After giving Johnston City a battle on the road in Week 1, the Carmi-White County Bulldogs knew they would have another tough challenge waiting for them in their home opener Friday night.
That challenge came in the form of the Flora Wolves, a team coming off a 10-2 season and an appearance in the IHSA 2A Quarterfinals, and one that many believe could be the best team in the Black Diamond Conference this season.
The Wolves wasted little time showing why.
Flora jumped out to a 21-0 lead by halftime and eventually pulled away for a 35-14 victory over the Bulldogs, dropping Carmi to 0-2 on the season.
But while the final score may not show it, the Bulldogs never stopped fighting. After falling behind early, Carmi came out with plenty of energy in the second half, putting together a pair of impressive scoring drives and showing the same fight that was on display in Week 1.
Carmi went three-and-out on its opening possession, and Flora wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.
The Wolves needed just four plays to go 49 yards, with Kormik Massie breaking loose for a 26-yard touchdown run. The extra point made it 7-0 Flora with 8:51 remaining in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs picked up a first down on their second possession, but were forced to punt shortly after.
Flora then appeared to be in position to add to its lead, driving all the way to the Carmi 18-yard line. But the Bulldog defense came up with a huge play to keep the game at 7-0. Cooper Hill knocked the football out of the hands of receiver Kehlin Crawford in the endzone, and Carmi took over on downs.
The Bulldogs picked up another first down on their next possession, but once again had to punt the ball away.
Flora would eventually find the endzone again in the second quarter.
The Wolves put together an eight-play, 39-yard drive that ended with quarterback Thane Warren finding Ashton Williams for a seven-yard touchdown pass. The extra point pushed the Flora lead to 14-0 with 5:59 left in the first half.
Carmi picked up another first down on its next possession, but Flora’s defense continued to make stops and forced another Bulldog punt.
The Wolves then put together another scoring drive at the end of the half. Flora marched 60 yards in eight plays, but the drive almost came to an end when the Wolves faced a 4th & 3 near midfield. Carmi jumped offsides, giving Flora a fresh set of downs and keeping the drive alive.
A few plays later, the Bulldogs dialed up a blitz and Warren found Zane McKinney on a perfectly timed screen pass, and McKinney raced 32 yards to the endzone on the final play of the half.
Just like that, Flora took a 21-0 lead into the locker room.
The Wolves didn’t waste any time adding to it in the second half.
Flora needed only four plays to travel 59 yards, with Warren connecting with Crawford on a 36-yard touchdown pass. The score extended the Wolves’ lead to 28-0 early in the third quarter.
But that’s when the Bulldogs finally found some life, as Carmi responded with their best drive of the night.
The Bulldogs marched 69 yards on 13 plays, converting multiple first downs along the way before Branson Burnett finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs had finally cracked the scoreboard, cutting the deficit to 28-6 with 2:37 remaining in the third quarter.
But Flora answered right back. The Wolves put together an 11-play, 63-yard drive that chewed up plenty of clock before Zane McKinney found the endzone on a four-yard touchdown run.
That made it 35-6 with 9:12 left in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs got the ball back and put together their biggest highlight of the night.
Starting from their own four-yard line, Carmi needed just four plays to go 96 yards. Cooper Hill was able to break loose for a 75-yard touchdown run with 7:46 remaining. The Bulldogs converted the two-point attempt to make it 35-14, and that would be the final score.
Flora was able to run out the remaining time and leave Carmi with the victory, but the Bulldogs showed plenty of fight in the second half after finding themselves in a big hole.
For the second straight week, Carmi found itself going up against one of the top teams in the conference. And while the Bulldogs are still searching for their first win of the season, head coach Clinton Wolff believes his team is learning what it takes to compete with teams like Flora and Johnston City.
“They (Flora) are really, really good. You can see that their skill kids are dynamic. I thought we would be able to put some pressure on the quarterback, and we weren’t. Got to tip your cap to their offensive line,” said Wolff.
Wolff also knows just how difficult Carmi’s schedule has been to start the season.
“Right now, in my opinion, them (Flora) and Johnston City, one of them is going to be 8-1 and the other is going to be 9-0, and we had to play them right out of the gate,” said Wolff.
Despite falling behind by four scores, the Bulldogs never stopped fighting, and that was something Wolff was especially proud of.
“We didn’t quit. Last year, being a young team, it was really hard for us to keep our heads up and keep battling, and we did that in the second half tonight. I’m excited for our guys and what we can do moving forward with that mindset,” said Wolff.
While the Bulldogs are now 0-2, there is still plenty of football left to play. Carmi has now faced two of the teams that could very well be playing for the conference championship later this season. The Bulldogs showed in both games that they can compete for stretches, and now they’ll have to take what they’ve learned from those two tough matchups and carry it into the rest of the season.
“We’re 0-11 (in the last two seasons). We’re going to work. We are going to battle. We’ve had a bad taste in our mouth for a really long time right now, and it’s time for that to change,” said Wolff.
The Bulldogs will now look ahead to Week 3 and another opportunity to get into the win column when they travel to Hamilton County on Friday.
Stats courtesy of Toby Brown & crew:
RUSHING:
Cooper Hill (CWC) – 10 rush, 100 yards, TD
Kormik Massie (FLO) – 16 rush, 100 yards, TD
Zane McKinney (FLO) – 16 rush, 76 yards, TD
Branson Burnett (CWC) – 5 rush, 45 yards, TD
Jazz Duckworth (CWC) – 10 rush, 40 yards
Dakota Brown (CWC) – 6 rush, 22 yards
Kyzen Edwards (CWC) – 6 rush, 14 yards
Caleb King (CWC) – 1 rush, 9 yards
Gage Dugan (FLO) – 1 rush, 9 yards
Thane Warren (FLO) – 1 rush, 7 yards
Reece Jamison (CWC) – 1 rush, 2 yards
Carson Smith (FLO) – 1 rush, 2 yards
PASSING:
Thane Warren (FLO) – 11 / 16, 173 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Dakota Brown (CWC) – 0 / 1
RECEIVING:
Gage Dugan (FLO) – 4 receptions, 70 yards
Kehlin Crawford (FLO) – 3 receptions, 57 yards, TD
Ashton Williams (FLO) – 2 receptions, 28 yards, TD
Zane McKinney (FLO) – 1 reception, 32 yards, TD
Kormik Massie (FLO) – 1 reception, 6 yards
TOTAL OFFENSE:
Flora – 367 yards
Carmi – 232 yards
TURNOVERS:
Flora – 0
Carmi – 0
FIRST DOWNS:
Flora – 18
Carmi – 10
TIME OF POSSESION:
Flora – 24:53
Carmi – 23:07
3RD DOWN:
Flora – 7 / 11
Carmi – 6 / 11
4TH DOWN:
Flora – 2 / 4
Carmi – 1 / 1
TACKLES:
Cole Evans – 14 total, 7 solo, 7 asst
Branson Burnett – 7 total, 5 solo, 2 asst
Keaton Grant – 7 total, 3 solo, 4 asst, 1 TFL
Lex Day – 7 total, 3 solo, 4 asst
Matthew Kueber – 5 solo
Dakota Brown – 5 total, 3 solo, 2 asst, 1 TFL
Jazz Duckworth – 5 total, 3 solo, 2 asst
Laeden Vargas – 5 total, 2 solo, 3 asst, 1 TFL
Cooper Hill – 3 total, 1 solo, 2 asst
Kyzen Edwards – 2 solo
Reece Jamison – 2 solo
Brexton Loesch – 2 solo
Caleb King – 2 total, 1 solo, 1 asst
Isaac Northcott – 1 solo
Trenton Chambers – 1 solo
SCORING PLAYS:
8:51 1st Q – Kormik Massie 26-yard run (Mateus Tricerri kick) | 7-0 Flora
5:59 2nd Q – Ashton Williams 7-yard catch from Thane Warren (Tricerri kick) | 14-0 Flora
0:00 2nd Q – Zane McKinney 32-yard catch from Warren (Tricerri kick) | 21-0 Flora
9:52 3rd Q – Kehlin Crawford 36-yard catch from Warren (Tricerri kick) | 28-0 Flora
2:57 3rd Q – Branson Burnett 10-yard run (run failed) | 28-6 Flora
9:12 4th Q – McKinney 4-yard run (Tricerri kick) | 35-6 Flora
7:46 4th Q – Cooper Hill 75-yard run (Burnett run) | 35-14 Flora