STILL THE ONE | Landers, defense have big night as Carthage takes down Pine Tree, 67-36
A pair of state-ranked teams faced off here Friday night in a game with one big play after another, but as they usually do, the two-time defending state champion Carthage Bulldogs made a few more.
Carthage had not one, but two interceptions for touchdowns in the first half to help break open what had been a close game, and then matched Pine Tree score-for-score to finish with a 67-36 win over the Pirates.
Carthage (2-0), now winners of 33 straight games, has an open date next weekend, while Pine Tree (1-1) hosts Athens, a winner Friday night over Henderson.
The Bulldogs hit a big play right out of the gate, a near-50-yard pass from Jacob Dixon to Bryston Price, down to the Pirates’ 22-yard-line. On third down from inside the 20, they connected again, this time for a first down to the PT 11.
Jace Harris picked up 2 on the first-down play, then 4 on the next. On third and 4 at PT’s 5-yard-line, Dixon lofted a ball to Harris in the end zone, but it fell incomplete.
The Carthage offense, including linemen like Cooper Walters, remained on the field for fourth-and-4, again from PT’s 5.
Carthage coach Scott Surratt took a time out before the play, but the offense came back out.
Dixon’s ball went into the end zone, over the “O” in “Bulldogs,” where Price was – the ball was low, and Price couldn’t quite get to it. He was covered tightly.
Croft led the PT offense onto the field for the first time in the game, his feet standing on his own goal line.
Croft, who wears the much-different number of 31, quickly found himself in third-and-10 at the Pirates’ own 5.
Out of the shotgun, Croft faked a handoff and then threw across the middle, deep enough that if the pass had been complete, it might’ve been enough for a first down.
The Pirates had to punt from the back of their own end zone. The snap was high, and bounced, hitting at the 40 and then out of bounds at Carthage’s own 44.
Carthage running back Javon Landers got the handoff and picked up a quick 7 yards into Pirates’ territory, to the PT 49.
Landers got the second-down handoff, as well, and bulled his way for 12 yards – he dragged a Pine Tree defender with him for the final 3. From PT’s 37, Dixon quickly threw the ball to Jaden Jeffress, who broke free for a 17-yard gain, all the way to the Pirates’ 20.
Dixon, from under center, turned around and handed the ball to Landers, a 5-yard gain to the 15, and then again, down to the 6 for 9 more yards.
On first and goal, Dixon faked a handoff to Harris and gave it to Landers, right up the middle to the PT 2. Landers was the workhorse on the drive, but Kingston Jones got the call from the 2, and muscled his way behind that offensive line into the end zone.
The extra point by Jesus Lopez was perfect, and the Bulldogs grabbed a 7-0 lead with 4:15 left in the first quarter.
Lopez’s kickoff looked to be meant to go up high, and surprise the Pirates with a short bounce, possibly an attempt for Carthage to come up with a bobbled ball.
Still, Pine Tree fell on it, and began the possession at its own 38. The Pirates continued to shoot themselves in the foot with a false start penalty for 5 yards, backing them up to the 33 for a first-and-15.
Croft threw out to his running back on the next down, a swing pass, and 6 made defenders miss, a 15-yard pass play for the Pirates’ first first down of the game, all the way to the Carthage 42.
Carthage, playing a 3-3-5 defense (with extra defensive backs for Croft to plan for), had to come up to stop Jakaiden Johnson. He got 7 yards, which brought up a third-and-2 at Carthage’s 32.
Croft, listed at 6-feet-4, 220 pounds, gives new meaning to “quarterback sneak,” and he managed 3 yards on the play for a new series of downs.
A new back, 23, could only manage a yard against Carthage’s defensive front, among them 44, 20, 25, 72 and 11.
Croft stepped up on the first down play and avoided the rush by 11 – Croft stepped into the throw and lofted the ball to 0 in the end zone. 0 leapt and caught it, tying the game on the seven seconds left in the first quarter. The extra point by 30 was good, officially tying the game at 7.
Pine Tree’s Koby Watters picked off a pass by Dixon and returned it about 15 yards to the Carthage 22.
The Pirates’ offense more than returned the favor: Jace Harris picked off a tipped ball in front of the PT receiver, and returned the interception 96 yards for a touchdown. Flags were down, one for a hold against Pine Tree at the line of scrimmage, the other apparently for the same thing.
Lopez booted the extra point and gave Carthage a 14-7 lead.
Pine Tree punched right back, with Johnson taking the first down handoff and bolting for a 75-yard touchdown, tying the game again, this time at 14.
On the next offensive possession for Carthage, Landers – having a very good game – picked up 21 yards on a running play down to the Pirates’ 35.
Two plays later, Harris struck again, this time catching a swing pass from Dixon and bolting to the outside for 15 yards, to the Pirates’ 19. The very next play: a 19-yard run by Harris for the touchdown. Lopez hit his ninth extra point of the year (he hasn’t missed). The kick gave Carthage a 21-14 lead with 8:10 left until halftime.
This time, though, Pine Tree’s offense couldn’t pick up a first down. Carthage’s defense forced a fourth-and-5 at the PT 30. 34 got the punt away and Harris fielded it, with no return, at the Carthage 38.
It looked like Carthage would also be forced to punt, with third-and-10 at that same 38. But Landers – who just would not be denied all night – got free, then broke to the outside and outran everyone to the end zone for a 62-yard touchdown.
The extra point made it 28-14 Carthage, with 7:01 left in the half.
On the next PT drive, Croft faked the handoff and threw to 15, for a 37-yard gain, all the way to Carthage’s 19. A false start on first down moved the Pirates back 5 yards, and then on the very next drive – disaster.
Croft threw a quick dart over the middle, and inside the Carthage 10, J.D. Edwards picked him off. Edwards almost ran out of gas, but didn’t, and took it all the way back – a second pick-six for the Bulldogs – for an 87-yard score with 4:48 left in the half, after Lopez’s extra point.
Another Pine Tree possession ended with a punt, and Carthage, with 2:21 left in the half, got the ball back at their own 15, and with a time out.
On third and 5 at the Carthage 20, Jeffress caught a tipped-ball screen pass that he took for 7, and a new first down.
At the 27, Dixon swung the ball out to Edwards, but Edwards couldn’t get a handle on it, and it fell incomplete.
Watters tipped away a deep ball intended for Jeffress, and with the clock stopped, actually, Carthage took a time out right before a third-and-1 with 1:20 left until halftime.
At the line of scrimmage, Dixon looked at his wristband and then calmly looked to change the play. No one open, he scrambled to his right, a 19-yard gain all the way to his own 46, and out of bounds.
On the first down play, Dixon flung the ball at the line of scrimmage to Edwards, who got free and was finally pulled down at the Pine Tree 16.
Landers was ran out of bounds at the PT 7, and the Pirates took a time out, with the clock stopped, anyway.
Jones, using his offensive line perfectly, went right through the middle of both lines and into the end zone from 7 yards out, with 34 seconds left. Carthage, with that score, had scored four straight touchdowns to blow open a close game.
With 28 seconds and two time outs to play with, Pine Tree set up for the final possession of the half at its own 28.
The half ended with 11 Carthage getting a sack on Croft.
Carthage’s Edwards made it 49-14 early in the third quarter on a 39-yard pass.
Down all those points, Croft connected with No. 0 for a 23-yard touchdown pass, with 7:51 left in the third. That made it 49-21, with most of the second half to play.
And just like that, the Pirates attempted an onside kick, and recovered it at their own 48.
Croft bobbled the snap, but recovered, rolled right and picked up 9 yards.
Johnson broke free for a long gain, down to Carthage’s 32, but Edwards pulled the ball out of his hands, and Carthage fell on it right there at the 32.
Dixon turned to hand the ball off on first down, and no one was there; he tried to make something out of absolutely nothing, but a Pine Tree defender, trying to get Dixon down, grabbed him by the facemask and turned. It would be a 15-yard penalty, of course, to midfield.
Kingston Jones took the next handoff, down to PT’s 35, and then another to the Pirates’ 28.
A pass to Jeffress set the Bulldogs up to the 9, but this time, it was no-go. PT’s NO 8 kept working, even though Carthage’s pass protection was good, and when Surratt tried to get loose to look for an open man, he was sacked.
Pine Tree had just gotten the ball back when Cooper Crawford, wearing No. 2 (the number his older brother Carson had worn the last few years), knocked the ball away and recovered it inside Pine Tree’s 15.
Jeffress got the shovel pass from Dixon and scored, a 14-yarder. The snap on the extra point was dropped and Pine Tree’s Darron Pair picked it up and returned it for two points. Carthage was still up comfortably, though, 55-23, with 1:51 left in the third.
Pine Tree’s 14 scored on a 25-yard run; Carthage’s defense missed a few tackles there. Still, with the extra point, Carthage led 55-30.
Carthage recovered an onside kick, and then Edwards caught a pass into Pine Tree territory at the Pirates’ 48. Landers ran the third quarter out by running for a first down.
Very little defense in this one, as Dixon hit Price for a 44-yard touchdown. Lopez’s extra point streak ended when his point after hit the upright, but with 11:51 left in the game, Carthage had built a 61-30 lead over a state-ranked Pine Tree team that was coming off a win over Gilmer.
The Pirates got a 43-yard TD pass from Croft to Pair, then missed on the two-point conversion attempt and trailed 61-36 with 10:26 left.
Carthage would add another, a 9-yard run by Ke’Morian King, with 4:41 left. The extra point was blocked, but the score at that point was 67-36, the game’s final score.