Last Second Loss

Madison Central kicker Ryan Blake hit a field goal from 26 yards out with nine seconds remaining to lift the Indians past Whitley County Friday night in Richmond, 30-28.
It was one of those games that got away from the Colonels, who dominated the game but couldn’t get into the end zone enough to hold off the defending district champions.
Two major mistakes by the Colonels led to the heartbreaking loss. Whitley County drove the ball down the field on the opening drive and took a 6-0 lead on a Mark Teague touchdown. And, after holding the Indians, Whitley County was headed in for another TD when Ricky Rhodes intercepted a Jordan McCumbers pass for a touchdown. The Indians tacked on the PAT and led 7-6.
The Colonels responded with a TD of their own and added a two-point conversion and led at the half, 14-7.
Whitley County increased their lead in the third quarter when Jeffries scored on a 10-yard run to take a 20-7 lead.
Madison Central finally got its offense going against the Colonels’ defense late in the third quarter and scored on a Keyshawn Simpson run of nine yards. The extra point pulled the Indians within a touchdown. That third Madison Central TD came when Simpson picked up a Whitley County fumble and raced into the end zone. The extra point pushed Madison Central back on top by a point with three minutes to go in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter the Colonels came back to take the lead on a Jeffries one yard run with 6:29 left in the game. Colonels’ coach Jim Black had his team go for the two-point conversion. The successful try gave the Colonels a 28-21 lead.
“I thought that was probably the best game we have played to date, as far as a full game,” said Black. “We played four quarters but made a few critical mistakes during the game as far as allowing them to hang around.”
“I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage,” said Black. “We could do whatever we wanted.”
Whitley County finished the game with 393 yards and ran nearly twice as many plays as the Indians (66 to 34).
“We beat them everywhere except on the scoreboard,” said Black. “We were able to come back after being down twice.”
But, in the final period, the Indians came back for the win. Senior quarterback Chaz Hope hit Rhodes on a 45-yard pass play with 6:07 left in the game, but the conversion failed and the Colonels led, 28-27.
The Colonels tried to run the clock out and looked to be headed in that direction when they picked up a first down on a Central penalty, but three plays later Whitley County faced a fourth down and short yardage. The Indians defense caught McCumbers on a loss and the ball was in the hands of the home team.
The Indians quickly drove the ball down the field, setting up the field goal with nine seconds left in the game.
“I think all of our kids stepped up and played as a team,” said Black. “It was the best team effort of the year.”
Jason Powers, who was hampered by an ankle injury early in the year continues to improve. He led the Colonels with 142 yards against Madison Central on 21 carries.
Whitley County (1-4) will be back on the road Friday night when they travel to Montgomery County, the talk of the district. The Indians knocked off Madison Central two weeks ago and pushed Clark County to the limit before dropping a district game last week.
“They have a very talented quarterback (Kaleb Curtis) who is very good at running the ball,” said Black. “They have a huge offensive line and do a very good job.”
“They have been able to move the ball against everybody that they have played,” Black said. “That’s going to make them a challenge to us defensively.”
“Offensively, we need to take care of things that they give us,” said Black. “They are good defensively, they are not great but they are good. So, it’s going to be another battle, If we play four quarters we will be all right, if not it will be a long night.”

Whitley County 6 8 6 8- 28
Madison Central 7 0 14 9- 30
First Quarter
WC – Teague, 10 fumble recovery (kick failed)
MC – Rhodes, 44 interception (Blake kick)
Second Quarter
WC – Jeffries, 6 run (Jeffries run)
Third Quarter
WC – Jeffries 10 run (run failed)
MC – Simpson, 9 run (Blake kick)
MC – Simpson 35 fumble recovery (Blake kick)
Fourth Quarter
WC – Jeffries, 1 run (pass good)
MC – Rhodes, 421 pass from Hope (kick failed)
MC – Blake, 26 FG

Individual Statistics
Rushing: Whitley County 58-401. Powers 21-142, Jeffries 18-97, McCumbers 4-74, Teague 8-88. Madison Central 22-69. Simpson 10-35, Rhodes 3-36, Hope 8-0, Dean 1 (minus 2)
Passing: Whitley Co. McCumbers 2-4-0 19, Teague 0-1-1. Madison Central 7-10-87.