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Choctaw takes advantage of turnovers to beat Washington (PHOTO GALLERY, VIDEO)
PHOTOS: Click here to view a photo gallery from the game
The Indians (4-3, 4-1) fell behind 16-0 largely due to costly turnovers. But Choctaw had a mountain of takeaways in the second half when the Indians scored the bulk of their 28 unanswered points and turned back the Wildcats (1-7, 1-4) at the end.
The first quarter couldn’t have been worse for Choctaw. The Indians fumbled the ball on their second play and did it again on their kickoff return after Joseph Franzone connected with Ryan Onkka for a 26-yard touchdown. The second miscue led to Cody Goolsby’s 37-yard goal and, after the Wildcats stopped Choctaw on a fourth-and-1, Franzone’s 10-yard scamper elevated the lead to 16-0 with under five minutes left before halftime.
Perhaps the biggest play of the night for Choctaw followed when quarterback Jesse Adams rolled right and found Justin Savage behind the defense for a 46-yard gain while facing fourth-and-9. Two plays later, Adams fired to Savage from 3 yards out as the Indians gained some momentum at the intermission.
As bad as the first quarter was for Choctaw, it was doubly so for Washington in the third quarter. The Wildcats lost three fumbles and had a punt blocked and recovered for a touchdown. Washington’s first possession of the fourth quarter also resulted in a lost fumble.
Choctaw’s Charlie Lott followed the first miscue with a 1-yard touchdown run, Savage leapt over a defender after the second mistake for a 28-yard go-ahead touchdown, and Kenny Barnes blocked a punt that Jackie Bush scooped up and raced for the touchdown for a 28-16 advantage.
With 5:20 left in the game, Washington’s Ashton Clark scored on an 11-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 28-23. The drive came after Choctaw could have iced the game but instead fumbled at the 1-yard line.
After the touchdown, Washington recovered an onside kick, but the Wildcats’ drive stalled at the 18 on James Broaddus’ sack.
Washington got the ball back on its own 23 with 1:37 left, but the Wildcats turned the ball over on downs after moving to the Choctaw 36.
Adams completed 8-of-12 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Savage, who had both of the scoring grabs, hauled in six catches for 95 yards.
Lott led Choctaw with 67 yards on 16 carries. Clark had 59 for Washington and Franzone added 56 along with 115 yards passing after completing 7-of-14 attempts. His favorite target was Onkka, who had four receptions for 100 yards.
Washington outgained Choctaw 326-221, but the Wildcats consistenly gave the Indians a short field to work with in the second half due to turnovers. Because of its own miscues, Choctaw only ran five offensive plays in the first quarter and had 5 yards.
Choctawhatchee 28, Washington 23
Washington 9 7 0 7—23
Choctaw 0 7 21 0—28
First quarter
W – Ryan Onkka 26 pass from Joseph Franzone (pass failed); 9:46
W – Cody Goolsby 37 field goal; 3:41
Second quarter
W – Franzone 10 run (Goolsby kick); 4:45
C – Justin Savage 3 pass from Jesse Adams (Dillon Drake kick); 1:07
Third quarter
C – Charlie Lott 1 run (Drake kick); 6:40
C – Savage 28 pass from Adams (Drake kick); 5:37
C – Jackie Bush 23 fumble return (Drake kick); 4:27
Fourth quarter
W – Ashton Clark 11 run (Goolsby kick); 5:20
W C
First downs 17 9
Rushes-yards 46-211 25-119
Passing yards 115 102
Compl./Att./Ints 7-14-0 8-13-0
Fumbles-lost 5-4 3-3
Penalties-yards 4-25 3-25
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Washington: Ashton Clark 10-59, Joseph Franzone 17-56, Jordan Kostanko 5-50, Patrick Hall 8-29, Tim Barnes 6-17. Choctaw: Charlie Lott 16-67, Jackie Bush 1-26, Freddie Gray 4-19, Jesse Adams 4-7.
PASSING— Washington: Joseph Franzone 7-14-0 115. Choctaw: Jesse Adams 8-12-0 102; Justin Savage 0-1-0.
RECEIVING— Washington: Ryan Onkka 4-100, Patrick Hall 1-11, Justin Fowlkes 1-3, Aston Clark 1-1. Choctaw: Justin Savage 6-95, Freddie Gray 1-6, Ryan Born 1-1.
