By Kary Booher (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
ROGERSVILLE – For way too long, senior receiver A.J. Craft had been stewing like many teammates. So last week when his second-year coach handed over a motivational gift – a sledgehammer – he carved in the only word that came to mind.
That word? Change.
Well, perhaps something is afoot now for the Rogersville Wildcats football team after they not only ended a 12-game losing streak but also delivered coach Mark Talbert his first victory – a 53-20 final against visiting McDonald County on Friday night.
Junior quarterback Zach Bergmann was directly responsible for five touchdowns – two passing, three running – that included a 76-yard TD strike to Craft that served notice in the first half that the Wildcats wanted to take this night by the throat.
Which they did, racing to a 27-0 advantage by the middle of the second quarter.
Plus, senior Connor Leighton, a linebacker playing nose guard and defensive end, also terrorized McDonald County’s backfield all night. Linebacker Gage Meadors returned an interception 27 yards to set up a first-half TD, and Leighton forced two other fumbles, including one that lineman Calvin Chaney returned 13 yards for a late score. And that sledgehammer? It was given to Leighton.
“I put the word ‘change’ on it because all we’ve done this offseason is change the way we do things and change the way for the better – and hope that last year (0-10) doesn’t happen again,” Craft said.
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Talbert brought the sledgehammer idea over from his assistant days at Fair Grove High School, and then he upped the ante for Friday’s pre-game pep talk. For that, he gave the floor to members of Rogersville’s 2011 state championship team, Joe and Sam Zimmer, and their dad Pat Zimmer.
“We were totally amped for this game, and we wanted to do it for our coaches,” Bergmann said. “Coach Talbert’s had it rough, and whatever record we were, he’s a lot better coach and a lot better guy than that.”
Bergmann was 10 of 13 passing for 173 yards and rushed for 124 yards on 15 carries. His 1-yard run at the 7:47 mark of the first quarter broke the ice – it capped a 10-play, 83-yard drive, highlighted by his 40-yard run – and then he hit Craft on the 76-yarder at the quarter’s 2:14 mark.
Craft showed senior leadership there, too, perfectly executing a double move to find space and then hitting the seam.
Meadors’ interception return soon led to Brooks Wilson’s 1-yard TD run, and soon it was 27-0 with 7:51 before halftime after Bergmann broke off a 31-yard TD run. It came just three plays after Leighton’s forced fumble.
The Wildcats’ advantage hit 33-13 after their opening series after halftime ended in a 2-yard pass from Bergman to Taylor Nelson. Talbert had challenged his team at halftime.
“It’s definitely a weight lifted off my shoulders,” Talbert said. “You press every week and you go in thinking you have a game plan to get it done. It’s disheartening for the entire staff and everybody involved in it – our families and everything – and the kids carry that weight, too.”
For McDonald County, it was a learning experience. Sophomore quarterback Cole Martin clearly has an arm, as he connected with Michael Williams twice on 49-yard passes before halftime. The first one led to Martin’s 1-yard TD run and the other opened their next drive, which ended in Jack Teague’s 4-yard TD run. It was 27-13 at that point.
But McDonald County’s first four drives ended in two punts, an interception and a fumble.
‘’We are young, but the bottom line is we’ve got to execute. We’ve got to come out better than we did tonight. We came out flat,” McDonald County coach Kellen Hoover said. “That starts with me getting them ready on game day, and I’ve got to make some adjustments.”
Wilson and Craft both finished with two TDs – Craft a 13-yard reception, Wilson a 5-yard run. Chaney’s fumble return made it 53-20. Wilson accounted for 96 yards on 25 carries.
“I don’t want to be complacent at all. I want another one,” Craft said. “We can’t stop here.”
