CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage ended the regular season on a high note thanks to a strong fourth quarter in a 28-14 win over Willard on Friday at David Hafner Stadium.
After a scoreless opening stanza, Carthage and Willard traded touchdowns in the second quarter, but WHS went into the intermission on top 7-6. Both teams traded touchdowns again in the third period, but Carthage converted a 2-point try to send the game into the fourth quarter tied at 14-14. Carthage blanked Willard in the final 12 minutes while finding the end zone twice to secure the victory in the season finale.
Carthage wraps the regular season with a 5-4 record and are the third-seed in the Class 5 District 7 tournament. Carthage hosts (6) Smith-Cotton (2-7) at 7 p.m. on Friday in the opening round.
Carthage QB Brady Carlton broke a scoreless tie with 9:02 to play in the second quarter when he found the end zone from 7 yards out on a keeper for a 6-0 lead following a missed point-after try.
Willard answered on its ensuing possession when QB Russell Roweton kept the ball up the middle on second-and-long for 69 yards before following up with a 10-yard rush to get to the goal line and finding paydirt on the next play to give his Tigers a 7-6 lead over Carthage at the 7:34 mark.
Willard struck for a big play again midway through the third quarter when Roweton faked the handoff, dropped back in play action on second down and found Timothy Ruble streaking up the seam for a 42-yard passing score and a 14-6 lead with 5:42 on the clock.
Carthage knotted things up late in the third when RB Landyn Collins took the shotgun handoff up the middle, breaking tackles into the second level before sprinting his way to a 50-yard touchdown. CHS tied the game at 14-14 on a 2-point conversion when Carlton found WR Jackson Hettinger.
Carthage jumped in front in the fourth quarter after Collins broke free for a 33-yard run down to the Willard 5, with Carlton crossing the goal line from a yard out two plays later for a 21-14 lead with 10:25 left in regulation.
Carthage’s defense forced Willard into a turnover-on-downs in negative territory, with CHS taking over at the WHS 33. Carthage drove the short field and punched it in on a 5-yard run from Collins to ice the game with 4:15 left to play.
