Edgewood Mustangs fall to Sullivan 28–21

After starting the season 5-0, the Edgewood High School football team has hit a rough patch the last two weeks.

Last week, the Mustangs were shut out 12-0 against Beech Grove after averaging 37.4 points per game. But Edgewood still held an unblemished record in Western Indiana Conference play.

That was until Friday night, when the scoring struggles continued for Edgewood. The Mustangs did not get any consistent offensive after going up 14-0 early in the first quarter and fell to Sullivan 28-21 at home.

Junior quarterback Braylon Linerode threw three interceptions and senior running back Jaxton Collier added another one on a trick play.

“I thought our kids played their butts off,” Edgewood head coach Scott Fischer said. “I reached too much as an offensive coordinator. I put us in some tough situations. Our defense played their butts off and got put in bad situations, but responded throughout the game.”

Linerode finished the game 12-of-22 for 160 yards and two touchdowns, but the three picks hurt his night. Collier (5 rec, 46 yds, 1 TD) and junior wide receiver Dylan Wickens (1 rec, 14 yds, 1 TD) were the two receivers to catch touchdowns. Edgewood leaned on junior running back Braxton Carpenter at times throughout the game. He finished the contest with 123 yards on 19 carries.

Sullivan started freshman quarterback Maddox Grise over senior quarterback Blake Fraker. But that was not the only change that threw off the Edgewood defense. The Golden Arrows also introduced many trick plays and wildcat formations to keep the Mustangs on the back foot.

“We struggled to adjust to it at certain times, but we adjusted to it there at the end,” Fischer said. “I thought we did a pretty good job against them. They’re a big, strong football team and when they want to try and run it down your throat, they’re pretty good at doing it.”

Sullivan kept the ball mostly on the ground. Junior running back Clark French (24 car, 183 yds, 1 TD) and Peyton Carlson (11 car, 54 yds, 2 TDs) took most of the load, but senior wide receiver Zane Catlin (3 car, 21 yds) and senior tight end Ty Hamilton (3 car, 14 yds) were also used in different formations.

Edgewood started the game off fast. On a 3-and-6 from their own 27-yard line, Grise dropped back but did not find a receiver. The ball was intercepted by junior defensive back Evan Enghauser, and he raced into the end zone to put the Mustangs up 7-0 less than a minute into the game.

After forcing a punt on the ensuing possession, Edgewood got the ball back on its own 20-yard line. The long field didn’t slow the Mustangs, as it took just seven plays to reach the end zone. The big play came when Linerode found sophomore wide receiver William Hosey for 52 yards to flip the field. Linerode then capped off the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Collier to give Edgewood a 14-0 lead with 3:25 left in the first quarter.

Edgewood forced a three-and-out on the next possession for Sullivan, but the Mustangs offense started to lose its rhythm. Facing a 4-and-1 from their own 38-yard line, the confident Edgewood coaching staff kept its offense on the field. The move did not pay off for the Mustangs, as a quarterback sneak from Linerode did not get to the first down marker.

Using the short field, Sullivan put the ball on the ground behind its offensive line and Carlson. It took 6-plays and a defensive encroachment penalty to set up Carlson for a 4-yard touchdown.

Only 42 seconds later, the Golden Arrows were able to tie the game at 14-14. Junior safety Xander Freels intercepted Linerode on the second play of Edgewood’s possession. It only took one offensive play for French to rumble into the end zone from 23 yards out.

The Sullivan defense then created another turnover on the next possession. Linerode tried to find a receiver, but the ball popped up into the air and junior defensive tackle Adam McKinley caught it for the interception. But the Golden Arrows couldn’t capitalize. Grise found Hamilton for 32 yards, but two plays later the ball popped out of Carlson’s hands and Wickens fell on it.

After a punt by Edgewood, Sullivan moved the ball 69 yards down the field, thanks to a 66-yard rush by French. With time running out in the second quarter, Sullivan brought out senior kicker Cash Murdock, but his attempt went wide right to keep the game tied 14-14 going into halftime.

The offensive struggles for Edgewood were not fixed to start the third quarter. A 7-yard rush by Carpenter opened up the half. However, on the next play, Linerode’s pass fell into the hands of Sullivan senior defensive back Ethan Garrett.

“[Linerode] will come back from the interceptions,” Fischer said. “He’s a hard working kid. He doesn’t miss, his attitude is going to be great tomorrow morning. He’s an experienced kid, and that’s my fault as an offensive coordinator for putting so much on his shoulders.”

With the ball now on their own 37-yard line and momentum on their side. Sullivan found a spark in their passing game. Grise connected with Garrett for 11 yards, before a jump ball saw Catlin come down for the catch. Catlin then made a move on a defense and passed the goal line for a 53-yard touchdown to give the Golden Arrows their first lead of the night, 21-14.

Forcing Edgewood to punt again after a 5-play drive, Sullivan increased its lead. First down rushes by Freels, French, and Carlson moved the ball 54 yards on 6 plays. Carlson finished out the possession with a 5-yard touchdown, which made it 28-14.

Both offenses slowed down after the middle of the third quarter. Both teams would punt and produce turnovers. A trick play for Edgewood saw Collier throw a pass, but it ended up in Catlin’s possession for the Mustangs fourth interception of the game. Sullivan then would fumble on the Edgewood side of the field.

The Mustangs kept the game close after the fumble recovery, scoring to reduce the deficit to 28-21. The score to get the Mustangs within a touchdown came when Linerode found some passing consistency. A 23-yard pass to Collier, an 11-yarder to senior wide receiver Reece Roberts, and a 14-yard completion to Wickens for the score kept the game interesting.

With around two minutes in the game, Edgewood tried an onside kick but the ball was caught in the air by Hamilton for the Golden Arrows. Sullivan was pushed to a 4th-and-2, but the Golden Arrows brought out the wildcat formation and a rush by Hamilton for a first down sealed the victory.

Edgewood (5-2, 3-1 Western Indiana) will turn its attention to Northview on Oct. 10. The Mustangs will have to defeat the Knights in a road game to clinch a share of the Western Indiana conference title.

“It’s a great opportunity to challenge those guys and challenge ourselves,” Fischer said. “See how much we’ve grown in a season, and try to knock them down to one loss. If we knock them down, we get a tie of the conference championship and that’s what we’re going to be going after.”