The Carmi-White County Football team traveled to McLeansboro on Friday night looking to finally put a win on the board in 2026. But with a 2-0 Hamilton County team standing in their way, the Bulldogs knew they were going to have to earn every bit of it.
Carmi entered the night 0-2 and looking to snap a 13-game losing streak. It had been 686 days since the Bulldogs’ last victory, dating all the way back to October 19, 2024.
What followed was anything but an easy night for the Bulldogs, and things got off to a rocky start right from the opening kickoff.
The Bulldogs were set to receive the opening kickoff but were unable to fall on the loose football, giving Hamilton County an extra possession to begin the night. Fortunately, the Foxes’ opening possession ultimately stalled with the Bulldog defense forcing a turnover on downs at the 23-yard line.
Carmi picked up a couple of first downs on its opening possession before its drive stalled at the Hamilton County 30-yard line. The Foxes then went three-and-out, giving the Bulldogs another opportunity.
This time, Carmi took advantage.
The Bulldogs marched 70 yards on 12 plays, putting together their first scoring drive of the night. Cooper Hill capped off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run, and Jazz Duckworth ran in the two-point conversion to give Carmi an 8-0 lead with 6:32 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
The Bulldogs’ defense then came up with one of the biggest plays of the night.
Hamilton County quarterback Dallas Benbrook connected with fullback Chase Peyton on a long catch-and-run down the sideline that took the Foxes deep into Carmi territory. But just as Peyton was looking to make more happen, Cole Evans came flying in and knocked the ball loose.
Isaac Northcott recovered the fumble, giving the Bulldogs another chance to add to their lead before halftime.
Carmi moved the ball inside the Hamilton County 30-yard line before the Foxes came up with a big defensive play of their own. Dakota Brown’s pass was intercepted by Brody Bilderbeck, ending the Bulldog threat and sending the game to halftime with Carmi holding an 8-0 advantage.
Hamilton County came out of halftime with a long drive that completely changed the momentum.
The Foxes put together a 12-play, 65-yard possession that took nearly nine minutes off the clock. Hamilton County even converted a 3rd & 23 during the drive before Benbrook eventually found Kal Welch for a 10-yard touchdown pass.
The Foxes attempted to tie the game with a two-point conversion, but Carmi’s defense came up with the stop, keeping the Bulldogs in front 8-6.
Carmi then responded immediately.
The Bulldogs needed just six plays to travel 60 yards, with Kyzen Edwards finding the end zone on a 2-yard touchdown run. Branson Burnett added the two-point conversion, pushing the Bulldog lead to 16-6 with just 29 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
It looked like Carmi might finally be ready to pull away. Hamilton County, however, wasn’t done.
The Foxes put together another impressive drive, converting a 3rd & 15 after a penalty against Carmi kept the drive alive. A bad snap over Benbrook’s head, followed by a Bulldog sack, eventually left Hamilton County facing 4th & 23. With the Bulldogs needing one stop to get the ball back and potentially put the game away, Benbrook somehow made one of the biggest plays of the night.
Benbrook took the snap and rolled to his left with three Bulldogs in pursuit. As he was being chased, he turned his shoulder and launched a deep pass downfield, and thee ball found the arms of receiver Andrew Rhodes inside the Carmi 5-yard line.
Two plays later, Kyle Williams punched it into the end zone, and suddenly the Bulldogs’ comfortable 16-6 lead had been cut to 16-14 with less than five and a half minutes remaining.
Carmi still had the ball and a two-point lead, giving the Bulldogs another opportunity to put the game away. But Hamilton County’s defense forced a three-and-out, giving Benbrook and the Foxes one final chance with 3:25 remaining.
That’s when the Bulldog defense came through again.
On the second play of the drive, junior Keaton Grant chased Benbrook out of the pocket and stripped the football away. Kyzen Edwards recovered the fumble, giving Carmi possession with 2:45 remaining and Hamilton County holding just one timeout.
This time, the Bulldogs weren’t going to give the Foxes another opportunity. Carmi picked up a crucial first down, allowing the Bulldogs to drain the remaining clock and officially secure the 16-14 victory.
After going 0-9 a year ago and starting this season 0-2, the Bulldogs finally had something to smile about. More importantly, they had finally found a way to finish a close game and walk away with a win.
“What an effort by our guys,” head coach Clinton Wolff said. “Hamilton County is a good football team. I told our guys that this was going to be an absolute battle, and just hats off to our guys the way they grinded.”
The victory was also a milestone for Wolff, marking his first win as the head coach of the Bulldogs. Wolff spent 19 years assisting Kurt Simon before taking over the program heading into the 2025 season. Now, the 1999 CWCHS graduate can officially check his first win off the list.
But for Wolff, Friday night’s victory wasn’t about his own accomplishment. It was about the players who stuck together through last year’s winless season, continued to put in the work, and came back this year determined to turn things around.
“It’s not about me, it’s about those guys in the locker room,” Wolff said. “I’m just happy for them. We did it together last year, hats off to the guys that go out on the field and do the work.”
The Bulldogs now return home with a 1-2 record and plenty of momentum.
Carmi will be back at the friendly confines of Harrington-Jeffries Stadium this Friday night when the Bulldogs host Red Hill.
Bulldogs remaining regular season schedule:
Sept. 11 – vs Red Hill
Sept. 18 – vs Fairfield
Sept. 25 – at Sesser-Valier
Oct. 2 – vs CZRE (Homecoming)
Oct. 9 – at Edwards County
Oct. 16 – vs Eldorado (Senior Night)
Stats courtesy of Toby Brown & crew:
RUSHING:
Jazz Duckworth (CWC) – 11 rush, 65 yards
Dakota Brown (CWC) – 9 rush, 54 yards
Cooper Hill (CWC) – 11 rush, 47 yards, TD
Kyle Williams (HC) – 11 rush, 40 yards, TD
Dallas Benbrook (HC) – 14 rush, 40 yards
Branson Burnett (CWC) – 5 rush, 34 yards
Kyzen Edwards (CWC) – 6 rush, 23 yards, TD
Brody Bilderback (HC) – 1 rush, 1 yard
Chase Peyton (HC) – 1 rush, -4 yards
Andrew Rhodes (HC) – 3 rush, -5 yards
PASSING:
Dallas Benbrook (HC) – 6 / 13, 124 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Dakota Brown (CWC) – 1 / 2, 0 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
RECEIVING:
Kyle Williams (HC) – 2 receptions, 35 yards
Kal Welch (HC) – 2 receptions, 13 yards, TD
Andrew Rhodes (HC) – 1 reception, 51 yards
Chase Peyton (HC) – 1 reception, 25 yards
Cooper Hill (CWC) – 1 reception, 1 yard
TOTAL OFFENSE:
CWC – 223
HC – 196
TURNOVERS:
HC – 2
CWC – 1
FUMBLE RECOVERIES:
Isaac Northcott (CWC)
Kyzen Edwards (CWC)
INTERCEPTIONS:
Brody Bilderback (HC)
FIRST DOWNS:
CWC – 17
HC – 13
TIME OF POSSESION:
CWC – 24:57
HC – 23:03
3RD DOWN:
HC – 5 / 10
CWC – 4 / 9
4TH DOWN:
HC – 3 / 4
CWC – 1 / 2
TACKLES:
Lex Day – 10 total, 8 solo, 2 asst, 3 TFL
Cole Evans – 8 total, 4 solo, 4 asst
Keaton Grant – 5 total, 4 solo, 1 asst, 1 sack
Laeden Vargas – 4 total, 4 solo, 1 sack
Matthew Kueber – 4 total, 3 solo, 1 asst, 2 sacks
Branson Burnett – 4 total, 3 solo, 1 asst, 1 TFL
Jazz Duckworth – 3 total, 2 solo, 1 asst
Trenton Chambers – 3 total, 1 solo, 2 asst
Isaac Northcott – 2 solo
Dakota Brown – 2 solo
Cooper Hill – 1 solo
SCORING PLAYS:
6:23 2nd Q – Cooper Hill 10-yard run (Jazz Duckworth run) | 8-0 CWC
3:16 3rd Q – Kal Welch 10-yard catch from Dallas Benbrook (pass failed) | 8-6 CWC
0:25 3rd Q – Kyzen Edwards 1-yard run (Branson Burnett run) | 16-6 CWC
5:21 4th Q – Kyle Williams 1-yard run (Williams run) | 16-14 CWC