Canes never quit in semifinal loss to Coffee
By Scott Barkley,
Down 31-6 late in the third quarter and facing a battering ram of a running back, CHS nevertheless closed the gap to 31-18 before falling to Coffee in the state playoff semifinals Friday night.
“There is so much heart in this team,” said coach Conor Foster. “We were worn out. They were so much bigger than us and had been leaning on us for three quarters. But we just kept finding ways to get stops down the stretch and kept fighting, kept plugging, kept pushing and found a way to get some scores.
A late safety made the final 33-18, ending the Canes’ season at 13-1.
Coffee (14-0) plays for the Class 5A championship next week against Creekside. The Trojans will be going for their first title in football in their second finals appearance, having fallen to Lee County in overtime in 2017.
A tough Trojans defense held the Canes to only 74 yards of total offense in the first half while building a 17-0 lead. Coffee extended the lead to 24-0 on the opening drive of the second half with a Fred Brown 6-yard touchdown run.
Brown, who had over 2,000 yards coming into the game, continued as the Trojans’ workhorse, adding 206 more and two touchdowns on 40 carries.
The Canes’ leading rusher, Khristian Lando, didn’t get into the end zone himself but had three key runs that led to touchdowns.
The first came on the Canes’ first drive of the second half. On third down, the senior took a handoff around the left side for a 27-yard gain into Coffee territory. Two plays later Nate Russell connected with tight end Conor Brasfield over the middle for a 48-yard touchdown.
The two-point conversion failed, but the score energized the home crowd and sideline.
“These Cartersville kids never quit. They are always great competitors and I know they made their community proud tonight,” said Foster. “We would’ve loved to have gotten one more win to get to the next level. But I couldn’t be prouder of them, I know that.”
Coffee answered on their next drive, handing the ball to Brown for short gains but doing the most damage on a 20-yard, third-down pass from Maurice Hansley to Anthony Paulk and a 24-yard run from Tyrese Hansley. Paulk eventually took it in from the six with the PAT giving Coffee a 31-6 advantage.
Ja’Mauri Brice took the ensuing kickoff from the four to the Canes 39. A 17-yard run by quarterback Brock Purdy almost broke for much longer, but two plays later Lando exploded down the left sideline for a 34-yard gain.
After a short Lando run, Purdy shed a tackler in the backfield before a nine-yard scamper that brought the score to 31-12 at 1:41 of the third quarter following another failed two-point try.
After forcing a Trojan punt, CHS got the ball with less than eight minutes to play. On second down from the Cartersville 20, Lando broke loose for 58 yards that set up Richard Houston’s 22-yard touchdown gallop. CHS went for the two-point conversion again, this time with Lando getting stopped short, but had closed the gap to 31-18.
Lando – who went down twice during the game with a possible injury but returned to the sideline on his own power both times – finished with 160 yards on 15 carries. Three of those runs brought 119 yards and all set up all the Canes’ second-half scores.
With 7:28 left to play, the Canes attempted an onside kick that Coffee recovered at midfield. On the first play from scrimmage nose guard Keylan McCarty blew up the interior line and forced a fumble by Brown that Brasfield returned to the Trojan 20. Officials, however, ruled Brown was down despite strong objections from the Canes sideline and scoreboard video screen.
The Canes defense forced a punt that placed the offense at its own nine-yard-line. Purdy eventually moved CHS forward with completions to Kendrick Price and Brasfield, but Lando was stopped at midfield for no gain on fourth-and-one with 3:40 to play.
As he has done all season, Foster addressed his team in the end zone after the game.
“I just told them that I loved them. That never changes,” he said. “I’m so proud of them. They fought their tails off tonight.
“Obviously, it didn’t go our way, but they never backed down and never quit. We couldn’t quite come up with enough fixes tonight, but they’ve been warriors all year.”
