Corbin stops DeSales

Runningback Josh Ware had hoped for a big night againt the Louisville DeSales Colts. The junior let his performance speak for him and finished with 183 all-purpose yards in leading the Corbin Redhounds to 42-21 win over the visiting team at Campbell Field Friday night.
He had plenty of help as freshman quarterback, Clint Cashen, threw for 213 yards and four touchdowns as the Redhounds kept the Colts off-guard all night. Cashen’s main receiver was senior Isaac Mills, who had five catches for 112 yards. Three of those catches went for touchdowns.
The Redhounds built a 42-7 lead in the fourth quarter before the Colts scored two late touchdowns off the Corbin reserves.
How did the Redhounds post such as easy win over a big physcial Louisville team? “Well, I don’t think anything comes easy,” said Corbin coach Steve Jewell. “The big factor was coming out of the gate quickly. We deferred the coin toss and wanted to make a defensive stop, get the ball and do something with it.”
The Redhounds did make that defensive stop and forced the Colts to a three-and out. Ware was ready to put his game into high gear right off the bat and took the first hand off 34 yards to the DeSales 40 yard line. However, the drive stalled and Corbin was forced to punt.
After two incomplete passes by Reed, the Colts picked up a first-down on runs by Reiser and Hillerich. However it was Corbin’s turn to dig in and stop the Colts. DeSales was forced to punt from their own 27 yard line.
On the return, Dub Woody and a player got into an altercation with Woody being ejected.
That seemed to be the spark the Redhounds needed. Ware took the pitchout seven yards to the Colts’ 43 and Cashen followed with a pass to Mills. Mills did the rest as he out-ran the Colts to the endzone for the 57 yard connection. Aaron Broyles went in for Woody and hit the extra point with 5:54 in the first period for the 7-0 lead.
The Redhound defense made another quick stop and Corbin got the ball back at their own 35 yard line. Corbin put together a 12-play drive that ended with a Ware run of seven yards into the end zone with eight seconds remaining in the quarter.
Corbin came through with two big plays in the drive. The first saw senior Brad Lawson convert a third down into a first down at the DeSales 44 yard line then the Redhounds faced a fourth and six at the 26 yard line. Cashen hit junior Eric Blackwood on a screen pass for 19 yards and a first and goal at the seven with :20 left in the quarter. Ware did the rest , getting into the end zone for the score. Broyles missed the PAT but the Redhounds led 13-0.
The Colts got an excellent kickoff return by Harrett and started drive number four at their own 37 yard line. The defense continued to do their job and held the visitors to a first down before forcing the Colts to punt.
The punt traveled 38 yards and pinned the Redhounds deep in their own territory at the six-yard line. Corbin put together a 13-play 94 yard drive to go ahead 21-0. The Redhounds converted three third-down situations and controlled the tempo of the game.
Ware, Lawson and Cashen carried the load until the Redhounds got to mid-field then a nine yard pass to Blackwood gave Corbin a second and one from the DeSales 41. Cashen followed with a 13 yard pass to Mills at the 28. Cashen then missed on a pass to Blackwood and a Lawson run went for a yard, setting up a third and eight.
Cashen’s next pass was right on the money as he hit Ware for a 27 yard TD with 3:34 left in the half. A pass to Mills on the conversion made it 21-0.
Corbin blew the game open with two third quarter touchdowns. The first was a five yard pass to Mills with 4:35 in the quarter then a Blackwood interception set up the second TD.
It took two plays to get into the end zone from 41 yards out. Cashen hit Blackwood for 18 yards to the 23 yard line then found Mills for the 23 yard TD. Cash connected with Blackwood on the conversion for a 35-0 lead.
DeSales got on the scoreboard with no time left in the third quarter on a pass to Dishman but Ware answered with a 49 yard run early in the fourth quarter for the final Corbin tally.
“The biggest thing tonight we got out of the blocks quick and put some points on the scoreboard and played good solid defense,” said Jewell. “It was a good solid all-around team effort.”
“It was a good compliment to all the backs in the backfield,” said Jewell of the Redhounds 37 rushes for 235 yards. “Brad’s been running the ball well, blocking well and Ware is running the ball extremely well right now and you lull them to sleep and Blackwood is real shifty and catches them off-guard on those counters. They are all complimenting each other.”
The Redhounds will take on the Elizabethtown Panthers Friday night for the regional championship. The two met last year in Elizabethtown with the Panthers winning, 35-19.
“Obviously when we went off the field last year, we felt like we got out of sync and didn’t perform as well as we could,” said Jewell. “This is an opportunity for us, a chance to play for a regional championship is our first goal and it so happens that Elizabethtown is coming in here. It’s an opportunity to get another shot at them.”
“Like South Laurel and Williamsburg, we want to prove that we can stop those types of teams, I felt like we did that against Garrard County,” Jewell said. “This is another opportunity to go out and perform on both sides of the ball.”
The Panthers (11-1) are riding an eight-game win streak after defeating Garrard County 47-18 last week.
Quarterback Chris Todd leads the Panthers with 171 (out of 263) for 2893 yards and 34 touchdowns on the season. His top targets will be (9) Zip Duncan, who has 36 catches for 412 yards and seven touchdowns and (86) A.J. French, who has 10 TDS.
Jonathan Rusher (20) and (15) Jesse French figured into the mix of receivers.
Note: The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Campbell Field. All tickets are general admission, $5 adults and $4 for students.
Tickets may be purchased in advance at the high school Thursday and Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. You are encouraged to buy your tickets in advance to avoid long lines at the gate.

DeSales 0 0 7 14- 21
Corbin 13 8 14 7- 42
C – Isaac Mills, 57 pass from Clint Cashen (Aaron Broyles kick)
C – Josh Ware, 7 run (kick blocked)
C – Ware, 27 pass from Cashen (Mills pass from Cashen)
C – Mills, 5 pass from Cashen (kick blocked)
C – Mills, 23 pass from Cashen (Blackwood pass from Cashen)
D – Dishman, 21 pass from Reed (Maguire kick)
C – Ware, 49 run (Broyles kick)
D – Reiser, 2 run (Payne kick)
D – Hillerich 10 pass from Reed (Payne kick)