Coal City – Needing to limit possessions to slow down Independence’s high-powered offense, Lincoln did so in an unconventional way, attempting 50 passes. But it still wasn’t enough.
The fourth-seeded Patriots capitalized on a pair of second-half turnovers and a slew of explosive plays to dispatch No. 13 Lincoln 42-17 Friday night in the Class AA playoff in Coal City.
The win sends the Patriots to the quarterfinal round for the sixth consecutive season where they’ll host No. 5 Doddridge County next week at a time and date that will be announced Sunday.
Much of the game played out the way Lincoln hoped with the Cougars running 82 plays to Indy’s 40, notching 26 first downs and converting on 10 of 17 third down conversion attempts. They did so by averaging 6.4 yards per attempt.
Still, the hosts proved too much, collecting 9.8 yards per play and tightening up once the Cougars crossed into the red zone. They ultimately negated a night that saw Lincoln QB A.J. Bart complete 34 of 50 passes for 322 yards.
“He either had an All-American performance or we made him have an All-American performance,” Indy head coach John H. Lilly said. “The kid had a helluva game. He was putting it right there. I was sitting there watching the film on the sideline and he was hot tonight. I tip my hat to him. He had a heck of a game. Now when we get on the film maybe we made him look game but from the sideline he looked good.”
The disruptor to Lincoln’s plan was senior Cole Laxton who gave the Patriots their first two-score lead early in the second half with a fumble recovery and nixed another potential scoring drive with an interception on the first play of the fourth quarter.
“We told them at halftime that seniors have to win one-on-ones,” Lilly said. “I said in the first half they were beating us on one-on-ones. We have three seniors in the secondary and they’re picking us a little bit. We got to come back out in the second half and we did. I thought we stepped up and played pretty good football.”
Lincoln’s approach on offense was effective from the jump as the Cougars marched 66 yards on 13 plays, settling for a field goal after an Isaiah Conley strip sack turned a first-and-goal from the 9 to a second-and-goal from the 15.
The Patriots weren’t nearly as patient when they finally got the ball.
It took all of four plays – the only four they ran in the opening frame – to score with a 45-yard completion to K.J. Viars setting up a 21-yard touchdown strike to Christian Linksweiler for a 7-3 lead. But the Cougars were undeterred.
They responded with the longest drive of the game, a 20-play, 80-yard trek that saw them convert two third downs and a fourth down, finding the end zone on a 1-yard completion from A.J. Bart to Jacob Bart.
Indy didn’t move as quickly as it did on its first drive but did so effectively, marching 65 yards in six plays, retaking the lead at 14-10 on a 9-yard touchdown run from Sylas Nelson.
Nelson, who had missed the last month with a knee injury, played one more drive before exiting due to another injury. His final play of the night was a 7-yard run on the first play from scrimmage in the second half.
“I don’t know yet,” Lilly said on an update of Nelson’s status. “He went in at halftime and said he felt pretty good. Came out on that first play and went out there and ran pretty good. I don’t think he twisted it. I think he got hit and when you come off a knee injury it takes you a minute but thankfully we’ve got Paxton (Myers) who came in and did a good job for us.”
Needing a stand on defense after punting following their first possession of the second half, Laxton provided one, scooping a fumble at the Lincoln 46 and returning it for a touchdown and 21-10 lead.
“They threw the screen ball and I just went to drive on the ball,” Laxton said. “David Steele, I think to was David. It may have been Christian (punched it out). I just seen the ball hit the ground and at first I was just going to dive on it then I looked up and seen green grass so I picked it up and went.”
Laxton’s next turnover, an interception, led to points as the offense engineered a six-play, 59-yard drive that culminated in a 2-yard sneak touchdown from Brock Green.
Lincoln stayed within striking distance with a 91-yard touchdown drive but Green and Linksweiler connected for the dagger, a 57-yard touchdown catch for a 35-17 lead.
“We ran a little switch concept and they took the outside go ball instead of taking Christian across the middle so I just threw the bender and he was wide open.”
Independence’s defense adjusted well in the second half, allowing 60 fewer yards through the air after yielding 191 in the first half.
“The game plan was to come in and try to play a lot of man and try to sic ’em,” Lilly said. “We were worried about them trying to get the backs out and that’s what people have been trying to do to hurt us a little bit and they game planned for that pretty good. In the second half we just went zone and that helped us a whole lot. I don’t think we played man but maybe two times in the second half.”
Green finished with 286 yards passing in the win while Viars (136) and Linksweiler (130) had over 100 yards receiving each.
Jacob Bart caught 18 of A.J. Bart’s 34 completions for 165 yards and a touchdown.
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