Coalfield Shuts Out Wartburg

By Terry Futrell
August 18, 2018

Folks have long wondered “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” A similar question was answered emphatically at Wartburg last night as Jared Henry’s Coalfield defense made its presence known from the opening kick-off, giving the sputtering Yellow Jacket offense time to find its rhythm. In fact, both Coalfield and Wartburg defenses dominated for the first 15 minutes of the game.

Finally, with 9:09 left on the clock in the second quarter, the Yellow Jacket offense made its first strike. Then, in whirlwind fashion, the Jackets quickly scored two additional touchdowns in the next six minutes and took a 21-0 lead into halftime.

Wartburg’s hopes for a second-half comeback were quickly dashed as Coalfield’s Ashton Jones took the opening kick-off and scampered 75 yards down the right sideline for a score. From there it was all Coalfield as the Yellow Jackets scored three more times in the third quarter, taking a 49-0 lead that would last to the end of the game. The Coalfield defense remained stellar throughout the game, limiting Wartburg’s offense to a total of 66 yards from scrimmage.

Sadly, Wartburg’s starting quarterback Tyler Davis watched from the sideline on crutches, the result of a broken leg in a preseason scrimmage with Scott County. Davis’ injury forced Wartburg running back/wide receiver Josh Moore into the quarterback role, making the Bulldog offense essentially one-dimensional and easier to defend. Although Moore completed 10 of 20 passes, most of these were outlet passes that resulted in little or no gain, thanks to the smothering Coalfield defense. Only two passes resulted in appreciable gains – an 11-yarder to Chris Flowers and one of 28 yards to Colby Justes. The Bulldogs had only one running play that resulted in an appreciable gain – a 24-yarder by Moore.

The Coalfield offense could be summed up in two words – Ashton Jones! Once the Coalfield offense found its rhythm, this impressive young man showed why he is clearly the leader of this Yellow Jacket football team. Unlike Coalfield teams of the past few years that relied heavily on the pass, Jones and his teammates took it right up the gut of the Wartburg defenders. Ten Yellow Jackets carried the ball during the game. Anthony Foster carried 8 times for 55 yards and two TDs. Seth Lowe carried 6 times for 51 yards and two TDs. Lance Byrd carried 5 times for 23 yards and 1 TD. Jones carried 5 times for 33 yards and 1 TD. Coalfield completed only three passes in the game – a 25-yarder to Peyton McKinney, a 13-yarder to Jonathan Woodward, and a 3-yard pass to Anthony Foster.

For the Yellow Jackets, the overwhelming victory sends a clear signal that the Yellow Jackets are once again a force to be reckoned with in Class A Region 2. Wartburg Coach Kevin Human earlier said the game would be a measuring stick for Wartburg. He is now faced with the challenge of finding a way to generate more offense and take some of the pressure off his overworked defense.

Key Game Stats:

Note: Thanks to Brian Langley for the game statistics