The Carmi-White County Bulldogs will travel to Bridgeport on Saturday afternoon to take on the Red Hill Salukis in Week 4 of the high school football season. It’s a big matchup for both teams, but especially for the Bulldogs, who are still searching for their first win of the year.
Carmi enters the contest with an 0-3 record, marking their first 0-3 start since the 2021 COVID spring season. It hasn’t been the kind of start that Head Coach Clinton Wolff and his players were hoping for, but despite the rough beginning, the Bulldogs have been competitive in their last two contests. Last Friday, they found themselves in control against Hamilton County, holding a 16-12 lead with less than a minute to go in the third quarter. But the game flipped quickly, and the Foxes took advantage, scoring 20 unanswered points to win 32-16.
One of the biggest challenges the Bulldogs have faced so far is staying healthy. Injuries have already had a major impact on the lineup. Running back Cooper Hill, who had been carrying much of the offensive load, will be sidelined this week with a concussion. Hill was a workhorse against Hamilton County, carrying the ball 38 times for 161 yards, but now the Bulldogs will have to find other options in the backfield. Meanwhile, fellow running back Jazz Duckworth is battling an ankle injury he suffered back in Week 2 against Flora. Duckworth gave it a go last week, but after just a couple of carries he was shut down. He will be a game-time decision.
Red Hill is playing its first season as a member of the Black Diamond Conference. The Salukis were brought in as a football-only member after Vienna-Goreville was removed from the league last season. For longtime high school sports fans, Red Hill is a familiar name. Like Carmi, they were once part of the old North Egyptian Conference before it disbanded in 2003. Since then, the Salukis spent several years in the Little Illini Conference before choosing to play independently the past couple of seasons.
This Saturday will be the first meeting between the Bulldogs and Salukis since the second round of the 2006 Class 2A Playoffs when the Bulldogs came away with a 22-13 victory.
Red Hill comes into the game with plenty of confidence and experience. Their head coach, Billy Gray, is in his 13th season at the helm, and over that time he’s built the program into a steady playoff contender. Gray has a career record of 61-57, and the Salukis have made the postseason in each of the last three years. They also had a strong run of four straight playoff appearances between 2015 and 2018.
Offensively, the Salukis present a lot of different looks. They can line up under center and pound the football with their running game, or they can spread it out and let quarterback Avery Arbuckle go to work. Arbuckle (#9) has attempted 37 passes this season, ranking second in the Black Diamond Conference. He’s thrown for 218 yards and three touchdowns. Arbuckle’s main target is Brody Wattles (#23), who leads the team with seven catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. Other options include Colby Crutchfield (#2) with three catches for 33 yards, and Levi McCollough (#15), who has five receptions for 35 yards and two touchdowns. McCollough has also been a factor in the run game, carrying the ball 22 times for 86 yards and a score.
Holden Jacobsen (#1) leads the Red Hill rushing attack, the senior running back is third in the BDC in rushing yards. Through three games, Jacobsen has racked up 397 yards on 56 carries while finding the end zone four times. Altogether, Red Hill has piled up 732 yards of total offense so far this season. They’ve had a solid start, opening with a 23-14 win over Hamilton County in Week 1, suffering a close 36-28 overtime loss at Fairfield in Week 2, and then bouncing back last week with a 14-6 win at Sesser-Valier.
Coach Wolff knows his Bulldogs will have to come ready against this stout Red Hill squad. “This is a group that Red Hill is very excited about,” said Wolff. “They are led by several seniors both on offense and defense. They are primarily a run team, but their QB is capable of putting the ball in the air and is also a threat to run the ball. Defensively they will bring pressure with their inside linebackers and they also rally to the ball very well.”
For Carmi, the focus is on improvement and growth. The Bulldogs have faced a tough schedule early, going up against two of the top teams in the conference right out of the gate, and with injuries piling up, things haven’t gotten any easier. Still, Wolff is confident his team is moving in the right direction. “As we sit at 0-3, this game is just about us as it is our opponent,” he said. “We have to continue to get better each week.”
Kickoff is set for 1 PM on Saturday in Bridgeport. Fans who can’t make the trip will be able to catch all the action live on 97.3 FM WRUL or by tuning into the WRUL Sports YouTube Channel.