Greenville rallies to defeat A-J in Class 3A playoffs

The Anna-Jonesboro  Community High School football team jumped out to an early 14-0 lead but couldn’t hold on in a 55-27 loss to host Greenville in first-round action of the IHSA Class 3A playoffs Saturday afternoon, Oct. 27.

The Wildcats trailed 29-27 early in the fourth quarter when the Comets erupted for four unanswered touchdowns.

“We knew going in they would be very explosive on offense and we would have to stay away from the big play,” A-J coach Brett Detering said.  “They’ve got some big weapons.”

One of those big plays came right after the Wildcats scored to pull within 2 points with 8:25 remaining in the game. Erik Turok ran the ensuing kickoff back for an 82-yard touchdown return.

“That kickoff return was big,” Detering said. “It’s only 35-27 and we are still right there.”

The wheels fell off for the Wildcats after that as Greenville scored three more touchdowns.

The Wildcats fumbled on their next possession and turned the ball back over to Greenville.

The Comets scored six plays later on a 10-yard run by quarterback Tyler Hutchinson. Greenville led 41-27 following a failed extra-point attempt with 3:40 remaining in the game.

Greenville’s Daulton Young intercepted a Kemp pass on the first play of A-J’s next possession and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. The extra-point kick gave the Comets a 48-27 lead with 3:21 remaining in the game.

The Wildcats were unable to pick up a first down on their next possesion and turned the ball back over to Greenville to set up their final score.

The Comets’ Cameron Walter scored on a 31-yard run with 1:12 remaining in the game. The extra-point was successful.

Although Greenville took control of the game in the fourth quarter, A-J had a good showing in the first quarter.

The Wildcat defense held the Comets on the first possession and then was able to begin their scoring drive.

Kemp threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Alex McRaven on the fifth play of the drive. Garrett Nadeau’s extra-point kick gave A-J a 7-0 lead with 7 minutes left in the  first quarter.

Both teams then traded punts before A-J’s offense went on the attack again.

Following a Comet punt that went off the side of the punter’s foot, the Wildcats took over possession near midfield.

Four plays later, Kemp scored on a 1-yard run. Nadeau’s kick gave the Wildcats a 14-0 lead with 2:23 remaining in the first quarter.

Greenville’s offense then came to life. A 39-yard pass from Hutchinson to Young set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Walter. A successful run on the two-point conversion attempt by Walter pulled the Comets to 14-8 with 31 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

A-J seemed to be stopped on its next drive but was able to pick up a first down on a fake punt run by Damian Reed.

Kemp then capped the 9-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. A pass for the two-point conversion failed and A-J led 20-8 with 9:15 remaining in the first half.

It appeared the Comets were halted on their next drive after they were called  for a holding penalty. Walter was able to score though on an 18-yard run on the third play of the drive. Hall’s kick pulled Greenville to 20-15 with 7:57 remaining in the second quarter.

The Comets defense forced the Wildcats to punt late in the second quarter. Hutchinson then connected with Young on the next play for an 80-yard touchdown pass. Hall’s kick gave the Comets a 22-20 lead with 3:25 left in the second quarter. It was a lead they wouldn’t give up.

A-J was unsuccessful on  fourth down on its next possesion. Greenville took over and was able to score on the sixth play of the drive on a 1-yard touchdown run by Hutchinson. Hall’s extra-point kick with no time remaining on the clock gave the Comets a 29-20 advantage.

“That touchdown before the half really hurt us,” Detering said.

Neither team scored in the third quarter. A-J’s Seth Heern intercepted a Hutchinson pass near the end of the quarter.

The Wildcats appeared on the move heading into the final period when the drive stalled after  A-J fumbled and lost the football.

The Comet offense then took control of the game.

“At one point, we hadn’t turned the ball over,” Detering said. “But we put the ball on the ground too many times. We made some mistakes that kind of hurt us. We gave them a short field to work on too many times.”

The Wildcats were not blessed with a large roster this season. Injuries finally took their toll.

“We had eight or nine guys going both ways,” Detering said. “We had injuries to two starting defensive backs. We had guys going both ways and we didn’t have any subs (substitutes)”

Kemp led A-J’s 287 yard rushing attack with 174 yards on 24 carries. Reed added 143 yards on 18 carries and Austin Noble had 40 yards on 10 carries.

“You can’t take anything away from our kids,” Detering said. “We did some good things and they played hard. Our kids were able to keep our playoff streak going and they can take a lot of pride in that.”

A-J finished 6-4 overall and qualified for the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season.