The Todd County Central football team (6-5) came into Friday’s 2A playoff match-up with the Mayfield Cardinals (10-1) ravaged by injuries, losing 55-0, but showing heart and resilience that will serve the program well going forward. The loss leaves the Rebels still without a playoff win since 1996, and they fall to 0-8 against Mayfield in the post-season.
The Cardinals took the lead with 7:43 left in the first quarter, with a rushing touchdown and PAT putting them up 7-0. On Todd County’s ensuing possession, the Rebels lost their first player of the night when sophomore lineman Hunter Johnson went down and wouldn’t return.
A fumble by Rebel senior Isaiah Fingers gave the Cardinals the ball, and they scored again, making it 14-0 with 3 minutes remaining in the first quarter. Rebel junior quarterback Asa Young was injured on the next possession, leaving freshman Kaleb Slaughter and sophomore Bryce Nolan to run the offense.
Early in the second quarter the Rebels turned the ball over on downs at their own 25, but on first down the Todd County defense stripped the ball and senior MaQureim Mimms returned it 73 yards to the Mayfield 4 yard line. However, the Rebels couldn’t move the ball and turned it over on downs at the Mayfield 11.
The Cardinals drove the length of the field and scored, taking a 21-0 lead with 6:18 left in the half. For the third straight possession, the Rebels lost a player to injury, with senior playmaker Isaiah Fingers going down on a run attempt that turned the ball over to the Cardinals on the Rebel 5 yard line. Mayfield quickly tacked on another touchdown, taking a 28-0 lead with 3:12 left in the half.
Over the next 3 minutes, the Cardinals blew the game open, stretching their lead to 42-0. Just before halftime, the Rebels suffered their fourth injury blow when sophomore lineman Jonathan Flores was forced out of the game.
With a running clock for the rest of the game, the Cardinals scored on their first possession of the second half, leading 48-0 with 5:49 left in the third quarter. Todd County would enjoy their best drive of the game, moving the ball from their own 25 to the Mayfield 25 on the strength of a 13 yard completion from Bryce Nolan to Asa Young, a first down run by junior Jaquavion Mimms, and a big 31 yard run Nolan. However, they couldn’t progress any further and turned the ball over on downs at their own 27. The Cardinals wasted no time adding another touchdown, taking a 55-0 lead that would prove to be the final score.
To the Rebels credit, they fought until the end with Nolan and Jaquavion Mimms picking up big rushing gains to get into scoring position at the Mayfield 12. With time running out, Nolan threw two incompletions in the endzone, and the Rebels’ resurgent season ended on the muddy field at War Memorial Stadium.
The Rebels only graduate 5 seniors, but Isaiah Fingers and MaQureim Mimms won’t be easy to replace. Coach Broady will welcome a large freshman class next season, and the Rebels will no doubt be hungry to improve on a historic 2017 season.
