BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
A late-game rally on Friday enabled the Bulldogs to salvage an 18-17 triumph over Peoria Richwoods and end the season with one more victory than in 2018.
The Bulldogs concluded the year on a three-game winning streak and are 4-5 overall in coach Jon Adkins’ first year as head coach. Last year’s team had a 3-6 final record.
A field goal by Richwoods had lifted the visitors into a 17-12 lead with 2 minutes, 16 seconds remaining.
Less than a minute later, Braden Finch completed his second pass of the game, hooking up with Clay Hubble on a short pass in the flat that the junior turned into an 80-yard scoring play to create the final score.
“This game was the story of our season,” Adkins said. “They chose to stick together, continue getting better and finding a way to make the season a success.
“We struggled offensively, but the defense was playing incredibly. The energy on our sidelines was incredible.”
Hubble benefitted from a block by Noah Crowley that gave him running room to the outside and then a downfield block by Zach Travis that enabled him to pull away from the safety and sprint into the end zone.
Richwoods’ final possession ended after its third turnover, an interception by Nic Liagridonis.
“It was an awesome thing that a senior sealed the deal on Senior Night with a game-saving interception,” Adkins said. “This was a testament to sticking together and continuing to believe in themselves.”
Finch’s first completion also resulted in a TD. It was a 12-yard second-quarter hookup with Travis that helped the Bulldogs gain a 12-7 halftime lead.
Hubble, who rushed for a team-high 74 yards on 22 carries, put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard at the 6:14 mark of the first period on an 11-yard run.
Finch had 57 rushing yards to go along with 86 yards through the air. He connected on 2 of 8 passes.
Mitchell Gallier rushed for 16 yards. In all, M-S had 159 rushing yards on 43 attempts.
The M-S defensive leaders – with four tackles apiece – were Jack Koller, C.J. McKinney, Colton Morris and Hayden Nelson. Dallas Carnell had three stops.
Teammates with two tackles were Harrison LaCour, Costen Campion, Carson Thomas and Skyler Yancy.
Thomas also picked off a pass and Nelson recovered a fumble.
M-S held a 239-173 edge in total offense. Richwoods completed just one of nine passes, gaining 27 yards through the air.
Adkins is satisfied with the progress shown by the team in his first year in the community.
“We had our ups and downs,” he said. “To have a new system, a new philosophy and a new style, we still did a lot of things extremely well.”
The Bulldogs’ 16 seniors: Seth Buchanan, Costen Campion, Dallas Carnell, Nico Cosimini, Noah Crowley, Kurtis Gilonske, Wyatt Isaac, Jack Koller, Harrison LaCour, Nic Liagridonis, C.J. McKinney, John Tyler Murphy, Manny Nwokobia, Gavin O’Dell, Clayton Spencer and Carson Thomas.
“We’ll lose some great kids who laid the foundation for the program,” Adkins said. “I’m extremely excited with what we have returning and the future that lies ahead of us.
“I can’t wait for the future. It will be a fun off-season.”
The M-S freshmen closed their season on Saturday with a 6-0 win at Peoria Richwoods. The team’s points were scored on three safeties. The freshmen end with an 8-1 record.
M-S’ 5-3 junior varsity team will conclude its season tonight at 6 o’clock against Peoria Richwoods on Frank Dutton Field.
