Big second half dooms Cardinals against TCA

Adamsville got off to a fast start on Friday night against Trinity Christian Academy. The Cardinals scored the first two touchdowns of the game and led by a score of 14-0 after the first quarter. However, TCA rallied for 21 second quarter points and then added 21 more in the final two quarters to pick up the 42-14 victory.

The Cardinals already had several players out due to injuries, and they had two more starters go down in their opening plays.This proved to be a key factor in the loss.

“We started off pretty well, but we had a couple of injuries early. We had to move some personnel around, and it got us out of rhythm,” commented Cardinal coach Brandon Gray. “We were leading14-0, but then we had three turnovers in a row, all giving them good field position. Almost before we knew it, it was 21-14. We had a good game plan going in. We just can’t plan for everything.”

The loss puts the team at a disadvantage in their quest for the postseason, but they are not out of the running. “Now our playoff hopes boil down to the wild card, and it’s definitely possible. If the season ended today, we’d be in. It would be better for us to win out. I don’t like leaving it up to other people,” said Gray. The team has district games remaining.

Gray is remaining optimistic about his team’s chances. One positive is that many inexperienced players are seeing some playing time. In Friday night’s game, the team only had two seniors on the field despite having eight on the roster. The fact that TCA had 16 seniors playing certainly did not help the Cards.

The coach believes that if they make it to the postseason, they have a good chance for success. “The bright side is we’ve had a lot of young guys getting playing time. If we get in the playoffs, I think we’ll surprise someone, especially if we get everyone healthy,” Gray concluded. Jamel Sanders picked up two rushing touchdowns in the opening quarter. Sanders scored from 4 yards out on his first run and then added an 85-yard run later in the quarter. Dustin Plunk added each of the extra-point attempts for the Cardinals.

Sanders had a big opening quarter with 160 rushing yards and the two touchdowns. However, TCA made adjustments the rest of the way as they held the Cardinal running back to just 27 yards in the second half. Sanders finished the game with a total of 223 rushing yards. Trinity Christian was led by senior quarterback Jabriel Washington. Washington had 375 all-purpose yards in the game. He also accounted for four touchdowns – two in the air and two on the ground. Washington now has 20 touchdowns in six games for the Lions. Quarterback Bradley Melton completed 3-of-7 passes for 28 yards. Josh Shoate had two receptions for 28 yards.

Dusty Butler led the Cardinal defense with eight total tackles. Kasey Hurley finished the game with seven tackles. John Blakely had six total stops.