Carson Francis, Contributor
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MINFORD — When Minford and Waverly met on Friday, both teams came into the contest looking to keep playoff hopes alive.
CREDIT: Renee Nemeth/SOSA
But behind a superb second half performance, Waverly was the one to do so. The Tigers, in dominant fashion by the end of the evening, took home a 49-24 victory over the Falcons and moved into the No. 11 spot in Division IV, Region 16.
Despite four straight losses from Weeks 3-6, a win in Week 10 would seal the deal. Waverly would be a postseason-bound team.
“Through practice, we really test our guys. We really try to put these guys in those game-type situations, and I think our guys did a good job of putting that all together tonight,” Waverly coach Chris Crabtree said.
Minford started the game with possession and wasted no time getting on the board. Running back Jeffrey Pica went right up the gut for 62 yards to give Minford a 7-0 lead with 9:57 left in the first quarter. The Falcons’ defense matched the intensity as J.D. Matiz intercepted a pass and set the offense back up at Waverly’s 33-yard line.
But a 32-yard passing touchdown from Peyton Caudill to Bennett Kayser was ruled incomplete on 4th down after officials called Kayser out of bounds. And, on the ensuing possession, the Tigers responded.
After a lengthy drive, Hudson Kelly carried the rock into the end zone from a yard out on a toss sweep. A broken-play-PAT resulted in a two-point conversion, and the Tigers led 8-7 with 4:29 left in the opening quarter.
The quarter would end on the ensuing drive, after Minford drove the ball into the red zone. At the 11:12 mark in the second, Minford’s Myles Montgomery sank a 27-yard field goal to give the Falcons a 10-8 lead.
But just when Minford was finding their mojo defensively, here came Jase Hurd.
Hurd has been terrorizing defenses all year in the run game, and it was no different when he ran for a 62-yard touchdown of his own on the Tigers’ next possession.
With 10:25 to play, Waverly had a 15-10 lead.
The Tigers’ defense and special teams units stepped it up on the next possession as they snuffed out a fake punt and set up the offense at the Falcons’ 43-yard line.
PHOTOS: Images from Waverly’s win over Minford
From there, the Tigers drove to the 15, where Mason Kelly would find his brother, Hudson Kelly, for a 15-yard score to put Waverly up 22-10 with 5:25 left in the first half.
After the pair traded possessions, Minford got the ball with 2:55 left in the half. The Falcons once again called Jeffrey Pica’s number and, again, he answered. Pica broke off another big touchdown run, this time from 56 yards out, cutting the lead to 22-17, heading into halftime.
The first few minutes of the second half can make or break a game. Waverly used that to its favor.
“We felt it was very important to come out that first series after the half and go score, which we were able to do that”, Crabtree said, when asked about making second half adjustments in the locker room.
On the opening drive, Mason Kelly found his brother once more for a 50-yard passing touchdown. After Minford went three-and-out, the signal caller went back to work, finding Kody Swords for 46 yards and another score. Just like that, the Tigers had swung the lead by 13 points and now led 35-17 with 7:43 left in the third.
“We make adjustments, see what they’re doing, see what we need to improve on. Really, our coaches had a good game plan for us”, Mason Kelly said.
“We had them right where we wanted them and we just stepped on their throats,” Jase Hurd added.
The Falcons wouldn’t go down without a fight, however.
Pica carried the ball for 31 yards to put the ball in Tiger Territory. Driving into the red zone, the Falcons were faced with a 4th and goal from the five-yard line, where Caudill rolled out and found Bennett Kayser for a passing touchdown, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 35-24.
Despite the score, the Falcons’ momentum wouldn’t last long as the Tigers would go on a long, methodical drive to follow.
Hurd came up huge by converting a gutsy 4th and 3 call in the red zone, and he followed it with a four-yard rushing touchdown to make it a 42-24 lead for Waverly — one that would hold through the end of the quarter.
The game’s final frame started with a continuation of the Mason Kelly show.
With 8:36 to go in, Kelly rolled out to his right and connected with Swords for the second time, and for Kelly’s fourth passing touchdown of the night, making it a 49-24 tally.
After their defense forced a turnover on downs, Waverly milked the clock and exited Minford with an important victory.
Statistically, Mason Kelly finished the game 14-of-23 pasing for 246 yards and four touchdowns. Hurd added 188 rushing yards on 28 carries, Hudson Kelly tallied four catches, two of which were touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown. Swords finished with four catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns.
Waverly will return home next Friday to face Oak Hill, while Minford’s regular season finale will be on the road against Valley.
It’s a “win and you’re in” scenario for both teams heading into Week 10.
“We want to make sure we win out and end the year on a positive note. Whatever comes next, that’s a bonus”, Crabtree said. “Luckily, we’ve had some guys who have been to the playoffs three years in a row now. So they understand what needs to be done”.
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