Written by Jack Hart
Taylorville’s offense struggled to find consistency Friday night as the Tornadoes fell to Carbondale, 48-7.
Carbondale jumped out to an early lead and used a combination of big plays, turnovers and a strong rushing attack to pull away from Taylorville.
The Terriers opened the scoring with 30 seconds remaining in the first quarter when Christian Caffey returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown. Huck Borrenpohl added the extra point to make it 7-0.
Carbondale added another touchdown early in the second quarter after recovering an onside kick. Jontavious Oliver turned the opportunity into a 16-yard touchdown run, putting Carbondale ahead 14-0 with 10:28 remaining in the first half.
Taylorville answered immediately with its biggest play of the night.
Wyatt Younker fielded the ensuing kickoff and raced 90 yards for a touchdown. Ben Peabody’s extra point cut the Carbondale lead to 14-7 with 10:16 left in the second quarter.
The Terriers responded just 22 seconds later when Javion Oliver hauled in a 68-yard touchdown pass from Davin Wooley.
Wooley continued to make an impact throughout the remainder of the game, adding a 4-yard rushing touchdown with 2:43 remaining in the half. With just six seconds left before halftime, Wooley connected with Synsear Scott-Ross for a 20-yard touchdown, giving Carbondale a 35-7 advantage at the break.
Carbondale added two more touchdowns in the second half. Wooley scored on a 10-yard run in the third quarter and a 2-yard run in the fourth to complete the scoring.
Taylorville was held to well under 200 yards of total offense.
Isaac Repscher completed 7 of 22 passes for 108 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. Maddex Havera led the Tornadoes with three receptions for 66 yards.
Defensively, Taylorville received strong individual efforts from Chase Rinker and Kolton Reiss. Rinker recorded an interception, while Reiss finished with a sack and several tackles.
Nicole Patrick Player of the Game: Wyatt Younker
Wyatt Younker was named the Nicole Patrick Player of the Game following his explosive 90-yard kickoff return for Taylorville’s lone touchdown.
The return provided one of the game’s biggest highlights for the Tornadoes and briefly cut Carbondale’s lead to one score early in the second quarter.
Despite the 48-7 final, Younker’s ability to create a game-changing play on special teams gave Taylorville a much-needed spark.
