beckner’s 230 yards rushing to a 42-7 victory against Carl Junction, keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Carthage scored on its first play from scrimmage — a 52-yard pass play from Jordan Musser to Sam Carlton — but other than that it was a forgettable first half for the junior quarterback, who threw two interceptions and fumbled in the game’s first 23 minutes.

Despite the errors, Carthage (6-3, 1-1 in Class 4, District 11) found itself up 21-0 in the second quarter, thanks to the first two of Beckner’s four rushing touchdowns in the game. Beckner scored from 27 and 16 yards out.

But Carl Junction’s Matt Kersey fell on Musser’s fumble as the quarterback retreated 13 yards from the line of scrimmage and was smothered. That set up Carl Junctions’ lone touchdown drive, a 10-play, 43-yard drive capped by Nick Thompson’s 2-yard run.

Carthage’s other miscue was recorded as a fumble, as Cody Ellis partially blocked Aaron Moore’s punt, but a Carthage player touched the punt and a Bulldogs player fell on it for an 8-yard gain.

“Twenty-one points, then here come the turnovers,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie lamented. “But we battled back a little bit and regrouped at halftime.”

Guidie said the team made some defensive adjustments in the second half, and changed its philosophy a bit on offense.

“We decided we’d quit messing around and run the football, which is what we have been good at,” Guidie said.

The opening drive of the second half was the most impressive of the night, as the Tigers marched 79 yards on 15 plays, eating up 6 minutes, 48 seconds before Beckner scored from 6 yards out.

Ellis, a center on offense, was instrumental on an offensive line that began to take control. He also intercepted Carl Junction quarterback Keegan Pittman from his linebacker position on defense, returning the ball 52 yards to the Carl Junction 28.

From there, Beckner scored again, taking the ball up the middle for a 35-7 lead.

Carthage got its final score with 10:23 remaining, when Zach Strubberg beat Tanner McMurtry deep. He caught Musser’s pass at the 44-yard line and outran the field, triggering a running clock.

Carl Junction coach Jesse Wall said a poor first quarter put the Bulldogs (3-6, 1-1 district) in the hole quickly.

“We had six penalties for 65 yards in the first half and put ourselves in a lot of first-and-long situations offensively,” Wall said. “The second half they just played better than we did. They are a better team than we are. We have always thought we’ve had the capability of being good when we play well, and we didn’t play very well tonight.”

Musser rebounded to finish 6-for-10 for 151 yards passing, despite a 1-for-3 start in the first half with two interceptions.

Pittman finished 10-for-23 passing for 69 yards for Carl Junction, while Thompson gained 55 yards rushing on 15 carries.

Carthage needs a victory on Friday night at McDonald County to lock down a playoff spot, while Carl Junction has a tall order — beating Webb City in a road game on Thursday night — if it is to see the postseason.

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Carthage overcomes turnovers, tops Carl Junction

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