It was a battle of unbeatens as the Plainville Cardinals, 3-0 and ranked 2 in 1A, visited the Smith Center Redmen, also 3-0 and ranked 1 in 1A. Both schools have posted many fine teams through the years and the winner of this game has advanced to the state championship game the last 3 years. Plainville was the state runner-up in 2016 and Smith Center took home state championships in 2017 and 2018.
Fans expected a defensive battle coming in as the Cardinals were yielding right around 12 points a game and the Redmen had given up just over 8 points per game. The start of the contest followed this trend as both squads exchanged punts to start things off. Plainville was then able to drive to the Smith Center 6, but the Redmen defense recovered a fumble, ending the drive. The quarter ended with both squads sporting goose eggs on the scoreboard.
Smith Center jumped out early in the 2nd quarter on a 75 yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Trenton Colby. Senior Sergio Lambert kicked the extra point to give Smith Center a 7-0 lead. Plainville was able to put together a drive of their own that included several long passes by senior quarterback Jordan Finnesy. The drive ended when freshman running back Kyle Werner scampered in for a 20 yard touchdown. Werner was starting in place of the injured Jared Casey. The extra point made it 7-7 midway through the second.
Smith Center had another quick scoring play when senior running back Cole Shoemaker cashed in on a 62 yard touchdown run. That made it 14-7 in favor of the Redmen. The teams would exchange turnovers before the end of the quarter. Smith Center lead 14-7 at the half.
Plainville got the ball first in the 3rd quarter, but went 3-and-out. Smith Center went on a long, methodical drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Senior Jaden Atwood. Lambert’s extra point made it 21-7.
Plainville drove into Smith Center territory, but fell victim to another fumble. This time, Trenton Colby picked up the fumble and took it all the way back for a touchdown. That made it 28-7 in favor of the home team. Smith Center would add two more touchdowns to go on a 26-0 second half run that put them up 40-7.
Finnesy was able to add one more score on the ground, but it was to little to late as the final score showed Smith Center as a 40-14 winner. Jaden Atwood had 12 carries for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns. Trenton Colby finished with a very efficient 100 yards on 5 carries, including a touchdown. As a team, Smith Center rushed for an astounding 407 yards and 5 touchdowns. On the Plainville side Jordan Finnesy had 160 yards and touchdown on the ground, while also completing 14 of 23 passes for 206 yards. Werner finished with 73 yards on 11 carries, one being for a score.
Smith Center moves to 4-0 and plays the first of 3 straight road games when they head to Oakley next week.
Plainville’s record stands at 3-1. The Cardinals are home for a pair, starting with Republic County.
