by Steve Dunford
SPARTA, IL – Last year running the quarterback keeper/fake, either QB Brandon Beery, FB Logan Tomanovich or both would pile up a lot of yards on the ground. This season it is QB Connor Eaton and RB/FB Madison Allen. The duo, as well as some stingy Redbird defense, left Randolph County with a 33-16 victory Friday night over the Sparta Bulldogs.
Sparta stated the game with a six play drive and the Redbirds took over on downs. The get on the board with a ten play grinding drive at the 4:46 mark in the first, as Eaton scored on a 15 yard touchdown run. The extra point failed as it was 6-0 West Frankfort.
On the third play of the Sparta drive, Kyle Hammers picked off a Kijah Banda pass. The Redbirds get inside their own ten, but could not punch it in, Sparta takes over on downs.
On the next possession, the Bulldogs were three and out, forcing to punt into their own end zone. WF takes over at the Sparta 28. On the first play of the drive Connor Eaton runs it in and the Redbirds go up 12-0, at the 9:14 mark of the first half.
On the first play of the Bulldog drive, Madison Allen strips the ball and gives it right back to West Frankfort. The Redbirds are four and out as the Sparta defense has a fourth down stop.
Sparta then has a ten play drive and the Redbirds hold them on 4th down, with a minute and some change in the first half. WF lets the clock run out and both teams go to the locker room with it still 12-0 West Frankfort.
The Redbirds won the coin toss at the start of the game and they deferred. A nice kickoff return by Kyle Hammers give the Redbirds field position near the 50. WF was knocking on the door again as they were deep into Bulldog territory. A series of penalties brought the Redbirds nearly back to where they started.
Facing a third and 24, at the 41 yard line, Connor Eaton throws a perfect strike to WR Mason Clay for the touchdown. The extra point failed. With eight minutes and some change on the clock in the third quarter, West Frankfort was up 18-0.
Sam Cooksey picks off the second play of the next Sparta drive. The Redbirds were three and out.
Junior QB Kijah Banda puts the Bulldogs on his shoulders and in this drive picks up a big chunk of the 129 yards rushing he had on the night. Sparta puts together a very long 12 possession drive, and Banda runs it in for a one yard TB. He then hits Tony Williams for the two point conversion to make it 18-8 West Frankfort with 9:53 to go in the game.
The Bulldogs then try an on side kick. Sparta touches it then Brock Johnson recovers. I breathed a big sigh of relief because it looked to me there was a Redbird hand on it before Sparta deflected it.
After the onside kick Eaton finds Hammers for a 39 yard pass on the third play of the drive. On the next play Allen runs it in from 16 and runs in the two point conversion as well to make the Score 26-8 West Frankfort with 7:45 left to go.
After a five play Sparta drive which featured a 39 yard run by Banda, West Frankfort takes over on downs. On the fifth play of the WF drive, Eaton scores his third touchdown of the night from the ten, Cooksey kicks the extra point to make it 33-8 West Frankfort with 3:38 to go.
Sparta then goes to Carlos Keen at QB. The go on an air assault. Keen finds Oyston Connors in the end zone in the final few ticks of the game. The two point conversion was good, for a 33-16 final.
West Frankfort improves to 2-1 on the season and opens SIRR Ohio Division play Friday night on the road facing the Harrisburg Bulldogs, who were 21-14 winners over Boonville, IN last Friday night.
Sparta falls to 0-3 on the season and will open Mississippi Division play facing the Pinckneyville Panthers, who were whipped by the Benton Rangers 41-0 last Friday night. Sparta has dropped 16 consecutive games spanning over the last three seasons. I can see the losing streak possibly ending on the turf at Pinckneyville.
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