CLEVELAND — Sometimes when things go bad, they go real bad in a hurry, and with it goes the composure of the entire team.
Friday night was just that kind of night for White County, which turned the ball over five times and was penalized seven times in the second half of a 42-21 loss to Creekview.
“It was frustrating. They played hard but they have to control their emotions better,” said White County coach Gregg Segraves.
The Warriors started off slowly on the first two plays from scrimmage, but Tyler Dotson converted a third and long with his legs to keep the drive alive. Facing another third and very long, Dotson found Ashely Lowery on a swing pass and the star tailback did the rest sprinting 61 yards for the games first score.
Creekview answered with an 80-yard drive of its own, rolling up 70 of those yards on the ground as Hunter Livingston set the tone for what was going to be one of his nights. Livingston, who had 45 yards on the drive, capped the opening possession with a short touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.
White County answered with good kick return and a sustained drive that resulted in a 5-yard scoring run for Lowery. Creekview pulled out a little trickery to tie the game when wide receiver Justin Wright took a short lateral from Cody Allen and launched a deep ball to Michael Ay, who ran 80 yards for the score.
That was just the start of bad news to come for the Warriors. Lowery had a touchdown called back on the next possession because of a penalty, and the drive stalled, giving Creekview another chance before the break.
Creekview took advantage of the opportunity when Livingston raced 50 yards through the line for the go-ahead score and a 21-14 lead at halftime.
On White County’s opening possession of the half the game turned Creekview’s way for good. With the ball at midfield, Dotson looked for a short toss to Lowery, but Creekview’s Morgan Wright batted the ball in the air, came down with it and ran untouched into the end zone for the score.
“Our kids fought hard, we tried to make up some ground but just didn’t make good decisions,” Segraves said.
White County’s offense continued to struggle with three more interceptions in the second half and a turnover on downs, while penalties plagued drives before they could get going.
The lone highlight of the half for the Warriors was a beautiful 70-yard pass from freshman Cole Segraves to Dotson who had lined up as a wide receiver for the lone Warrior score after the break.
Creekview added two more touchdowns, the big blow coming on a 59-yard run from Livingston moments after Dotson’s score. For the game, Creekview’s vaunted rushing attack rolled up over 250 yards, with Livingston leading the way with 197 yards.