Carrollton Success Over Camp Point Leads To Upcoming Tuscola Tussle
The moment was quite moving before battle ensued on the field.
Camp Point Central Principal Jeff Waggener said the football team considers each other family and the team members, coaches, athletic director and others went to the young man’s house to comfort him after learning of the loss of his father. “Brad, our head coach, preaches family and the team is there through the good things and bad things."
Waggener said there weren’t any huge assemblies this week for the Camp Point students and team before the Carrollton game. He said they wait until they get through these first-round games before they do that and in recent years, the program has been quite successful.
Before the game, there was a crew of Camp point supporters barbecuing at the host Carrollton parking lot before the game. The BBQ event has become a standard in recent years. Participant Matt Hughes said the tailgating BBQ event before the game is something he has been involved in for seven or eight years. “We do it for the Panther fans and do it just for the playoffs,” he said.
Saturday’s Carrollton vs. Camp Point Central IHSA Class 1A state football playoffs matchup was a game of mere inches and points separating the winner and loser.
Carrollton squeezed out a 20-18 victory on another special play at the end of the game by the Hawks’ Alex Bowker. Bowker got himself in position and knocked down the extra point pass try by Camp Point Central quarterback Eric Jones to Tristan Brocksieck, saving the game for his team once again.
Cole Williams opened the game with a 69-yard run with 8:53 to play in the first quarter, then the PAT failed. Nathan Walker had an incredible game once again, with a touchdown catch in the first quarter from sophomore Hunter Flowers. Walker caught a deep pass near halftime to give the Hawks the lead and momentum at the half. Walker caught a pass for 13 yards from Hunter Flowers with 4:44 in the second quarter, then only two seconds remained on his final catch, of 38 yards.
Camp Point Central scored once, then again late in the game to give Carrollton a complete scare. Fans were on pins and needles on the last play of the game, knowing if Camp Point Central converted, it would go into overtime. Cole Williams had the one touchdown run of 4 yards with 6:35 left in the third quarter and Chayse Houston ran in from 4 yards with 35 seconds to play, then PAT was incomplete.
Hunter Flowers was 18-32 passing for 213 yards, three touchdowns and one intersection. Walker snared nine passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Bowker had four catches for 27 yards.
Byron Holmes had 40 yards in 14 carries; Hunter Flowers picked up 50 yards in 13 carries. Carrollton now 10-1, plays No. 1 ranked Tuscola in the state football playoff quarterfinals next week.
Williams had 16 carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns for Camp Point Central. Camp Point Central tallied 212 yards rushing, off from its normal standard.
Carrollton head coach Nick Flowers said it is not easy to stop a team that is rushing the ball 400 yards a game, but he thought his team did a good job defensively.
“They work different blocking angles and their running backs do a good job,” Nick Flowers said. “It is hard to shut a team down like that. I have been on both sides of the conversion call. If you make it, it is the best call ever, if you don’t, it is the worst call. Coach Dixon put the ball in the playmaker’s hands and we knew if he got the conversion, we would be overtime; and we didn’t want it to go into overtime.”
Bowker had a knack for putting himself in the right position, Coach Flowers said, and once again against Camp Point when push came to shove, he was right in the proper place to deflect the ball, especially after the timeout right before the play.
