By Staff
Mike Hester
For the FCT
WATERLOO – Vina was officially eliminated from playoff contention Friday after falling to Waterloo 56-48 in overtime.
The Red Devils jumped out to an early lead when Morgan McCarley found Cass White in the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown strike. McCarley scored on the two-point conversion, giving Vina an 8-0 lead.
McCarley hit White for another touchdown later in the first quarter on a 21-yard pass and Channing Haithcock added the point after to extend the lead to 15-0.
Waterloo answered with a 20-yard pass, but Brent Townsend got the points back on a 41-yard run and Haithcock added the PAT.
The Red Devils increased their lead in the second quarter with a 45-yard pass from McCarley to White and runs of 7 and 6 yards by Townsend.
Waterloo added a pair of touchdowns and trailed 42-21 at the half.
McCarley added another score for the Red Devils in the third quarter when he intercepted a Cougar pass and returned it 31 yards for the touchdown. It would be the last score Vina would get.
Waterloo rallied, scoring 27 unanswered points. The Cougars' final score came as time expired, but they missed the point after and the game went to overtime.
Waterloo was on offense first and, with momentum on its side, scored on a 3-yard run. They added the two-point conversion to take a 56-48 lead.
Vina was unable to score, running four plays and losing two yards.
The offense gained 417 total yards, mostly on the ground, as McCarley took over the quarterback duties from Townsend.
He completed 4-of-7 passes for 82 yards and three touchdowns.
White benefited the most, catching three of those passes for 70 yards and three touchdowns.
Though he was not passing, Townsend figured heavily in the Red Devil offense, carrying the ball 19 times for 187 yards and three touchdowns.
McCarley had five rushes for 68 yards.
Defensively, McCarley had the interception and Clay Pierce recovered a fumble that led to a Vina touchdown.
The Red Devils will return home this week to play Speake. The game was originally scheduled for Friday, but has been moved to Thursday night.