Charleston adjusts, wins
CHARLESTON — A big second half is just what Charleston needed Friday night to return to the Class 3A state championship game.
Charleston used a strong effort on defense after halftime and got a huge contribution from Sean Michael Flanagan to beat Glen Rose 44-13.
Flanagan had 2 interceptions and caught 5 passes for 32 yards and 2 touchdowns.
CHARLESTON — A strong second half is just what Charleston needed Friday night to return to the Class 3A state championship game.
Charleston used a strong effort on defense after halftime to pull away with a 44-13 victory over Glen Rose after leading by just three points at the half at Alumni Field.
“We made some adjustments on defense,” Charleston Coach Greg Kendrick said. “I’ve said year after year, we are winning with defense. We have been known to put some points on the board, but it’s about the defense.”
Charleston took a 16-13 lead into halftime with the help of senior wide receiver Sean Michael Flanagan making plays on both sides of the field. Flanagan caught a 2-yard touchdown pass for the first score of the game then returned an interception for a 70-yard score to help extend the lead in the second quarter.
Freshman quarterback J.T. Towers took over for Glen Rose on the final drive before halftime and cut the Tigers’ lead to 16-13 at the half. Towers capped a 53-yard scoring drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Austin Hughes with 4:38 left before the break.
But Charleston’s defense then allowed just 43 total yards of offense in the second half and scored 28 unanswered points to put the game well out of reach.
“I don’t want to talk about this game,” Glen Rose Coach Mark Kehner said, declining comment after the game.
Flanagan finished with 103 total yards, returned 2 interceptions for 125 yards, had 2 punts for 71 yards and caught 5 passes for 32 yards and 2 touchdowns.
“I can’t say enough about him,” Kendrick said of Flanagan. “He is a game-changer. They were doing a good job putting two guys on him on offense. But he got his touches on defense and made the most of it.”
Charleston junior running back Brayden Ketter finished with 20 carries for 123 yards with two touchdowns, and senior quarterback Jackson Rowland completed 17 of his 27 passes for 187 yards with 3 touchdowns.
“I can’t be more proud of these kids,” Kendrick said. “The hard part is getting to the state championship. We have been blessed. This group of kids make coming to practice fun. I love them.”
Charleston (13-0) broke open the close game with a 13-yard touchdown from Ketter to push the lead to 23-13 in the third quarter. Rowland then found senior wide receiver Josh Zimmer for a 37-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 30-13 with 1:06 left in the third quarter.
“We put two really, really good quarters together,” Kendrick said. “That’s a good ball team we just played. They are hard-nosed team. We just played really well.”
Glen Rose (12-2) didn’t convert a first down on its first two drives of the game but was able to get the offense going on its third possession after Charleston’s first touchdown. The Beavers needed just four plays to cap a 62-yard scoring drive to cut the lead to 8-7 with 43 seconds left in the first quarter. Senior quarterback Aaron Weatherford finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.
Charleston heads to the Class 3A championship game looking for its sixth state title in the past 11 years.
“We always said we haven’t peaked yet,” Kendrick said. “We haven’t put our four best quarters together yet. That’s encouraging for us going forward. We played very, very well the second half.”
PRESCOTT 41, NEWPORT 8
PRESCOTT — Prescott’s defense shut out Newton until the final minute of the game, and the Curley Wolves advanced to the Class 3A state championship game against Charleston.
Prescott allowed 3 first downs in the first half and forced 1 fumble and 3 interceptions in the game.
The Curley Wolves’ offense wasn’t too shabby either, building a 28-0 lead by halftime.
Carlos Vanhook scored on a 19-yard run 52 seconds into the game, and Derrick Flynn’s 6-yard touchdown run put Prescott up 14-0 with 6:39 left in the first quarter.
Flynn scored a second touchdown on a 1-yard run before the end of the first quarter, and he connected with Cameron Cox on a 20-yard touchdown pass for the 28-0 lead.
Vanhook rushed for 106 yards on 19 attempts, while Flynn gained 109 yards rushing on 17 carries with 3 touchdowns. He also finished with 141 yards passing on 9-of-17 throws.