The Carmi-White County Bulldogs put together their most complete performance of the season on Friday night, shutting out Sesser-Valier 26-0 on the road and picking up their second win of the season.
The Bulldogs came into the night looking to snap a two-game losing streak, while also trying to end a three-game losing streak against the Red Devils. They did both in convincing fashion.
Carmi wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.
The Bulldogs marched 53 yards in just six plays on their opening possession, with Dakota Brown connecting with Lex Day on a 36-yard touchdown pass to give Carmi an early 6-0 lead with 9:01 remaining in the first quarter.
Sesser went three-and-out on its next possession, but the Red Devils quickly got another opportunity when Brown’s pass was deflected and intercepted by Ty Galloway, giving the ball back to the home team.
What looked like a chance for Sesser to take control of the game instead turned into a huge defensive stand for the Bulldogs.
Sesser drove all the way down to the Carmi 1-yard line and faced a 1st & Goal. The Bulldogs’ defense refused to give in, as senior Jazz Duckworth recorded back-to-back tackles for loss before an incomplete pass set up 4th & Goal from the 10-yard line.
Duckworth then came off the edge and sacked Sesser quarterback Brian Mann, turning the ball over on downs and keeping the Red Devils off the scoreboard.
The Bulldogs would turn that defensive stand into points.
Ten plays later, Duckworth took the handoff and appeared to be headed for a short gain before breaking free from the Sesser defense and racing 40 yards for a touchdown. The touchdown capped off an 85-yard Carmi drive, and Cooper Hill ran in the two-point conversion to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead with 4:48 remaining in the first half.
Sesser had another opportunity to cut into the lead late in the half, but once again the Bulldogs’ defense came through.
Facing 4th & 2 from the Carmi 35-yard line with just 90 seconds remaining, Mann called his own number on a quarterback run. Kyzen Edwards and Laeden Vargas combined to bring Mann down at the line of scrimmage, giving Carmi another turnover on downs.
The Bulldogs couldn’t find the end zone before halftime, but took a 14-0 lead into the locker room.
Carmi’s defense continued to dominate coming out of halftime, forcing Sesser into another three-and-out to open the third quarter.
The Bulldogs then went to work offensively.
Starting at their own 15-yard line, Carmi needed just two plays to flip the field. Hill broke loose for a 75-yard run and was finally dragged down by a horse-collar tackle at the Sesser 10-yard line. Two plays later, Hill finished the drive himself, running two yards for a touchdown to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 20-0 with 9:11 remaining in the third quarter.
Then came one of the most impressive drives of the night.
Following a Sesser punt, the Bulldogs put together a 21-play, 94-yard drive that took nearly 12 minutes off the clock. Carmi repeatedly kept the drive alive, converting two third downs and three fourth downs, before Branson Burnett finished it off with a 10-yard touchdown run.
The touchdown pushed Carmi’s lead to 26-0 with just 6:51 remaining in the game.
Sesser made one final push to avoid the shutout, driving all the way down to the Carmi 10-yard line. But once again, the Bulldog defense came up with a big play.
Facing 4th & 2 from the Carmi 9-yard line, Duckworth and Cole Evans combined to bring down Sesser running back Stetson Packer at the line of scrimmage, turning the ball over on downs and securing their first shutout since October of 2021.
The JV offense ran out the final two minutes of the game, giving Carmi their second win of the season.
“Our guys were hungry. We had a really, really good week of practice. Our guys did a phenomenal job,” said Carmi-White County head coach Clinton Wolff. “Our guys up front, tight ends included, blocked their tails off. Our blocking backs Kyzen and Branson did a heck of a job.”
The win was significant for several reasons.
Not only did Carmi snap its two-game losing streak, but the Bulldogs also ended a three-game losing streak against Sesser. It was just Carmi’s second win over the Red Devils in the last 11 seasons.
“They really do a great job here at Sesser with their football program. They always have, and they’ve given us fits,” said Wolff. “So it’s really nice for our guys. We challenged them. We knew we had to come out and play well and put one together for four quarters, and we did that tonight.”
Perhaps most importantly, the victory gives the Bulldogs a major boost as they continue their push toward the IHSA playoffs.
With the IHSA expanding the playoff field from 32 to 48 this season, more teams will have an opportunity to extend their seasons. For Carmi, Friday night’s victory could prove to be a huge one when playoff seeding is determined later this fall.
“All 3-6 teams are going to get in the playoffs now. There will be several 2-7 teams that get in. The top 8 teams in the south are going to get a bye. When you look at it, 5-4 in most classes will give you a good shot of hosting that first round,” said Wolff. “It was a huge win in regards to our seeding for the playoffs and giving ourselves an opportunity to host a playoff game. Absolutely huge.”
The Bulldogs improve to 2-4 on the season and will return home next Friday night for Week 7. Carmi will host Christopher-Zeigler-Royalton-Elverado at Harrington-Jeffries Stadium for Homecoming. The Bearcats are coming off a 29-16 win at Red Hill.
Stats courtesy of Toby Brown & crew:
RUSHING:
Cooper Hill (CWC) – 16 rush, 151 yards, TD
Jazz Duckworth (CWC) – 25 rush, 128 yards, TD
Reece Jamison (CWC) – 2 rush, 57 yards
Brian Mann (SV) – 12 rush, 54 yards
Jacob Potts (SV) – 12 rush, 20 yards
Branson Burnett (CWC) – 6 rush, 19 yards, TD
Stetson Packer (SV) – 5 rush, 9 yards
Kyzen Edwards (CWC) – 2 rush, 6 yards
Ty Galloway (SV) – 1 rush, 3 yards
Dakota Brown (CWC) – 2 rush, 3 yards
PASSING:
Brian Mann (SV) – 5 / 10, 21 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Dakota Brown (CWC) – 1 / 4, 36 yards, TD, INT
RECEIVING:
Lex Day (CWC) – 1 reception, 36 yards, TD
Matthus Clarry (SV) – 2 receptions, 7 yards
Ty Galloway (SV) – 1 reception, 10 yards
Jacob Potts (SV) – 1 reception, 6 yards
Stetson Packer (SV) – 1 reception, -2 yards
TURNOVERS:
Carmi – 1
Sesser – 0
FIRST DOWNS:
Carmi – 16
Sesser – 7
TIME OF POSSESION:
Carmi – 28:39
Sesser – 19:21
3RD DOWN:
Carmi – 4 / 11
Sesser – 1 / 8
4TH DOWN:
Carmi – 6 / 6
Sesser – 2 / 5
TACKLES:
Cole Evans – 10 total, 3 solo, 7 asst
Lex Day – 9 total, 5 solo, 4 asst
Jazz Duckworth – 8 total, 5 solo, 3 asst, 3 TFL, 2 sacks
Matthew Kueber – 7 total, 5 solo, 2 asst, 1 TFL, 1 sack
Keaton Grant – 6 total, 3 solo, 3 asst
Laeden Vargas – 4 solo
Cooper Hill – 4 solo, 1 TFL
Trenton Chamgers – 4 total, 3 solo, 1 asst
Kyzen Edwards – 4 total, 2 solo, 2 asst
Isaac Northcott – 3 total, 1 solo, 2 asst
Dakota Brown – 2 solo
Caleb King – 1 solo
Branson Burnett – 1 solo