Scott County def. Great Crossing 21-19: Kroger KSR Game of the Week
The thrill and the agony.
For the 14th season in a row, the Scott County Cardinals (6-5) are moving on to the second round of the playoffs after defeating in-town rival Great Crossing (8-3) 21-19 on Friday night behind Luke Colvin’s 119 yards and two touchdowns.
“We’re the best we’ve been the entire year,” Colvin said about his team. “Y’all better watch out in the playoffs.”
For the Warhawks, they end the best season in program history with a bad taste in their mouths as two of their three losses have come at the hands of Scott County.
“Am I happy to win? Hell yeah,” Scott County head Coach Jim McKee said post-game. “But, I’m most happy for my players and their families.”
First Quarter: 0-0
A defensive showcase to begin the game saw both offenses stall, aside from one chunk rush each.
Neither team could find the red zone in the first quarter and both were forced to punt on their first two drives of the game.
Halftime: Scott County 21, Great Crossing 7
It was definitely a tale of two quarters in the first half.
Scott County broke the ice on their second drive of the quarter as freshman quarterback Andrew Hickey found Jeremy Hamilton down the sideline for 55 yards for the opening score.
On the first play of the ensuing drive, a Great Crossing fumble gave the ball back to the Cardinals inside the red zone.
Three plays later, Colvin took the rock past the pylon to extend the lead to two scores in what would be the first of two touchdowns for him on the night.
“I knew I was going to score as soon as they called the play,” Colvin said post-game.
If that wasn’t enough, on the first offensive play after the fumble, Tennessee commit Kalib Perry hit Zackarrey Kelly in stride for a 61-yard bomb to get the Warhawks on the board.
Scott County ran the clock down on a long drive comprised completely of rushing plays. The Cardinals left one minute for the Warhawks after Colvin rushed it in for the second time in the half.
Great Crossing couldn’t capitalize and went into the locker room down 14.
Scott County out-gained Great Crossing in yardage 172-110 and controlled the possession time 15-7. Colvin led all players on either team with 19 rushes for 82 yards and two scores.
Third Quarter: Scott County 21, Great Crossing 19
Great Crossing received the opening kickoff of the second half, making the most of the opportunity.
In five plays, the Warhawks marched down the field, capping off the drive with a Nichols quarterback sneak. Just as importantly, however, was the missed PAT after the score to keep the Cardinals on top by eight.
The missed PAT would force Great Crossing to do away with the kicking game, which massively contributed to the loss.
After a Scott County three and out, Great Crossing had a chance to tie the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion.
After a sack on the first play of the drive, Nichols found Perry deep down the numbers, carrying a Scott County down defender with him into the end zone for the score.
A 15-yard sideline penalty forced the Warhawks to go for the tying two-point conversion from the Cardinal 17, which was intercepted by Scott County to keep the lead, 21-19. This would ultimately be the game-winning play.
After a Scott County punt, the Warhawks drove down the field once again. A key third down stop turned into a 15-yard gain for Great Crossing after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Cardinals was enforced, which ended the quarter.
FINAL: Scott County 21, Great Crossing 19
Great Crossing’s pass attempt on third down inside the red zone was broken up by a couple of Cardinal defenders. The Warhawks decided to gamble and payed for it; Scott County would take over on downs with 11 minutes left on the game clock.
After another Scott County three and out, a bad snap forced the Cardinal punter to accidentally kneel while trying to secure the snap. This mistake set Great Crossing up with first and goal.
You have to give credit where credit is due. Despite being backed up to their own goal line, the Cardinal defense stopped the Warhawks in four plays and their offense took over with seven minutes remaining.
“It was unbelievable,” McKee said about his defense’s toughness. “It was a great job by the kids. They’re super resilient, that’s a great stop.”
The Cardinals were forced to punt with two minutes remaining in regulation.
On the first play of the Warhawk drive, disaster hit: Nichols threw an interception at the worst possible time.
After Great Crossing burned their final two timeouts and Scott County lineup up in victory formation, it was official—the Cardinals advance to round two and remain unbeaten (4-0) against the Warhawks all-time.
Post-Game
The Warhawks ultimately out-gained the Cardinals in yardage (274-257), but the iron-wall mentality the Scott County defense showed made all the difference.
“Hats off to [Great Crossing],” McKee said. “They played extremely hard.” McKee also said there’s a lot to clean up between now and their second round game.
Scott County has a daunting task ahead of them, taking on Frederick Douglass in round two at The Farm. The Broncos are coming off a 57-7 victory over Montgomery County on Thursday night.
“It feels great,” Colvin said about the victory. “I’m on top of the world—I’m ready to go and get at it next week.”
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