By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Rossville claimed a regional championship and punched its ticket to the Class 1A quarterfinal round with a 53-18 pounding of Jefferson County North Friday at Rossville.
Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell ran for four touchdowns and passed for a TD in the Bulldawgs' 53-18 Class 1A playoff win over Jefferson County North. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The game couldn’t have started better for the home team. Jefferson County North fumbled the opening kickoff, giving Rossville the ball at their opponents’ 32-yard line. Three plays later, Rossville senior quarterback Canaan Mitchell tossed to Andre Johnson for a 7-0 lead less than a minute into the contest.
The Bulldawg defense didn’t permit a first down until late in the first period. When the Cougars finally penetrated the Rossville red zone, linebacker Cael Horgan picked off a pass to squelch the threat.
“They gave us the ball back early and the possession part early in the football game was important for us,” Rossville coach Derick Hammes said. “I thought our defense did a good job. We had some red zone stops, so they did a good job overall with the tackling, getting off the field and everything. So, I’m proud of that side of the ball.”
Rossville extended the lead to 33-0 before finally giving up a touchdown on the final play of the half.
(Getting the turnover) was big, because that’s a momentum changer at the very beginning of the game,” Mitchell said. “We came out hot. Our offense is good, so if we stop everyone on defense, we can roll.”
Rossville pumped in two quick touchdowns in the third period to remove any doubt about the outcome. They did surrender two late scores, but coasted to the 35-point win.
Mitchell led the way on the ground and through the air. He rushed for 147 yards on 21 carries and also completed 11 of 13 throws for 181 yards. He ran for four touchdowns in addition to the scoring pass to Johnson.
“(Mitchell) toughed it out. He had a bruise. I don’t think it was anything serious,” Hammes said. “His effort was good. They committed to stopping the run and that kind of brings the quarterback run game into it for us, so he had a good night.”
“I’ve always been good at passing, but in this offense, we run a lot. It takes a lot of the pressure off when the defense (shuts down the opponent) like that,” Mitchell said. “My linemen allowed me time to pass, so all props to them.”
Rossville senior Andre Johnson scored three touchdowns in the Bulldawgs' 53-18 win over Jefferson County North Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Rossville senior Jack Donovan had a big rushing and pass receiving night in Friday's 53-18 Class 1A playoff win over Jefferson County North. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Johnson followed up his touchdown reception with 18 and 24-yard scoring runs. Providing an additional spark to the offense was Jack Donovan. He hauled in five passes for 48 yards and rushed for 69 more yards on four carries. Conner Bush pounded out 52 tough yards to help Rossville control the ball and consume the clock.
Rossville improved to 9-1, but the road gets significantly tougher next week. The Bulldawgs earned a trip to Pittsburg to face perennial powerhouse St. Mary’s-Colgan, the top seed in the East bracket. The Panthers have yet to surrender a point in the playoffs.
“We don’t know a lot about them until we dig into the film. But you want to be playing this time of the year, and these kids have put a lot of hard work in,” Hammes said. “So, they deserve the chance to play a good football team and see what we can get done.”
ROSSVILLE 53, JEFFERSON COUNTY NORTH 18
Jefferson County North (8-2) 0 6 0 12 -- 18
Rossville (9-1) 14 19 13 7 -- 53
Rossville – Johnson 17 pass from Mitchell (Dohrman kick)
Rossville – Mitchell 2 run (Dohrman kick)
Rossville – Mitchell 7 run (Dohrman kick)
Rossville – Bush 13 run (kick failed)
Rossville – Johnson 18 run (pass failed)
Jefferson County North – Furhman 13 pass from Elias (run failed)
Rossville – Mitchell 10 run (Dohrman kick)
Rossville – Johnson 24 run (kick failed)
Jefferson County North – M. Noll 4 run (pass failed)
Rossville – Mitchell 43 run (Dohrman kick)
Jefferson County North – Elias 13 run (run failed)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing – Jefferson County North: Elias 8-43, Heston 9-39, M. Noll 16-46, C. Noll 1-1. Rossville: Mitchell 21-147, Donovan 4-69, C. Bush 12-52, Johnson 3-43, Droegemeier 1-0, Gentry 1-(minus)2, Graves 1-6.
Passing – Jefferson County North: Elias 12-22-1, 107 yards. Rossville: Mitchell 11-13-0, 181.
Receiving – Jefferson County North: Heston 3-17, C. Noll 1-7, Fuhrman 7-66, Van Dyke 1-17. Rossville: Johnson 2-22, Horak 1-9, Donovan 5-48, Lewis 1-34, Miller 2-21.
Punting – Jefferson County North: 5-22.6. Rossville: Bush 1-37.0.
