Watterson Scores 20 Unanswered Points to End Bloom Carroll FB Season

Article Presented By Pickaway Ross CTC…

A 10-0 Bloom Carroll lead after their first two possessions failed to hold up, as the Bishop Watterson Eagles rallied for a 20-10 Division 3/Region 11 Semifinal win Friday at Teays Valley’s Vikings Stadium.

The (12-1) Eagles’ victory ends (10-3) Bloom Carroll’s season and avenges a 33-28 loss to the Bulldogs in the 2022 Regional Finals. Watterson will now play Bellfontaine in the regional title game following their 29-21 win over Granville.

The Bulldogs scored on their first two possessions, marching 80 yards in 14 plays for a 7-0 lead at 4:10 of the first quarter, scoring on a one yard run by Brodyn Bishop followed by Treyton McKee’s PAT kick.

After stopping Watterson on their next drive, Bloom Carroll drove 82 yards on 15 plays for a score, although settling for a 26 yard field goal by Treyton McKee when their first-and-goal scoring opportunity on the 3 yard line stalled due to a penalty and an Eagles defensive sack for a loss.

Trailing 10-0, Watterson seized the momentum by forcing Bloom Carroll to a three-and-out punt possession, then opened up their passing attack to multiple receivers and saw freshman running back Ben Uhlenhake come to life in his running game. The Eagles drove 96 yards in 11 plays, scoring on a 3 yard TD pass from AJ McAninch to Christopher Bair with 23 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The PAT kick by Rudy Kessinger cut the deficit to 10-7 at halftime.

Watterson’s momentum continued to start the second half as the Eagles put together a long drive of 11 plays, but stalled. Their punt pinned the Bulldogs on their own 5 yard line, which flipped the field for what would become the go-ahead score. Watterson got the ball back on a BC punt at the Bulldogs 41 yard line, then drove 10 plays for their first lead of the game on a 16 yard TD pass from McAninch to Dominic Theado with 1:10 remaining in the third period for a 14-10 lead, following the PAT.

Watterson held Bloom Carroll on their next possession, then added their final tally at 8:48 of the fourth quarter when McAininch found Jake Uhlenhake open on the left side for a 51 yard TD strike and a 20-10 lead. The two-point conversion try failed.

The Eagles defense intercepted passes on Bloom Carroll’s next two possessions as the score would remain the same for the final 20-10 tally.

Watterson racked up 378 total yards, with AJ McAninch throwing 17/25 for 246 yards and three TD’s. From late first half into the fourth quarter, McAninch completed 16 straight passes. Freshman Ben Uhlenhake ran for 96 yards on 20 carries and his brother Jake had 89 yards receiving yards and one TD.

Bloom Carroll managed 221 yards, with two-thirds of those in the first half. Ethan Thanthanavong was 10/22 passing for 147 yards and Dylan Armentrout was held to only 41 yards rushing on 17 carries.