‘Another gear.’ Tates Creek steps it up in second half to oust Clark from playoffs.
Tates Creek’s Thursday home playoff game had to be moved to Bryan Station High School because of an electrical problem at Roy G. Walton Stadium.
Then it took the Commodores (8-3) more than a half the game to flip the switch on George Rogers Clark and turn a 7-6 halftime deficit into a 34-9 victory.
MarQuevion Smith rushed for 107 yards and two second-half touchdowns for the Commodores, who got rolling offensively and defensively after the break.
“The first half we came out a little sluggish,” Smith said. “We were a little lackadaisical, but sometimes we are a second-half team.”
Both Tates Creek and Clark (4-7) squandered long drives and other opportunities in the first two quarters, but the Commodores struck first with Andrew Witherington’s 70-yard touchdown pass play to Luke Cooper with 2:21 left in the half. A two-point conversion try fell short.
Clark answered immediately with a big play of its own as Sam Clements rolled out and hit Carter Maynard on a short pattern that turned into a 52-yard score to help the Cards take a 7-6 lead with 55 seconds left.
Tates Creek gave Clark another opportunity to score before halftime with a fumble on its own 28-yard line, but its defense held, and the Cards missed a 36-yard field goal as time expired.
That defensive stand foreshadowed what Creek had in store for the second half.
“The first half I don’t know what was going on,” said Tates Creek coach Jonathan Hawks, who had a lot to deal with logistically when it was determined Thursday morning that his team couldn’t host Clark that night. A home game on someone else’s field doesn’t just happen magically.
“The second half, they came out and decided they wanted to finish this game out the right way.”
Clark only had a safety to show for its efforts in the second half thanks to a Tates Creek defense that recovered a fumble on the Cardinals’ third play of the third quarter, got two interceptions and stuffed four straight plays at their own 1-yard line.
“At halftime, (the defense) said they weren’t going to let up,” Hawks said. “They knew they had another gear in them and they wanted to show it.”
Clark’s fumble set up a 33-yard drive capped by Witherington’s 2-yard TD run and Smith’s two-point conversion for a 14-7 lead with 8:20 left in the third quarter.
A quick Clark punt set up a drive that ended in Smith’s first TD. An interception on Clark’s next series by Jaysean Layne set the stage for Smith’s second. Smith thought he might have scored on a 38-yard burst, but the referees marked him down at the 1-yard line. He scored a few plays later.
“I just told coach ‘feed me.’ The O-line did a great job,” Smith said.
Witherington and Cooper connected on a 24-yard touchdown pass with 7:55 to play in the game to cap Tates Creek’s comeback win. Marquitis Boyd got an interception that allowed Tates Creek to run out the clock to end the game.
A year ago, it took Tates Creek until literally the last second of the game to oust Clark from the playoffs.The Commodores scored the go-ahead touchdown and extra point with 0:01 remaining.
This year, Tates Creek has taken blowout losses to Frederick Douglass, Bryan Station and Ballard, but won every other game and claimed its first district title since 2019. If the stadium lights work next week, the Commodores will host their second-round playoff game.
“Last year we were just becoming a team, so it was tough when it got tough,” Smith said. “But this year, we’ve come back from a lot, and I’m proud of us.”
Thursday’s other playoff highlights
Lexington Christian 63, Clinton County 6: The Eagles (10-1) made quick work of the Bulldogs (4-7) with 43 unanswered points in the first quarter.
Brady Hensley rushed for 92 yards and three TDs. Three of Cutter Boley’s total of four completions went for scores — Parker Chaney caught a 32-yard touchdown, while Nate Barnhardt had TD catches of 24 and 12 yards.
Jackson Dillow added a 44-yard pick-six to go with Sam Pearson’s 17-yard TD. A 17-yard TD pass from Bryce Bentley to Payton Mayhorn completed LCA’s night.
Boyle County 41, Whitley County 6: The Rebels (11-0) got a 58-yard TD pass from Sage Dawson to Montavin Quisenberry on the first play from scrimmage and didn’t stop scoring until it had a 41-0 lead at halftime. Boyle’s other scores included a 70-yard run by Avery Bodner, a 71-yard run by Quisenberry, a Dawson run and another Dawson pass to Demauriah Brown.
Pulaski County 40, West Jessamine 6: Zak Anderson threw for 197 yards and four TDs and Kasen Brock rushed for 183 yards and two scores as the Maroons (4-7) routed the Colts in Nicholasville. Brock’s TDs covered 58 and 50 yards and he also had an 11-yard TD reception. Harris Denmyer had two TD catches for Pulaski. Boone Godby had the other. Connor Mason caught a TD pass from Cooper Swaim to help West Jessamine (6-5) avoid the shutout.
Thursday’s other scores
Class A: Middlesboro 51, Lynn Camp 8.
Class 2A: Mayfield 68, Edmonson County 0; Murray 29, Fort Campbell 15; Shelby Valley 50, Knott County Central 6.
Class 3A: Rockcastle County 49, Estill County 12
This story was originally published November 3, 2023 at 7:57 AM.
