Moore blocks field goal to send game to overtime
BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Martin County fans were eyeing the ambulance by the fence for oxygen tanks in a breathtaking thriller at The Rock Friday night. After a blocked field goal at the end of regulation by Braxton Moore sent the game to overtime, the Cards came away with a 42-41 Harvest Bowl win over Knox Central.
Senior quarterback Devan Maynard was named the Harvest Bowl Defensive Player of the Game. Teammate Crayson Lafferty earned Offensive Player of the Game honors.
Hallee Preece was crowned Homecoming Queen during halftime with Raegan Hale named the runner-up.
The warm September night settled over the home crowd as the Cardinals (3-1) set the tone on their second drive. Taking over at their own 47-yard line, Maynard wasted no time firing a 13-yard strike to Rex Ward on the opening play. The following snap saw Maynard scramble to the 14-yard line as the crowd roared.
On the next snap, Maynard faked a handoff and ran in for a touchdown with 4:56 left in the first quarter for the first score of the game. After an encroachment penalty, Lafferty dove over a pile for the 2-point conversion to push Martin County up 8-0.
Knox Central (1-3) quickly responded with a touchdown, but Lafferty powered through for a stop on the 2-point try to keep the Cardinals ahead 8-6.
Last year’s leader in total tackles for Class 2A is proving he is a monster on both sides of the ball. He powered an 11-yard run for a first down before a turnover handed Knox another scoring opportunity. The Panthers converted to take a 14-8 lead.
Martin County’s defense responded. Facing third-and-1 at the 27, Maynard tackled the runner for a loss. On a red-zone pass attempt, Braxton Maynard knocked the ball down to force fourth-and-8 before the Cardinals took over on downs.
Lafferty picked up two first downs, then Maynard broke free from his own 41 to the Knox 28 before leaving with an injury.
Lafferty took the next handoff 24 yards for a touchdown.
Sebastian Genovese’s point-after banked off the upright in between the posts for a score to give Martin County a 15-14 lead.
With time winding down on a Knox possession, Jerrod Haney unleashed a tackle to bring down a Panther for a fourth down.
When Central went for it before halftime, Maynard intercepted the pass. The senior leader raced 95 yards the other way as the clock hit zero, sending the home crowd to its feet and the Cardinals into the locker room with all the momentum.
Martin County extended its lead shortly into the second half when Maynard found Ward down the middle for a first down. Lafferty capped the drive with another touchdown run to make it 29-14.
Knox countered with a 15-yard touchdown run, but Lafferty came in clutch again to stop the 2-point attempt to keep the Cards ahead.
A bobbled Cardinals kickoff gave Knox another possession and the Panthers quickly scored again to cut the deficit to 29-28.
Early in the fourth quarter, Maynard found Gavin Stepp over the middle as he raced to the 1-yard line. Lafferty punched it in for a touchdown to push the lead to 35-28.
Knox immediately responded and returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to knot the game at 35-35 with 11:08 left.
The Cardinals faced a critical defensive stand with under 2 minutes. Forced to punt from their own end zone, Knox took over at the 46 and quickly reached the 17-yard line.
With 45 seconds remaining, Knox found a hole, but Maynard made a clutch tackle at the 4-yard line. Lafferty followed with a 2-yard loss on the next play.
Every fan inside Cardinal Stadium held their breath as Knox set up a 5-second field goal attempt.
Martin County’s Braxton Moore muscled his way through the line and blocked the kick to send the game to overtime.
In the extra frame, Martin County started at the 10-yard line. Maynard faked a handoff and rolled to the 5-yard line. Lafferty barreled into the end zone on the next handoff for his fourth touchdown of the night.
Genovese’s PAT gave Martin County a 42-35 lead.
Knox Central answered with a touchdown to pull within one.
The Panther coaching staff made the bold decision to go for a 2-point conversion to win.
The Cardinals rushed the Knox Central quarterback before he found a wide-open receiver at the back of the end zone. Time stopped as the crowd waited for the call.
The official signaled incomplete for a dropped pass to begin the celebration for Martin County.
“Bones” Lafferty carried the pigskin 23 times and accumulated 149 yards rushing, four touchdowns and a 2-point conversion on offense. He was just as explosive on the other side of the ball with 22 total tackles, including 15 solo and seven assisted, along with two tackles for loss.
Maynard added 131 yards on the ground and a touchdown on 19 carries. He completed 8 of 11 passes for 115 yards and had the pick-six for a 95-yard return. He brought down eight Panthers, with seven of those by himself and one for a loss.
Stepp led the receivers with three catches for 60 yards, while Ward had four for 47 yards. Liam Fields wrangled in a pass for an 8-yard gain.
The Cardinals defense had 90 total tackles on the evening.
Easton Slone had 11 total tackles while teammate Braxton Carter had eight tackles and one for a loss. James Begley had four solo and seven total tackles along with the team’s sole sack. Braxton Maynard, Brayden Fannin and Jason Newsome had six total tackles. Ward and Jerrod Haney brought down three by themselves and five total. Jeremy Begley and Blake Stacy added two tackles. Moore had one tackle, one for a loss, and the game-saving blocked field goal. Kendal Mullins also wrangled down a Panther.
On special teams, Genovese went 4-5 on point-after attempts.
The Cards will travel to Shelby Valley (1-3) to face off against the Wildcats on Sept. 19 for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
