GIRARD —
After back-to-back stumbles in September against Campbell Memorial and Liberty, the Jefferson Falcons righted the ship with their fourth straight win — 34-26 over the Girard Indians in All-American Conference play Friday night.
It kept the Falcons’ (7-2, 5-2) playoff hopes alive as they came into this contest occupying the eighth and final playoff spot in the Division III, Region 9 computer ratings.
Jefferson couldn’t have asked for a better beginning either against the Indians, who despite their record of 1-8, 1-6, have multiple weapons that can cause problems for the opposition.
With touchdowns on their first three possessions of the game, the Falconsjumped out to a quick 19-0 lead early in the second quarter and presented a familiar feeling for a Girard Indians squad looking for some semblance of consistency like last year’s 11-2 regional final playoff team.
With an equal dose of runs and passes, the drives from the Falcons felt effortless at times with Scott Davidson leading the way with 257 yards rushing on 35 carries.
“We knew we had to establish the run coming in,” Jefferson coach Jimmy Henson said. “When we had the lead, we were going to line up and pound it. He’s our guy. I thought he did an excellent job. The whole offensive line did an outstanding job.”
The Indians responded quickly with a seven play, 56-yard drive on a 12-yard run from Nick Cardiero that took only 2:29 off the clock and cut the Jefferson lead to 19-6 which would stay that way until halftime.
The second half saw another great beginning for the Falcons when Kyle Ashburn returned the kickoff 42 yards to the Indians’ 37. Eight plays later, an 8-yard pass from Tony Chiacchiero to Brett Powers increased the lead to 26-6 less than four minutes into the second half.
“We’ve had outstanding special teams all year,” Henson said. “We’ve been able to set up field position several times in our favor. It was no different (tonight). We knew if we got the ball in Kyle’s hands, he could make something happen. Those guys take a lot of pride in getting us field position.”
Girard started to find success behind quarterback Nick Cardiero as it responded to cut the deficit to 26-12.
After forcing the Falcons to punt on their next possession, Cardiero completed five straight passes during the Indians’ 12 play, 83-yard drive as Girard turned it into a game after James Cupan’s 2-yard run and Cardiero’s pass to Evan Delbene on the 2-point conversion to make it 26-20, Falcons.
“This is his fifth game starting,” Girard coach Nick Cochran said. “He played well getting us back (into the game). He made too many miscues early on. He’s going to keep on working and keep getting better, though.”
After back-to-back punts from both squads, it was Davidson who gave Jefferson the cushion it needed when his four straight rushes, culminating with a 34-yard touchdown run down the Girard sideline to make it 34-20 with 7:36 left in the game.
“I give a lot of credit to my O-line,” Davidson said. “They did it all for me. I give a lot of credit to Ricker Maple. He did it all. He came in in big situations. He came in and made some big blocks.
“I had the motivation of getting 1,000 yards (for the season). I was only 170 away. I had that motivation to get there. I’m only 200 yards away from the school record. That was my motivation.”
Fortune is a freelance writer from McDonald.
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