Monroe used some trick plays and gutsy calls againt the Indians....Follow up to last night article.

Our Carlisle Indians marched into the Monroe Hornets stadium with high expectations last night.  But in two quick trick plays the Monroe Hornets stole the game from the Indians and took control of the SWBL Buckeye Division for now.

Nick McGill rushed for 119 yards on 23 carries and throwing a pass to Josh Koogle for an early touchdown.  Nick got the handoff from Gibson and rushed around the end pulled up and passed into the end zone for the score with a little trickery!  Jake Gibson powered the ball in on a QB Keeper from the 1 yard line for Carlisle's second score.  Kris Garrett knocked in both extra points.  So through the second quarter Monroe scores a few times and it is 14-14 dead locked. 

Then with 3 seconds left in the game and the Carlisle coaches doing an excellent job of trying to manage the clock Kris Garrett steps and boots in about a 25 yard FG to take the lead 17-14 at halftime.

What a game!!

After haltime it became a defensive and special team battle.  Monroe had the ball to start off but was stuffed and forced to punt.  Carlisle again same circumstance and had to punt.  But as Carlisle looked to punt from about their 10 yard line the punt is blocked by Monroe.  Monroe takes over on the 10  and on a gutsy fourth down call on the 1 yard line Monroe fails to put the ball into the end zone turnover on downs to the Indians.  The third quarter was just an intense chess match with both defenses making great plays.

In the third quarter though after I believe their first or second series Nick McGill, Carlisle's leading rusher, sat on the sideline with the trainers and eventually that is where he would stay the remainder of the game with a bag of ice wrapped around his knee.  We hope to find out more about Nick early this week.

The start of the fourth quarter saw about the same back and forth smash mouth running by both teams.  But then the Monroe Hornets got the ball on their own 9 ate up about 9 minutes of the play clock and 19 plays later was in the end zone with only 2 minutes left in the game.  The Hornets used a fake punt on 4th down near midfield to run up the middle for a 9 yard gain and a first down.  The Hornets again inside Carlisle's 40 were facing 4th down and they drew up a play similar to Carlisle's first half scoring play.  The Hornets half back took the pitch and a pulled up and a threw a strike back to the Hornets QB for an 18 yard pick and the set up for the game winning score.

With about 2 minutes left in the game the Indians took a short punt and Jake Gibson threw two passes to the right for a first down.  Then Gibson looked to the left and Jordan Jacobs just missed a pass through his hands.  Then on 2nd down the Hornets sent the house on QB Jake Gibson and he released the ball into the middle and caught.  But a flag negated the pass and catch sending them to a loss of down and 3 and 12.  Jake Gibson on 3rd down tried to pull away from the pressure of the Hornets defense was brought down.  On fourth down, the Hornets shut down an attempt of a trick play themselves by tackling Jordan Jacobs for a loss.

And the game ends on a few kneels by Monroe 21-17!

Carlisle moves to 5-1, 1-1 and Monroe moves to 5-1, 2-0.

What an unbelievable game!!  GO INDIANS!!