Late field goal lifts Carbondale past Althoff in South Seven Conference matchup
Carbondale’s last rodeo against Althoff ended in a nail-biter, as a late field goal gave the Terriers a 10-7 victory.
Althoff fell to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the South Seven Conference. Carbondale — playing its final season in the South Seven — is 2-5 overall, 1-3 in league play.
The Crusaders struck first, scoring on their first drive when quarterback Braylon Grayson connected with Charleston for a 36-yard touchdown with 10:05 left in the first quarter.
However, Althoff would not score again.
“We left a lot of points on the board offensively,” Crusaders coach Austin Frazier said. “We have to improve if we want to be a playoff team ... right now we didn’t play like it.
Althoff’s special teams then made a key mistake, getting flagged for running into the kicker with 8:42 left in the second quarter. The Terriers took advantage as Mozzy Graham scored on a 5-yard touchdown run shortly thereafter to tie the score at 7-7.
The score remained deadlocked at 7 until late in the fourth quarter.
That’s when Carbondale quarterback Brock Bowlby made a big throw to tight end Henry Harsy to put the team deep in Althoff territory.
“When those key clutch moments add up to make a great drive that is what ends up winning football games,” Bowlby said.
That helped set up kicker Declan Heckman’s 27-yard, game-winning field goal with 7 seconds remaining.
Carbondale coach Bryan Lee said, “To be a 1-5 team and you’re playing for pride, I think the credit goes to our kids.”
Additional game notes, look to next week
After leaving the South Seven, Carbondale plans on adding Granite City and Collinsville to their schedule for the 2023 season.
Frazier said Althoff has had a good rivalry with Carbondale and wishes the program well.
Of note, Frazier’s club picked up an additional win after Mount Vernon had to forfeit its Sept. 16 victory against the Crusaders after unknowingly playing an ineligible player during the game.
Both teams resume league play at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, as the Crusaders host Cahokia and Carbondale travels to Marion.
This story was originally published October 8, 2022 at 5:00 AM.