[Stardust]

In a game in which Conner rolled up 84 points and 835 yards total offense, it was actually its defense in the second half that proved to be the difference.

After leading 42-40 at halftime the Cougars held previously undefeated Franklin County to just eight second-half points thanks to forcing five turnovers and pulled away for an 84-48 victory in a second-round Class 5A playoff game on Friday at Watkins Field.
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Conner (7-5) advances to the state quarterfinals next week for the first time in 15 seasons where it will host Anderson County, which defeated Montgomery County in a second-round game on Friday night.

“We made an adjustment in the second half by going from a three-man front to a four-man front and stymied them from running the ball and then they started to panic a little and started throwing the ball,” said Conner coach Dave Trosper. “We knew then we had them where we wanted.”

Conner picked off Franklin County quarterback Logan Woodside four times in the second half, two each by senior safety Nathan Freese and senior cornerback Cody Huff.

The Cougars turned the first two of those interceptions on Franklin County’s first two possessions of the second half into touchdowns to take a 56-40 lead.

After Franklin County junior standout Ryan Timmons, who has committed to the University of Kentucky, scored on 76-yard touchdown run to cut the Conner lead to 56-48, the Cougars dominated the rest of the way.

Timmons, who entered the game with over 1,000 yards and 18 touchdowns rushing and over 1,000 yards and 18 touchdowns receiving, finished with 264 yards rushing and two touchdowns on seven carries and three catches for only 19 yards.

“The Timmons kid is a spectacular player,” said Trosper. “We knew he was going to get his and we didn’t panic, because we knew we were going to score points.”

Conner did that thanks to rushing for a staggering 745 yards on 67 carries in the game.

Sophomore running back Jesse McKeehan led the way with 251 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries after replacing junior Cameron Fogle, who was injured in the first half and didn’t return after rushing for 162 yards and three touchdowns on only nine carries. Sophomore quarterback Drew Barker rushed for 219 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries and also threw for 90 yards and a touchdown. Senior Dylan Levsey chipped in 108 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

“We gave them a set they hadn’t seen,” said Trosper. “I talked all year about when we started clicking it was going to be scary. Up front is where we started taking over.”
Trosper was quick to credit that group up front of senior left tackle Ryan Finck, junior left guard Darien Wolnitzek, junior center Austin Brake, junior right guard Jared Kunkel and senior right tackle Aaron Johnson.

Franklin County finished with 593 yards total offense, 225 in the second half, just 149 without Timmons’ touchdown run.

The first half featured 782 yards in total offense between the two teams – 414 by Conner, 369 of which came on the ground, and 368 by Franklin County, 255 of which came on the ground.

The Cougars led 7-0, trailed 14-7 and then trailed 21-14 before scoring three straight touchdowns over the final three minutes of the first half and first minute of the second half. Barker’s 39-yard touchdown run with 3:33 left in the half tied it at 21-21.

Franklin County had a chance to take the lead, but Woodside fumbled at the Conner 1 with less than a minute left in the first quarter and junior Aaron Spencer recovered for Conner. Four plays later – on the first play of the second quarter – Fogle raced 69 yards off left guard for a touchdown to give Conner a 28-21 lead.

Then on the first play following a successful Conner onside kick – its second successful one of the first half – Fogle ran 49 yards for a touchdown to put Cougars up 35-21 just 16 seconds later.

Franklin County came back to close within 35-33, but had an extra point blocked and the missed a two-point conversion.

Conner upped its lead to 42-33 on Jesse McKeehan’s 21-yard TD run. with 2:20 left in the half, but that was enough time for Franklin County to march 66 yards in eight plays with Woodside passing six yards to Greg Maupin for a TD with 39 seconds left to cut it to 42-40.
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