Woodford County takes down Scott County with goal line stand in 57-50 shootout

Woodford County’s homecoming game against Scott County turned into a track meet Friday night at Community Stadium as the Yellow Jackets outlasted the Cardinals 57-50 in a game that came down to a goal-line stand after more than 1,000 yards of offense.

Woodford held a seven-point lead in the final minute, but Scott County’s running attack brought the ball to the Yellow Jackets’ 2-yard line after a 23-yard carry by Skyler Way. Woodford denied the first goal-line attempt as two-way standout Darrian Tomlin stuffed Way at the line of scrimmage.

With the clock still running and no timeouts, the Cardinals hurried back to the line and tried the right edge, but Timmy Emongo was smothered by a group of Woodford defenders, setting up the game’s final play.

The final snap appeared to be mistimed as half of Scott County’s line did not move, allowing Woodford’s defense to penetrate and bring down quarterback Charlie Ellison as time expired.

“We finally made a stop when we had to,” Woodford County coach Dennis Johnson said. “We have some things to clean up, but this was a classic game for the fans that came out here to watch. We’ve played in every type of game possible this year, and that Scott County offense is impressive, and we knew this would come down to a handful of plays — I’m just glad we could make the stop when we did.”

Tomlin a running back/linebacker who missed last season due to injury, had a monster offensive game with 188 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Scott County’s Emongo ran for 217 yards and five scores, while Way gained 196 yards rushing with two TDs to represent the bulk of Scott County’s 541 yards of offense.

Woodford also aired it out with quarterback Foxx Coons throwing for 291 yards and four TDs. Jalen Johnson caught six passes for 100 yards and one of the scores. Omari Jointer had 77 yards receiving and two TDs. Tomlin caught the other Coons scoring toss.

A year removed from a 38-35 thriller in Georgetown, the two top teams in the 6th District and all of Class 5A lived up to the hype in a battle to be remembered for years. The win earned media poll No. 2 Woodford County (7-1, 3-0) a shot at its second straight district championship, which it would win if it seals the deal against Anderson County next week. The Cardinals (7-2, 3-1) had been ranked No. 1 all season.

The Jackets held a two-touchdown lead late in the fourth quarter thanks to a muffed punt by the Cardinals that led to Tomlin’s final rushing touchdown with 5:58 left.

But Scott County refused to give up. Way’s second fourth-quarter touchdown with 4:10 to go cut the Woodford lead in half. On the ensuing Woodford possession, Tomlin fumbled the ball on the Scott County 44-yard line with 2:23 left, setting up the dramatic finish.

“I knew we had a dog fight on our hands right away, and we had many guys step forward ready to fight,” Tomlin said. “I knew that fumble could potentially hurt our team, and so I made it my goal to get a stop somehow. We showed our heart, especially in those final seconds.”