Controversial late call seals victory for Chiefs
Carol City, up one point with one minute to go, needed to gain 1 yard to seal its win over host Chaminade-Madonna on Friday night.
So the Chiefs sent senior running back Tywan Cash up the middle at the heart of the Chaminade defense.
When the fourth-down play came to an end, Cash appeared to have been stopped short of the firstdown marker.
The referees disagreed. They ruled forward progress gave Cash a first down, a call that clinched Carol City’s 14-13 victory.
“There was forward progress, I believe that,” Carol City coach Josh Taylor said. “He deserved every yard that he got right there.”
The Chiefs (2-2) snapped a two-game losing streak thanks to that call and a big night from Cash.
The senior was thrust into a prominent role with Katravis Geter and Darius Chester out with injuries.
Cash finished with 132 yards on 23 carries and scored both of Carol City’s TDs — a 1-yard scamper with 18.9 seconds left in the first quarter and a 19-yard go-ahead run with 6:19 left in the third.
“Everybody that knows Carol City knows we’re deep in the backfield,” Taylor said. “Tywan, it was his turn and he stepped up majorly.”
His performance came after Carol City found itself in an early two-score hole.
The Chiefs went threeand-out on their first drive and their punter’s knee touched the ground on his punt attempt, giving Chaminade-Madonna (3-1) a short field. The Lions scored two plays later on a 1-yard Thaddius Franklin touchdown run.
Chaminade-Madonna made it 10-0 five minutes later on an Andres Borregales field goal before Carol City rallied.
The Lions would manage just one more field goal — a 38-yarder by Borregales — to make it 14-13 with 1:09 left in the third quarter.
The Chiefs held Chaminade-Madonna scoreless the rest of the way. Maxeau Joseph gave Carol City the ball for good when he intercepted Alex Law with 3:47 left. Four runs — and one controversial call later — Carol City could run out the clock.