By Staff
TOUCHDOWN BOUND – West Lauderdale's Carlessio Blanks (23) makes a run for a touchdown in the second quarter. The Knights won 35-28 in overtime. PHOTO BY CARISA MCCAIN / THE MERIDIAN STAR
By Rocky Higginbotham/special to The Star
October 19, 2002
COLLINSVILLE Carlessio Blanks' senior season at West Lauderdale has certainly not gone as planned. In fact, it's been filled with frustration, pain and most of all injuries.
Friday night, Blanks lifted all that disappointment off his shoulders, as well as those of his teammates.
Blanks ran for a season-high 241 yards and three scores, and his 10-yard touchdown run on West Lauderdale's first play in overtime lifted the Knights to a 35-28 win over visiting Choctaw Central in a Region 5-3A contest.
Last season, Blanks topped the 2,000-yard mark and was considered one of the state's top running backs heading into 2002. But he and the Knights have yet to get untracked due to injuries.
Blanks' old self produced a pair of long TD runs in the first half and several clutch carries down the stretch. But it was nearly all for naught.
West and Choctaw Central combined to put the ball on the ground six times each losing it four times apiece.
Blanks' first touchdown run was a 62-yarder midway through the first quarter, with Michael Pogue adding the first of his three successful PAT kicks.
But just a couple minutes later, Choctaw Central's Kyle Thompson picked up a West fumble and rambled with it 53 yards for a score. Anselm Henry followed with the first of his four consecutive good PAT kicks.
Choctaw took a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter, as Shaun Jimmie found a wide-open Rodgrick Anderson on a half-back pass. But West answered right back with a 68-yard TD run Blanks.
The Knights took their first lead with 1:25 left before the half, as Brian McDonald scored from 32 yards out on a fake punt. The PAT was blocked, leaving it a 20-14 game.
Choctaw Central re-took the lead midway through the third quarter. Six plays after the Warriors recovered a fumble at the West 33, Henry snuck it in from 1-yard out for a 21-20 edge. Choctaw stretched it to 28-20 with 11:54 left in regulation on a 12-yard run and PAT kick by Henry.
West's game-tying drive started with 3:35 left after Choctaw's fourth lost fumble. Blanks scored on a 3-yard run, only to have it nullified due to a holding penalty. Two plays later, he broke a host of tackles on a 12-yard run to the Choctaw 1 and quarterback C. Jay Fountain took it in from there.
Blanks also scored the tying two-point conversion after being hit at the 2 and dragging a pair of defenders into the end zone with 26.4 seconds left.
In overtime, Choctaw Central took possession first and failed to score when the Warriors botched a snap on fourth-and-goal from the 2. West then scored on its first play with the 10-yard run by Blanks.
Judd Godwin added 43 yards on eight carries for West, which had 393 yards of total offense.
Both Choctaw and West left the field with identical records of 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the region. Neither have been eliminated from playoff consideration; but both will need help.
For good reason. After Henry scored four touchdowns in a win over Carthage last week, the senior quarterback scored twice and ran for 126 yards on 17 carries against West.
Next week, Choctaw Central hosts Heidelberg, while West entertains Lauderdale County rival Southeast. Both are region games.