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Tigers drop final district game
The Nevada Tigers suffered their eighth loss of the season as they fell in convincing fashion to the Carthage Tigers, 68-28.
After winning the opening coin toss, Nevada chose to defer the possession to the second half. A good kickoff return by Carthage gave them the ball with strong field position at their own 38-yard line and were able to mount a strong drive and pound the ball into the end zone with 9:31 to go in the first quarter -- a drive capped off by a 10-yard quarterback sneak by Trey Derryberry.
A short kickoff return by Tyler Dobson found Nevada pinned back at their own 18. The drive was quickly stifled and the offense was forced to give up the field to Austin Baldwin and the punting unit.
A punt block by Tristen Strickland gave Carthage the ball back at the Nevada 20 and only needed one play to score as Derryberry threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Clay Kinman to make it 15-0 Carthage with 7:46 to go in the first quarter after the two-point conversion.
After the kickoff went out of bounds, Nevada took over possession on their own 35-yard line. The Carthage defense was once again able to come up with the stop and Nevada was forced to punt.
Off-setting fouls on the punt negated a strong return and forced Nevada to re-kick, sending the ball back to the Carthage offense at their own 38. Nevada's defense continued to be no match for the strong offensive play by Carthage and a 6-yard touchdown run by Jerrick Williams extended the Tigers' lead to 22-0 after the PAT.
Nevada took over after the ensuing kickoff at their own 35 and the Tigers were finally able to mount a drive. The Carthage defense was unable to recover and Nevada was finally able to get on the scoreboard with 49 seconds to go in the first quarter on a 28-yard pass to Colby Shepherd to make it 22-7.
"Colby didn't know until he walked off the field with the ball in his hands that it was a pass," head coach Jay Fleeman said of the play.
Carthage was able to quickly answer as Devron Moore returned the kickoff 82 yards for the touchdown with 37 seconds to go in the first quarter. A quick fumble by Dobson on the ensuing kick extended the Carthage lead to 35-7 after the recovery was taken into the end zone by Garrett Buzzard.
Nevada took over at their own 19 after a 17-yard kickoff return by Dobson, but Nevada's offense was still unable to get the ball moving. A third down sack by Carthage forced Nevada to punt the ball back from deep in their own territory, giving the ball back to the Tigers of Carthage at the Nevada 24.
Carthage wasted little time extending their lead once again as Zach Sprague was able to run the ball six yards into the end zone to make it 42-7 Carthage. Nevada was once again unable to move the ball and Trevor Hole came up with an interception that ultimately led to yet another Carthage touchdown on a five-yard pass to Steven Elefson to make it 48-7.
The Carthage offense kept up their intensity for the remainder of the half and continued to manhandle the Nevada offense. By the time the half came to a close, Carthage was able to put up two more touchdowns on a 35-yard run by Brian Poston and another score from Moore to take a 62-7 lead into the locker room for halftime.
Nevada's offensive stagnance seemed to finally come to an end on the opening drive of the second half as the Tigers were finally able to mount a drive. The Tigers were able to finish the drive with a 19-yard touchdown run by Shepherd to cut the Carthage lead to 48, at 62-14.
Carthage took over after the ensuing kickoff at their own 30 were able to get the benefit of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against a member of Nevada's coaching staff after recovering their own fumble. Nevada continued to be on the bad end of some questionable officiating for the remainder of the drive and Carthage was eventually able to make their way down field and into the end zone once again on a 4-yard run by Oliver Schramm to make it 68-14 with 10:31 to go in the game.
Nevada was able to quickly answer as they took the ball over at their own 40 after the kickoff went out of bounds and drove the ball 60 yards in three plays, putting the ball in the end zone on a 16-yard run by Shepherd to make it 68-21 with 8:19 to go. Nevada's defense was finally able to stop up on the ensuing drive, forcing Carthage's first punt of the game.
The Tigers needed just one play to get back on the scoreboard once again as Nevada pulled a trick out of the playbook that resulted in a 70-yard touchdown pass to Trent Uttinger to make it 68-28. Carthage stuck to the ground game on their next drive and were able to hold onto the ball and take the win by a final score of 68-28.
After the game, Fleeman said, "We just didn't play a very good football game tonight. Our guys were having a hard time getting off blocks and making tackles."
With the loss, Nevada finishes the season with a record of 2-8.