Five turnovers costly in road playoff loss
by Peter Jakey-Managing Editor
The Cardinal football team was competitive in its first playoff football game in six years, but didn’t take advantages of its opportunities and lost at Central Lake, 22-12, to finish their season at 5-5.
Jason Sigsby, who didn’t play in the first meeting, which was a 45-14 loss, rushed for 100 yards and scored two touchdowns.
The story of the game was turnovers. The Cards had three lost fumbles and two interceptions. Two drives inside the 20 ended on fumbles to spoil promising drives.
Sigby’s four-yard-rushing touchdown got the Cards within eight points with 1:22 left in the third, when the Trojans answered with an impressive 85-yard, nine play drive for a 16-point lead. A late touchdown strike from Matt Tollini to Sigsby for 38 yards at the 1:46 mark didn’t allow enough time to get it done.
“This was a tough loss, because we shot ourselves in the foot with all the turnovers,” said head coach Brian Whitsitt.
Tommy Auger returned the ball 15 yards on the opening kickoff and the Cards had the ball in Central Lake (CL) territory. From the Trojan 35, a Tollini pass was dropped by the receiver and fumbled. CL took over at their own 20.
The Trojans put together a long drive, but for the most part the Onaway defense was up to the task all night. They were fired up and made the tackles against CL’s deceptive wing-T formation. The 14-play drive ended at Onaway’s 30 on a fourth-and-five tackle by Tollini.
Following a block in the back penalty, the Cards dug themselves out of a first-and-20 hole and had fourth-and-six inches on the Cardinal 40. A Tollini pass went incomplete and the ball went over on downs. CL finished what they started on the first drive and scored a two-yard TD with 2:40 left in the first. Both teams traded three and outs, before the Cards got rolling again.
Sigsby gained 28 yards on three consecutives drives to the CL 29. On fourth-and-6 at CL’s 28, Sigsby picked up seven to set up first-and-10 at the 20. On fourth-and-2 at the 12, another fumble was lost. The Trojans took over at their own 10. The defense stopped the Trojans again and forced a punt and Onaway took over at their own 27. Six plays later, CL intercepted Onaway at their own 35 and took it 10 yards.
The Trojans went on a 10-play scoring drive, which was aided by an out-of-bounds call against Onaway. The conversion was good and the score was 14-0 with 36 seconds left. That’s the way the quarter ended, although the Trojans got the ball back and almost put in a quick score.
The Cards regrouped with a stop on CL’s first possession and then put together a long scoring drive. A key play was a second-and-11 run from the Trojan 26 as Tollini tucked the ball and broke tackles down the sideline. That set up a first-and-goal at CL’s 4. Sigsby finished off the drive with a TD run around the right side.
CL then iced the game with the 85-yard scoring drive. That made the score 22-6.
Onaway’s last shot came late in the fourth, when Tollini connected to Sigsby on a touchdown pass between two converging defenders. The conversio
“I was happy to make the playoffs, it was a good sendoff for this senior class, but also it serves as motivation to the junior class for next year,” said Whitsitt.
Stats: Jason Sigsby 20 rushes for 100 yards TD, 3 receptions for 65 yards, TD, 9 tackles: Matt Tollini 7 rushes, 37 yards, 6-for-14 for 114 yards , TD, 10 tackles: Carlos Bautista 11 for 48 yards, 12 tackles; Rich Hoff Jr. 2 receptions for 48 yards; Justin Gedda 10 tackles; Chris Cleaver 10 tackles; Chae Whitsitt 9 tackles and Jamal Porter 9 tackles