On Friday night at Memorial Stadium, temperatures dipped into the thirties, the wind gusted from 15 to 20 miles per hour, and the field was virtually unplayable between the forties because of heavy rains and junior high football games two nights earlier. Ask any football coach how to win in conditions not suitable for play and the overwhelming majority will say, “Run the football, don’t turn it over, and capitalize on errors.” That is exactly the formula the Milton-Union Bulldogs used to pound the Carlisle Indians 31-19. With the win, the M-U moved to 5-1 on the season and are poised for a possible playoff run and league title.
Carlisle came into the contest with a highly touted, powerful offense, but the Indians sputtered out of the gate. Their first possession of the football game ended with a fumble recovered by David Karns giving the Bulldogs 1st and 10 at the Indian 24-yard line. Six plays later, M-U could not capitalize when a field goal attempt by Nick Fields was thwarted before it even began with a bad snap, and the score remained 0-0.
Carlisle moved the football on their second drive, but another fumble recovered by Josh Booher stopped the Indians, and this time the Bulldogs would strike. M-U scored on a nine play, 74-yard drive the last seven coming on a Jake Finfrock 7-yard TD scamper. Nick Fields added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
After a Carlisle punt, the Bulldogs drove 79 yards on eight plays, the big play a Tyler Brown 34-yard run. Clay Minton scored on a 5-yard burst and after the Field’s PAT, M-U had jumped ahead 14-0 with 8:02 remaining in the half.
The Indians finally showed signs of life late in the 2nd quarter going 74 yards in just 2:02 seconds, the final play a 19-yard touchdown pass from Levi Boyer to Alex Leach. The PAT was blocked by Clay Minton, and the score stood 14-6 with 5:52 left in the 2nd.
David Karns returned the kickoff to the Carlisle 43-yard line, and the first play from scrimmage, Kain Smiley hit big with a 32-yard run. On third and 8 from the 8-yard line, Cody Hollon threw one of his three passes for the night and hit Alex King with a beautiful tight end pop pass and the touchdown. Following Field’s blasted PAT, the Bulldogs would enter the half holding a commanding 21-6 lead. At the half M-U had 244 total yards, 236 on the ground.
The third quarter featured much of the same as M-U continued to run at will moving methodically from their own 31-yard line to the Indian’s 18 where Nick Field’s blasted a 37 yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 24-6 lead with 8:02 left in the third quarter.
For the next quarter of play, it was all Carlisle. Boyer hit Adam Helton with a 40-yard touchdown pass to make he score 24-12, and after an exchange of punts, Carlisle scored again and the scored had tightened to 24-19 with 8:53 left in the football game.
At this point, The Bulldog offensive line took back over the game. Carlisle continued to challenge M-U to throw by putting nine and sometimes ten players inside of the box. Time and time again, the line opened huge holes and the Bulldogs began to march. “Our offensive line and tight ends are the engine that drives this machine,” head coach Bret Pearce commented after the game. “Finfrock and Minton get a lot of credit and
deservedly so, but our o-line has a big heart, and they’re smart.”
Smiley struck for 35 yards on the first play of the drive. Finfrock ran for six. Tyler Brown hit for 16 yards, and the Bulldogs were eating precious minutes from the clock. Three plays later, Finfrock clinched it with a ten yard power run, and the Bulldogs led 31-19.
Carlisle’s final three drives ended with a 4th down incompletion, an interception (David Karns), and the clock reaching 0:00. The Bulldogs outgained the Indians 392 yards (384 on the ground) to 270. Finfrock rushed for 156 yards; Brown rushed for 133, and Smiley added 64 on just three carries.
It’s HOMECOMING WEEK. M-U will host Preble Shawnee Friday night at 7:30.
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