MIDWAY, Ky. - In a preview of next week's Midwest Sprint Football League postseason opener, Midway gave itself a major confidence boost.
The Eagles rallied from 10 points down in the fourth quarter, stealing a 22-19 win from previously unbeaten Calumet on a 2-yard
Christian Carter touchdown run with 1:19 to play.
Carter, who broke the MSFL single-season passing yardage record on a a 61-yard touchdown pass to
Quincy Barber in the second period, threw for 234 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, including two big ones in the fourth quarter to spark the comeback win.
Things looked grim when the Crimson Wave, who had allowed just 10 points all season entering Saturday, took an 19-9 lead on a 1-yard Nino Barbosa touchdown run just over two minutes into the fourth quarter, putting them ahead 19-9.
But Midway responded with a nine-play, 69-yard drive, aided by a pair of Crimson Wave penalties, including one that nullified an interception. The series was capped off when Carter found
Charles Adams open in the middle of the end zone from 12 yards out, making it 19-15 after a missed extra point.
Calumet, which held a 36:50 to 23:10 edge in time of possession, proceeded to run four-and-a-half minutes off the clock, but the Eagle defense got a stop thanks to a third-down
Trenton Leach bullrush, which forced quarterback Zayne Guthrie to throw the ball away.
Midway then got the ball back and got to work, converting a pair of third downs, including a 13-yard Carter-to-
Chase Williams pass on 3rd and 11.
Deondre Henry, who rushed for a game-high 102 yards, got the ball into the red zone on the following play, gaining 13 yards to the Calumet 12.
Midway then pushed to the 4-yard line, setting up a 4th-and-2, which was converted when receiver
Ayden Bauwens got the exact yardage needed on a direct snap.
That set up Carter, who took a snap out of shotgun and found just enough room on the right side to sneak over the goal line for the go-ahead score with just 1:19 to play.
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Carter finishes the regular season with 2,065 yards and 24 touchdowns through the air, both MSFL records.Â
The Crimson Wave offense got one more chance, but gained just four yards and and three passes get broken up, two of which were batted down by
Preston Moore.
Moore continued a recent tear with two interceptions, his third-consecutive game with two picks. He also led the team with 10 tackles.
Byron Wallace added nine tackles with two-and-a-half for loss with
Luke Guerrero and
Tristian Euell also making eight stops for Midway, which clinched a winning season and improved to 5-2, while handing Calumet (5-1) just its second loss in its last 20 games, dating back to 2023.
This was also the Eagles' first win over the Crimson Wave, having lost the previous three meetings by the combined score of 122-10.
The two teams will be getting very familiar with each other. Calumet, the two-time defending MSFL champion, got the No. 1 seed out of the Red Division and will host Midway, the No. 2 seed in the Black Division, in next week's postseason opening round.
SENIOR DAY
Prior to the game, the Eagles held a celebration for their first ever senior class, with Moore, Wallace, Guerrero, Adams,
Truman Sleuth,
Travis Moss,
Zech McGahan,
Brady Bond,
Ben Goodlock,
Hunter Leigh,
Rylan Robinson,
Omarion Riddick,
Ben Jones and
Josiah Sander being honored.
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