CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction got off to a quick start and rolled to a dominant 45-9 win over Monett on Friday night in the Class 4 District 5 opener.
After the Cubs tried to pull an onside kick to start the game, the Bulldogs recovered and then launched a 61-yard quick strike to senior Cole Stewart on the first play from scrimmage. From inside the 1-yard line, senior Brady Sims ran it in for a touchdown on just the second play of the game.
“Coming off that big play, our offensive line played great and I was able to punch it in,” Sims said of his first touchdown of the night.
The next three drives were a back and forth affair as each team forced punts. After a slow first quarter it appeared that Carl Junction would head into the second frame with just a touchdown, but then senior Alex Baker hit senior Noah Southern for a 44-yard catch and run to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Carl Junction once again held the Cubs to punts on their next two drives, thanks in part to a strong defensive performance, including two sacks from senior Gabe Lyon.
“At first, I took a pass drop, but when I saw the quarterback rolling out I knew I had to go get him, and I did,” Lyon said. “We have some things to work on, but overall I think our defense did pretty good.”
With just over five minutes left in the half, senior Drew Patterson scored on a 31-yard catch to give the Bulldogs a 21-0 lead.
On the ensuing drive the Cubs spoiled Carl Junction’s hopes of a shutout by kicking a field goal in the last minute of the half.
With just 25 seconds left, Carl Junction had all three timeouts and refused to take a knee. They marched down the field, and with just one second left Baker gave a quick toss to Patterson, who ran 10 yards and lateraled the ball to Sims, who ran it into the end zone for a spectacular 31-yard touchdown.
“It was a last second decision,” Sims said. “Coach loves to draw up those trick plays.”
“Coach Buck just wanted to take a shot at the end of the half and do something special,” Patterson said. “I ran the hitch and tossed the ball to Brady and he made it in. Probably shouldn’t have worked, but it did and Brady did a great job pulling it off.”
Monett received the ball to open the second half, but CJ forced another punt. The Bulldogs looked as if they were about to score by hitting a 48-yard pass to Patterson that brought the ball to the 1-yard line once again, however a fumble gave the ball back to the Cubs deep in their own territory.
The Bulldogs once again held the Cubs to a punt, and Sims collected his second touchdown of the night on a 20-yard run.
On the next drive, Monett was again forced to punt, but this time Stewart returned the short kick for a 30-yard touchdown return.
The fourth quarter began with a Monett fumble on their own 35, and the Bulldogs capitalized with a short field goal.
Several long drives ran the clock out, culminating in Monett’s lone touchdown of the night as time expired, leading to a Bulldog win and final score of 45-9.
“We prepared for this game and knew Monett would play hard, they’re not too removed from a state championship, and they did,” Bulldogs coach Doug Buckmaster said. “We didn’t play our best game on either side, but we’re thankful for the win. We have some things to clean up because we’re at that point in the season where if you don’t win you go home. Hats off to our guys in this unique year though. Nobody thought we would be where we are 10 weeks ago, and here we are.”
Carl Junction will host Hillcrest next Friday night in the district semifinals.
