Caruthersville football escapes St. Pius X upset attempt

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. — Trailing 29-28 with 38 seconds remaining in a Class 2, District 1 semifinal game, it looked as if Caruthersville’s season was near the end. Quarterback Devin Russell had other plans.

The junior signal caller led his team down the field 70 yards in just 31 seconds and Caruthersville escaped a St. Pius X upset bid 40-29 Friday night.

St. Pius X took the lead with 38 seconds left when Noah Lampros hit Josh Ruble for a 25-yard touchdown. The Lancers then decided to go for a two-point conversion and took the 29-28 lead when Ruble slipped past the Caruthersville defense for a score.

The Tigers then took the kickoff on their own 30-yard line and Russell promptly hit Dundi Hamilton for a 12-yard completion. After spiking the ball to stop the clock, Russell completed a pass to Charles Tillman for 54 yards and stopped at the St. Pius 4-yard line.

After an incomplete pass, Russell connected with Hamilton for a touchdown with four seconds remaining. Caruthersville missed the two-point conversion but held a 34-39 lead.

After a short kick. Lampros threw a deep pass that was intercepted by Caruthersville’s Billy Cobb and returned for a touchdown as time expired, giving the Tigers a 40-29 win and the team’s 12th-straight season they will play for a district championship. Caruthersville will take on Scott City in the championship game at Scott City Friday night.

Caruthersville (9-2) opened the scoring when Jermaine Alexander recovered a Lancer fumble, one of six St. Pius X turnovers on the night, and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. Alexander ran in the conversion and the Tigers led 8-0 with 10:51 left in the first quarter.

St. Pius X answered back when Carson Fischer connected with Riley Naeger for a 5-yard touchdown and after the point after kick, Caruthersville held a slim 8-7 lead with 6:32 left in the first quarter.

Just 16 seconds later, Charles Tillman broke free for a 52-yard touchdown run and after the run failed the Tigers led 14-8.

St. Pius X (8-3) knotted the game up at 14-14 when Michael Bollinger scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 58 seconds left in the first quarter.

Alexander gave Caruthersville a 20-14 halftime lead when he scored on a 4-yard run with 3:49 left in the second quarter.

That lead held until the fourth quarter when St. Puis X took a 21-20 lead on a 1-yard Carson Fischer run with 9:25 left in the game.

Russell then gave the Tigers a 28-21 lead after an 11-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion run with 3:31 remaining.

Russell finished the game completing 12 of 19 passes for 154 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 49 yards on nine carries with one score. Teammate Darnelle Rodgers had two fumble recoveries in the game.

First Quarter

C—Jermaine Alexander 30 fumble return (Alexander run), 10:51

S—Riley Naeger 5 pass from Carson Fischer (Logan Jacobson kick), 6:32

C—Charles Tillman 52 run (run failed), 6:16

S—Michael Bollinger 3 run (Jacobson kick), :58

Second Quarter

C—Alexander 4 run (pass failed), 3:59

Fourth Quarter

S—Fischer 1 run (Jacobson kick), 9:25

C—Devin Russell 11 run (Russell run), 3:31

S—Josh Ruble 25 pass from Noah Lampros (Ruble run), :38

C—Dundi Hamilton 4 pass from Russell (pass failed), :04

C—Billy Cobb interception return, :00

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—St. Pius X, Nate Ruble 28-112, Michael Bollinger 9-22, Noah Lampros 5-14, Carson Fischer 3-(-5); Caruthersville, Devin Russell 9-49, JaMarion Rodgers 13-47, Charles Tillman 3-44, Billy Cobb 1-5, Jermaine Alexander 2-2.

PASSING—St. Pius X, Carson Fischer 10-22-1-135, Noah Lampros 1-2-1-25; Caruthersville, Devin Russell 12-19-1-154.

RECEIVING—Josh Ruble 4-61, Riley Naeger 4-60, Michael Bollinger 3-39; Caruthersville, Charles Tillman 2-53, Dundi Hamilton 5-42, Jermaine Alexander 4-33, Billy Cobb 1-26.