Terrier football 'Money' Davis and CCHS defense lift Terriers to second round of playoffs
The Carbondale Terriers finally won a home playoff football game last weekend after 26 years of trying.
The Terriers defeated the Champaign Central Maroons 31-28 in a back-and-forth tussle at Frank Bleyer Field. With the win, the Terriers advance to play Cahokia tomorrow afternoon in round two of the IHSA playoffs.
Last Saturday's victory was historic in another way. The game was tied in the fourth quarter 28-28 with 5:52 left when the Terrier field goal kicker, Macey Davis, stepped up and nailed a 30-yarder to provide the winning margin. Davis already had hit on four straight extra points, so she provided seven of the Terriers' 31 points. Needless to say, female field goal kickers are rare in this male-dominated sport, but Davis has chutzpah.
"We call her Money Davis," Carbondale coach Bryan Lee said. "She's just a sophomore, but she told me before the season that she 'was money inside the 30' - and she was right."
The game was even statistically, as the Terriers only bested the Maroons 322 to 312 yards for the game. Central ran up 278 rushing yards, mainly on the efforts of Tarell Evans (159 yards) and Jalen Booker (61 yards, two touchdowns). Carbondale brought Korey Blythe (55 yards) and freshman sensation Gabe Hilliard (58 yards).
But the Carbondale runners made their carries count. In fact, Hilliard's touchdown run accounted for 56 yards of his 58. It came in the second quarter after the Terriers had fallen behind by seven (21-14 Central). Hilliard, on his second carry of the game, took a pitch from Carbondale quarterback Jakeba Burleigh and outran the entire Central team basically untouched for the score.
Burleigh had a big day. He had 199 yards passing and two touchdowns, hitting an efficient 18 of 26 pass attempts. His main targets were Austin Reliford (six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown) and multi-talented Tavaris Macklin (three catches for 36 yards and a touchdown).
But the Terriers' defense again stepped up when needed to shut Central's offense down after Davis' field goal. The Terriers ran out the last 2:20 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
After the victory, Coach Lee mused on the his four-year journey as Carbondale's head coach.
"We lost every game in my first year here," Lee said. "Before getting the job at Carbondale I was told not to take it; it was too difficult. But these players bought in, and here we are."
Where they are is in the second round of the playoffs in a second-chance game against the Cahokia Comanches.
The Comanches beat the Terriers at their place 26-7 last September. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. Saturday in Cahokia.</group><group id="948508D7-9D83-49D6-A778-9BE762251D2F" type="seoLabels">