Mikes rock Rockets, claim playoff spot
Kelly Tunney | Herald-Standard
Carmichaels’ Brody Blaker (6) pulls down Jefferson-Morgan’s Trevor Kniha (34) Friday night during their Tri-County South Conference game at Parker Field in Jefferson.
Kelly Tunney | Herald-Standard
Carmichaels running back Shawn Dulaney (8) scores Carmichaels’ first touchdown against Jefferson-Morgan during Friday’s Tri-County South Conference showdown at Parker Field in Jefferson.
Jefferson Morgan's Nick Teagarden (17) and Carmichaels' Cody Brown (14) spar on a drive in the first half of their Tri-County Conference game Friday night at Parker Field in Jefferson.
Jefferson-Morgan's Jacob Bissett (45) hauls in a pass despite the defensive effort of Carmichaels' Jonathan Christopher (15) as the Mikes' Jacob Barnish (25) looks on during Friday night's Tri-County South Conference game at Parker Field in Jefferson.
Carmichaels running back Shawn Dulaney (8) looks for a route through Jefferson-Morgan’s defense during their Tri-County South Conference game at Parker Field in Jefferson last Friday night. Dulaney scored three touchdowns in the Mikes’ 28-0 victory, helping his team clinch a WPIAL playoff spot and capping a strong comeback from an early-season knee injury. (Photo by Kelly Tunney)
Jefferson-Morgan wide receiver Dylan Crockard (89) searches for an opening in Carmichaels' defense during Tri-County South Conference action Friday night at Parker Field in Jefferson.
Jefferson-Morgan's Joe Headlee (5) is taken down by Carmichaels' Coty Allen after catching a pass for several yards during their Tri-County South Conference game at Parker Field in Jefferson on Friday night.
JEFFERSON — Carmichaels’ Shawn Dulaney rushed for three touchdowns and the Mikes’ defense was stout against Jefferson-Morgan’s rushing attack, as Carmichaels tallied a 28-0 victory in the Herald-Standard Game of the Week and clinched the final playoff spot out of the Tri-County South Conference Friday night.
“We didn’t let all the hype or outside distractions effect us tonight,” Carmichaels coach Ryan Krull said. “We knew it all came down to what you do on the football field. The kids knew what was at stake and it was your typical Jefferson week of practice. We had to play every snap with effort and intensity.”
It was a do-or-die, win-and-you’re in scenario for both teams, as the fourth and final postseason berth was on the line in the 90th meeting between the Greene County teams.
Carmichaels improves to 53-32-5 against its close rival.
The Mikes (5-4, 5-3) will now await their fate in the WPIAL playoffs next Friday.
“It’s huge for us to get back into the playoffs,” Krull said. “I don’t know who we are going to play, but all I know is our season gets extended for another week. We are going to enjoy tonight’s win.”
Coming into the contest, the Rockets (4-5, 4-4) had won seven of the last 10 meetings in the Black & Blue Bowl.
“Give Carmichaels a lot of credit, they came out from the get-go ready to play,” J-M coach Aaron Giorgi said. “We struggled in a lot of areas tonight and made some mental mistakes. Penalties killed us and we missed some tackles. We couldn’t get our running game going and we got behind the sticks.”
Dulaney played a well-rounded game for Carmichaels on both sides of the ball and after missing the first couple of games of 2015 due to an injury, looked in fine form in Week 9.
“I was a little bit nervous before the game and a little sad because this could have been my last game,” Dulaney said. “But you have to push those emotions aside and play the game. I missed the first four games of the season with a knee injury and I wanted to end the season on a high note. I think we wanted it more tonight.”
Dulaney finished with a game-high 95 rushing yards on 15 carries.
After both teams were held scoreless on their opening drives, the Mikes struck first when Dulaney scored on a 22-yard run at 2:30 of the first quarter. The Mikes lead was 6-0 after the two-point conversion run failed.
J-M went three-and-out on its next possession and a bobbled snap on a punt doomed the Rockets and gave the visitors the ball near the goal line.
With 14 seconds left in the opening period, the Mikes extended their lead to 12-0 after a 1-yard plunge into the end zone by Dulaney.
“We had to get the running game going early on,” Dulaney said. “We knew that and our o-line did a great job of getting on their blocks. We had a lot of open holes and I just ran right through them. We have been relentless with our running game lately.”
Carmichaels increased its lead to 20-0 on its next drive when Dulaney scored on a 4-yard touchdown run that ended a 12-play, 67-yard drive. The drive was helped out by two personal foul calls against the Rockets.
Dulaney was successful on the two-point run, as the Mikes were up 20-0 at halftime.
“It always starts up front for us,” Krull said. “Our guys on the line did a great job of getting a good push. They were putting eight guys in the box and blitzing their linebackers a lot. Shawn had a monster game and it was a statement game for him.”
The Rockets got a spark to start the second half, as Nick Teegarden returned the second half kickoff 50 yards to the 25-yard line.
Despite the special teams play, J-M failed to convert the opportunity and turned the ball over on downs at the 20-yard line.
J-M couldn’t find any flow on offense, as its final five drives ended with an interception, a turnover on downs, a fumble, a punt and another turnover on downs.
“Our defense relentlessly pursued the football tonight,” Krull said. “We got off blocks and made tackles behind the line of scrimmage. That has been a staple of our defense the whole year. We had to rally around the ball and be aggressive on defense.”
The Mikes sealed the win in the fourth quarter when quarterback David Morgan found tight end Brody Blaker for a 17-yard scoring toss on third-and-two with 2:33 left.
Coty Allen added an interception on defense and had 52 rushing yards for Carmichaels.
Joe Headlee led the Rockets with 57 yards on 19 carries, while Trevor Kniha gained 31 yards on the ground.
“We didn’t block well,” Giorgi said. “At halftime we tried to rally the troops and I believed we weren’t out of the game. We had a good start to the second half, but our offense stalled out. We couldn’t finish drives off and we didn’t execute.”
Tri-County South Conference
Carmichaels-12-8-0-8–28
Jefferson-Morgan-0-0-0-0–0
First Quarter
C: Shawn Dulaney 22 run (run failed), 2:30
C: Dulaney 1 run (run failed), 0:14
Second Quarter
C: Dulaney 4 run (Dulaney run), 5:18
Fourth Quarter
C: Brody Blaker 17 pass from David Morgan (Josh Mundell pass from Morgan), 2:33
Records: Carmichaels (5-4, 5-3), Jefferson-Morgan (4-5, 4-4)