TheTimesTribune.com, Corbin, KY
CORBIN —
By Tim Branstetter / Staff Writer
The South Laurel fans that stuck around for the final three minutes were rewarded as their team cut a 17-point deficit to a field goal with :26 remaining before failing to convert on an onside kick as North Laurel managed to hold on for a 20-17 victory.
The Cardinals still lead the series 12-7 over North Laurel, but are off to their worst start since 2001 at when they began the year 0-7.
"I'm glad it's over," North Laurel coach Chris Larkey said. "South Laurel never quit. You have to give coach (Larry) Welch credit. I never felt safe like we had it won until we took a knee and they were out of timeouts."
It didn't take long for the Jaguars to hit paydirt as Ronnie Rotundi capped off a 70-yard scoring drive with a 6-yard touchdown run on the opening possession of the game. Rotundi added the extra point for a 7-0 North Laurel advantage with 8:44 remaining in the first quarter.
After stalling on the Jaguar 27-yard line, the Cardinals stepped up on defense with an interception by Travis Burns with 4:41 remaining in the first quarter, but their offense failed to cash in on a 44-yard field goal attempt.
Jeffrey Poston made up for his missed field goal by nailing a 22-yarder with 4:01 remaining in the third quarter to close the gap at 7-3.
The Jaguars responded with an 80-yard scoring drive on a couple big plays by Johnny Ray Fugate and Rotundi. Fugate gained 24 yards on a quarterback keeper and Rotundi caught a 21-yard pass to push the Jaguars to the Cardinal 21-yard line. Hughie Wagers capped off the scoring drive with a 1-yard touchdown run for a 14-3 lead with 11:26 remaining in the fourth quarter.
"Our offense played tough and just kept pounding the ball against a good defense," Larkey said. "Rotundi played hard, he got hit hard at the end of the game, hopefully he will be ok."
The Jaguars' defense scored a touchdown as Fugate picked off a pass and scored from 30 yards out for a 20-3 advantage with 5:43 remaining in the game, but it was far from over.
The Cardinals were not ready to call it a night as they put together an 80-yard scoring drive capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by Joe Boggs to close the gap at 20-10 with under three minutes remaining in the game.
The Cardinals forced a fumble on the next play and took over on the Jaguars 44-yard line with 2:08 remaining to play. Tyler Vaughn followed with a 20-yard scamper and Jason Mitchell found the endzone on a 12-yard run to pull the Cardinals within three at 20-17 with under 30 second remaining in the game. South Laurel's onside kick was unsuccessful and the Jaguars managed to hold on for the victory.
"Turnovers hurt us," Larkey said. "We fumbled trying to run the clock out and they ended up scoring.
"I love everyone of these guys.,” he added. “They show up and play hard every day. They know what it takes to win a football game."
