Water Keg returns to Spartans
August 30, 2022 at 8:46 p.m.
For the first time in eight years and the first time in Wes Gillman's Franklin County coaching tenure, the Connersville Spartans have secured the Water Keg – the prize in the annual football rivalry.
The Pearson boys – quarterback Gavin and wideout Brayden – connected on an 11-yard pass play in the final minute of Friday's contest. On the next play from scrimmage, Braxton Myers picked off a Quinn Gillman pass to nail down a 21-14 comeback victory.
“We could very easily be 2-0 right now,” said the coach. “This year, we have very little margin for error … we literally need 11 guys all doing their job for us to have success. We play well in spurts, but we also make young team mistakes. Our guys competed their tails off and just came up short.”
CHS may have been playing for the tie and not the lead at the end, were it not for missed opportunities on a key FC drive in the fourth quarter.
Starting on their own 19-yard-line, the Wildcats advanced all the way to the Spartan 11 thanks in no small part to 30 yards of Connersville penalties – facemask and unsportsmanlike conduct on the CHS staff – and 30 yards rushing by Brady Morehead. On a 4th-and-11 play from the 26, Gillman's pass glanced off Morehead's fingertips as he crossed the goal line.
“That happens from time to time,” said Gillman. “Brady makes that play 99 times out of 100. He never leaves the field, so no doubt some level of exhaustion played into it. Bottom line, we don't compete in these (early) games without Brady on both sides of the ball.”
On 3rd-and-8 for CHS seconds later, Pearson and Myers hooked up for a big 19-yard conversion.
“Myers was the best player on the field,” said the FC mentor. “A senior who's gotten the life beat out of him every year we've played them. This year he was the upperclassman beating up on our young, inexperienced kids.”
The Spartans had 4th and a long one at FC's 34 and fullback Chance Bentley was stacked up near the first-down marker. The chain gang came out for the second time in the game and the official signaled first down.
“We left a lot of plays out there that should've prevented inches from mattering,” said Gillman. “You can look at those close plays, but there were plays throughout that should've (kept us in the lead) and we didn't make them.”
The Cats were called for pass interference and a play later, Pearson made the winning grab.
“Our defensive backs are young or inexperienced,” Gillman said of the secondary. “The positive is our young players will have years left, with offseason weights, and make those plays in the future.”
One pass play turned out to be maybe bigger than the final TD. The guests started a drive near midfield with 4:17 left in the first half. They converted two fourth downs – one on 4th-and-8 that required a measurement. CHS was called for holding, but on a 2nd-and-long play, Pearson scrambled and found Myers cutting across the end zone for six with just a couple ticks on the clock. Instead of a 14-0 game at the break, it was a one-score game.
“That's the biggest thing we talked about,” said Gillman. “I truly believe if we go into halftime up 14-0, the game is over.
“We had an upperclassman stop covering, thinking the play was over, and a younger player who picked up (Myers) but wasn't strong enough to rip the ball away.”
Gillman made the two biggest plays of the first quarter, scoring on a 50-yard dash down the left sideline and ending the Spartans' ensuing drive with an interception. It was 6-0 after one.
FC (0-2, 0-1) completed a 16-play, 78-yard drive that took up most of the second period. Morehead took a Gillman pitch into the end zone from five yards out; Gillman then passed to freshman Blake Stephenson for the conversion.
The visitors tied the game at 14 late in the third quarter. With a short field, the Spartans needed to move only 18 yards. Pearson sneaked one home from two yards away and Nolan Shawl kicked one of his three points after touchdown. Each team punted to start the final frame.
Gillman went over the century mark in rushing in the loss. Senior Peyton McCreary tallied 12 tackles, giving him a team-high 21.
“We have a lot of kids playing varsity that for all intents and purposes should be honing their skills on a JV field right now,” Gillman remarked.
“Everything we're struggling through bodes really well for us in the future.”
Spartans 21, Wildcats 14
Connersville – 0 7 7 7 - 21
Franklin Co. – 6 8 0 0 - 14
First Quarter
FC – Gillman 50-yard run, 3:13. Run failed.
Second Quarter
FC – Morehead 5-yard run, 4:26. Gillman to Stephenson pass.
C – Myers 23-yard pass from G. Pearson, :2.9. Shawl kick.
Third Quarter
C – G. Pearson 2-yard run, :12. Shawl kick.
Fourth Quarter
C – B. Pearson 11-yard pass from G. Pearson, :37.5. Shawl kick.
Total yards: C 221, FC 229
Passing: C 129, FC 27
Rushing: C 92, FC 202
First downs: C 11, FC 12
Fumbles/lost: C 0, FC 1/0
Penalties: C 7-75, FC 10-81
Connersville – Rushing: G. Pearson 8-27, Bentley 5-14, Myers 7-29, DeBoard 3-14, Micah Buchanan 3-1, Draiden Perez 2-4, Cody Hauger 1-3. Passing: G. Pearson 11-20-129 (INT). Receiving: Myers 4-63, B. Pearson 3-50, DeBoard 2-11, Bentley 2-5.
Franklin Co. - Rushing: Morehead 20-74, Gillman 17-111, McCreary 2-11, Mason Wewe 3-6. Passing: Gillman 6-9-27 (INT). Receiving: Spencer Bath 1 (-1), Braylon Kruthaupt 2-13, Stephenson 3-15.
(Stats unofficial)
Up next: FC takes its show on the road for the first time, facing Rushville Friday, 7
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For the first time in eight years and the first time in Wes Gillman's Franklin County coaching tenure, the Connersville Spartans have secured the Water Keg – the prize in the annual football rivalry.
The Pearson boys – quarterback Gavin and wideout Brayden – connected on an 11-yard pass play in the final minute of Friday's contest. On the next play from scrimmage, Braxton Myers picked off a Quinn Gillman pass to nail down a 21-14 comeback victory.
“We could very easily be 2-0 right now,” said the coach. “This year, we have very little margin for error … we literally need 11 guys all doing their job for us to have success. We play well in spurts, but we also make young team mistakes. Our guys competed their tails off and just came up short.”
CHS may have been playing for the tie and not the lead at the end, were it not for missed opportunities on a key FC drive in the fourth quarter.
Starting on their own 19-yard-line, the Wildcats advanced all the way to the Spartan 11 thanks in no small part to 30 yards of Connersville penalties – facemask and unsportsmanlike conduct on the CHS staff – and 30 yards rushing by Brady Morehead. On a 4th-and-11 play from the 26, Gillman's pass glanced off Morehead's fingertips as he crossed the goal line.
“That happens from time to time,” said Gillman. “Brady makes that play 99 times out of 100. He never leaves the field, so no doubt some level of exhaustion played into it. Bottom line, we don't compete in these (early) games without Brady on both sides of the ball.”
On 3rd-and-8 for CHS seconds later, Pearson and Myers hooked up for a big 19-yard conversion.
“Myers was the best player on the field,” said the FC mentor. “A senior who's gotten the life beat out of him every year we've played them. This year he was the upperclassman beating up on our young, inexperienced kids.”
The Spartans had 4th and a long one at FC's 34 and fullback Chance Bentley was stacked up near the first-down marker. The chain gang came out for the second time in the game and the official signaled first down.
“We left a lot of plays out there that should've prevented inches from mattering,” said Gillman. “You can look at those close plays, but there were plays throughout that should've (kept us in the lead) and we didn't make them.”
The Cats were called for pass interference and a play later, Pearson made the winning grab.
“Our defensive backs are young or inexperienced,” Gillman said of the secondary. “The positive is our young players will have years left, with offseason weights, and make those plays in the future.”
One pass play turned out to be maybe bigger than the final TD. The guests started a drive near midfield with 4:17 left in the first half. They converted two fourth downs – one on 4th-and-8 that required a measurement. CHS was called for holding, but on a 2nd-and-long play, Pearson scrambled and found Myers cutting across the end zone for six with just a couple ticks on the clock. Instead of a 14-0 game at the break, it was a one-score game.
“That's the biggest thing we talked about,” said Gillman. “I truly believe if we go into halftime up 14-0, the game is over.
“We had an upperclassman stop covering, thinking the play was over, and a younger player who picked up (Myers) but wasn't strong enough to rip the ball away.”
Gillman made the two biggest plays of the first quarter, scoring on a 50-yard dash down the left sideline and ending the Spartans' ensuing drive with an interception. It was 6-0 after one.
FC (0-2, 0-1) completed a 16-play, 78-yard drive that took up most of the second period. Morehead took a Gillman pitch into the end zone from five yards out; Gillman then passed to freshman Blake Stephenson for the conversion.
The visitors tied the game at 14 late in the third quarter. With a short field, the Spartans needed to move only 18 yards. Pearson sneaked one home from two yards away and Nolan Shawl kicked one of his three points after touchdown. Each team punted to start the final frame.
Gillman went over the century mark in rushing in the loss. Senior Peyton McCreary tallied 12 tackles, giving him a team-high 21.
“We have a lot of kids playing varsity that for all intents and purposes should be honing their skills on a JV field right now,” Gillman remarked.
“Everything we're struggling through bodes really well for us in the future.”
Spartans 21, Wildcats 14
Connersville – 0 7 7 7 - 21
Franklin Co. – 6 8 0 0 - 14
First Quarter
FC – Gillman 50-yard run, 3:13. Run failed.
Second Quarter
FC – Morehead 5-yard run, 4:26. Gillman to Stephenson pass.
C – Myers 23-yard pass from G. Pearson, :2.9. Shawl kick.
Third Quarter
C – G. Pearson 2-yard run, :12. Shawl kick.
Fourth Quarter
C – B. Pearson 11-yard pass from G. Pearson, :37.5. Shawl kick.
Total yards: C 221, FC 229
Passing: C 129, FC 27
Rushing: C 92, FC 202
First downs: C 11, FC 12
Fumbles/lost: C 0, FC 1/0
Penalties: C 7-75, FC 10-81
Connersville – Rushing: G. Pearson 8-27, Bentley 5-14, Myers 7-29, DeBoard 3-14, Micah Buchanan 3-1, Draiden Perez 2-4, Cody Hauger 1-3. Passing: G. Pearson 11-20-129 (INT). Receiving: Myers 4-63, B. Pearson 3-50, DeBoard 2-11, Bentley 2-5.
Franklin Co. - Rushing: Morehead 20-74, Gillman 17-111, McCreary 2-11, Mason Wewe 3-6. Passing: Gillman 6-9-27 (INT). Receiving: Spencer Bath 1 (-1), Braylon Kruthaupt 2-13, Stephenson 3-15.
(Stats unofficial)
Up next: FC takes its show on the road for the first time, facing Rushville Friday, 7