East Central Downs the Defending Champs

After trailing Carl Albert Titans at halftime, the Cardinals scored 21 unanswered points to advance to round three of the playoffs.

Thursday, July 28th 2011, 5:56 pm

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Nov 19, 2010 10:37 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Reporter

TULSA, Oklahoma – After failing to score in the first half against Carl Albert, the East Central Cardinals exploded for 21 points in the second half to keep their season alive. The Cardinals outlasted the defending 5A state champions to win, 21-14.

East Central looked helpless on offense in the first half. The Cardinals were unable to run the ball against the Titans’ defense and, when they had opportunities to score, misfired late in the half. East Central got two shots at a field goal in the second quarter and missed them both. They trailed 7-0 at the break.

Carl Albert controlled the game in the first half. Alex Polston intercepted John McDavid to set up Kenton Whitting’s 17-yard touchdown run.

Trailing in the fourth quarter, the Titans made things interesting. East Central gave up a deep pass that landed Carl Albert inside the 10-yard line. The Titans scored on 4th-and-goal on a short pass to from Taylor Hawkins to Polston.

East Central tried to run out the final 2:21 but couldn’t convert a short fourth down. The Titans got the ball back with just over one minute to play. They completed a fourth down pass to extend the game and tried to set themselves up for one last try at the endzone, but couldn’t get out of bounds. The clock ran out on their season.

The Titans tallied more yards than the Cardinals but couldn’t make the plays they needed late. East Central didn’t pass the ball well (62 yards), but finished the game with 176 yards on the ground. They overcame two costly turnovers.

With the win, East Central advances to the semifinals and will play the winner of Saturday’s McAlester – Lawton Mac matchup. Carl Albert ends its season at 9-3.