After securing the ball, the senior wide receiver maneuvered past a Carlisle defensive back on his way to a 58-yard touchdown receptio with 3:45 remaining in the first quarter. On the first play of the series, Holyfield lofted a deep pass to Jarkell Brown. After fielding a short kickoff, the Dragons began their possession on the 42. However, Junction City’s response was immediate. Following a two-point run by Weddle, Carlisle’s lead was 8-0 with 3:55 left in the first period. On a fourth-and-2 from the 12, Carlisle reached pay-dirt when Ricks exploded through a large crease in the middle of the Dragon defense for a touchdown. The Bison, converted three fourth downs en route to a touchdown. Following a fumble by JaQwis Dancy that was recovered by Carlisle at the 26, the game received its first points. That’s the part that helped us out." From the start, this game proved to be highly entertaining. Not to take anything away from them, but they don’t throw a lot. They were in press mode and we were dropping back and we got in the right spot. "It was a great read on that play," Carpenter said of Armstrong’s interception. That would be all the Dragons needed as they held on for the 10-point victory. Following Randall Holyfield’s two-point conversion run, the score was 38-28. Armstrong stepped in front of a pass from Brazeal and quickly returned it 33 yards for a touchdown with 26 seconds left to play. Ironically, the one time he did attempt to throw the ball - it led to Junction City putting this contest out of reach. Chase Brazeal threw one of those aforementioned passes. As of this juncture of the game, the Bison had only attempted only two passes. Following a sack by Junction City defensive tackle Taylor Mason, the Bison faced a second-and-nine from its own 30. However, Carlisle’s attempt at a gamewinning drive met a rapid demise. The Bison defense did enough to force the Dragons to turn the ball over on downs with just over a minute left in regulation. Finally, Carlisle coach Brandon Barbaree began to use them during Junction City’s drive. Up to this point, the Bison had all three timeouts available for use. And with 2:05 left to play, Carlisle had turned the ball over on downs. However, Weddle was met in the backfield by Josh Armstrong for a 1-yard loss. Once play resumed, the Bison would later face a fourth-and-two from its own 39. However, the Bison received an unfortunate hindrance to their plan when Ricks, a powerful – 6-foot, 250 pound running back – was carried off the field on a stretcher due to an injury following a 3-yard carry. But, Carlisle (11-2) showed its determination by earning three first downs on this pivotal drive.
Brown’s kick was eventually downed inside the 1-yard line. With its next possession, Junction City was unable to get a first down as it eventually opted to punt. The senior running back later able ran in the two-point conversion to make the score 30-28 with 9:06 remaining in regulation. Three plays later Carlisle made its way into the end zone when Bo Weddle scored on a 6-yard tote. Subsequently, he was ejected from the game. Trailing 30-20 Carlisle surged further into Dragon territory when – following an 11-yard run by Deron Ricks – Junction City defensive end Jamario Bell was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Soon after, Brown was touched by several Bison defenders as Carlisle took over on the Junction City 32 with 10:31 left to play. But Jarkell Brown dropped the snap and immediately jumped on the loose ball.
Early in the final stanza, on a fourth-and-20, Junction City attempted a punt. The manner in which the fourth period commenced was a sign of things to come for the Dragons. But we finally rallied around and finished up pretty good." What had the coach a bit uneasy following this triumph is how Junction City nearly allowed a doubledigit lead to slip away in the waning moments of the game. "We did everything we could to mess up and give them the game. "We had to go out and play defense in the fourth quarter," said Junction City coach David Carpenter. The reason being is their Dragons held off a spirited rally by the Carlisle Bison, to preserve a 38-28 Class 2A semifinal victory. In unison, the Junction City faithful likely experienced a sigh of relief Friday evening at Memorial Stadium in El Dorado.
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