PINE BLUFF — The Camden Fairview Cardinals overcame muddy field conditions and 43-degree temperatures to defeat Watson Chapel 34-21 in a Class 5A semifinal Friday night.
Camden Fairview (12-1) capitalized on Watson Chapel fumbles and penalties to pull away from Watson Chapel after leading 13-8 at halftime.
“Our kids have had this on their mind at the beginning of the year and basically have reached their goal of getting back to the championship game,” said Fairview Coach Buck James, whose team lost to Monticello in last year’s Class 5A title game.
The Cardinals scored early in the third quarter when Ryan Todd recovered a fumbled snap in the end zone with 9:23 in the third quarter. The kick for the extra point by Dillon Fogle was good for a 20-8 lead.
Watson Chapel came backon a 71-yard drive capped by Aaron Lagrone’s 10-yard scoring run to pull within 20-14 with 3:53 left in the third quarter. A run for two points was short.
Camden Fairview came right back on its next possession to score on a 62-yard pass from Brandon Keaton to Dominique Reed with 3:37 left in the third period. Fogle kicked the extra point for a 27-14 lead.
Watson Chapel tightened the game on a 62-yard drive in 11 plays, with Marquis Handley running it in from the 3 with 7:23 left in the game. Collin Massanelli’s extra point made it 27-21.
Camden-Fairview put the game away late in the fourth quarter after Derek Keaton returned an interception 35 yards to the Wildcats 24. The Cardinals gained 1 yard on first down, then Brandon Keaton connected with Kevin Wooten for a 23-yard touchdown play with 2:30 left in the game. Fogle’s extra point was good.
“It certainly wasn’t our best performance,” Watson Chapel Coach George Shelton said. “We made a lot of errors, we had penalties and we fumbled the football and things like that. I commend Camden for their execution and for the way they played. We lost to a team that was better than us tonight.”
Sports, Pages 26 on 11/27/2010