NKyTribune staff
On an afternoon in which its offense put up more than 500 total yards, it was Lindsey Wilson’s defense that sealed a 55-21 victory over Thomas More at BB&T Field.
The unbeaten Blue Raiders returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a 55-yard score by James Todd that gave Lindsey Wilson a 48-21 cushion. Less than two minutes later, Cordarien Trice picked off a Justin Post pass and sprinted 35 yards for another touchdown that capped the scoring on an afternoon that featured plenty of big plays from both teams.
Lindsey Wilson, which is ranked No. 9 nationally in the NAIA poll, upped its overall record to 7-0 and improved to 4-0 in the Mid-South Conference Bluegrass Division. The Blue Raiders finished with 523 yards of total offense, with quarterback Cameron Dukes passing for 406 yards and four touchdowns.
Dukes tossed three scoring passes in the first half and ran for another touchdown as Lindsey Wilson built a 34-14 lead at intermission. Thomas More (3-4 overall, 1-2 Mid-South Conference Bluegrass Division) found the end zone twice thanks to scoring passes from Post to Johnny McNally (39 yards) and Mason Kramer (4 yards), but the Blue Raiders quickly responded to both.
Thomas More’s Da’marco Canty returned a punt 54 yards for a third-quarter touchdown. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Post completed 21 passes in 35 attempts for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Mitchell Hogue caught eight passes for 54 yards, while Monalo Caldwell led the Thomas More ground attack with 94 yards on 19 carries.
Thomas More finished with 372 total yards, 189 of those on the ground. Justin Durham added 70 yards on 11 carries for the Saints, who were playing before a 2019 Homecoming crowd of 3,201 at BB&T field.
Da’marco Canty returned a punt 54 yards for a third-quarter touchdown as Thomas More cut the visitors’ lead to 34-21. The Saints also toughened up defensively, holding the Blue Raiders scoreless in the third quarter to keep the score at 34-21.
But Lindsey Wilson again responded in the fourth quarter, going 91 yards in eight plays, with Boyd taking a Dukes pass and sprinting 44 yards for a touchdown.
Highlands High School graduate Jared Dougherty, one of the top kickers in the NAIA, converted six extra points in seven attempts for Lindsey Wilson. Dougherty also punted four times for a 38.5 average.
Another Highlands product, Lou Bunning, started at center for Lindsey Wilson. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound Bunning helped the Blue Raiders churn out 20 first downs and average 8.0 yards per play.
Thomas More hits the road next Saturday to play Georgetown (Ky.) at 1:30 p.m. at Toyota Stadium.
LINDSEY WILSON 55, THOMAS MORE 21
Score by quarters… 1-2-3-4-F
Lindsey Wilson……. 20 14 0 21—55
Thomas More………. 7 7 7 0—21
Scoring Summary:
LWC-Joshua Lewis 88 yd pass from Cameron Dukes (Jared Dougherty kick)
LWC-Jaleel Warren 4 yd pass from Cameron Dukes (Jared Dougherty kick)
TMU-Johnny McNally 39 yd pass from Justin Post (Alexander Haley kick)
LWC-Jaylen Boyd 94 yd kickoff return (Jared Dougherty kick failed)
LWC-Cameron Dukes 6 yd run (Jared Dougherty kick)
TMU-Mason Kramer 4 yd pass from Justin Post (Alexander Haley kick)
LWC-Terril Cole Jr. 79 yd pass from Cameron Dukes (Jared Dougherty kick)
TMU-Da’marco Canty 54 yd punt return (Alexander Haley kick)
LWC-Jaylen Boyd 44 yd pass from Cameron Dukes (Jared Dougherty kick)
LWC-James Todd 55 yd interception return (Jared Dougherty kick)
LWC-Cordarien Trice 35 yd interception return (Jared Dougherty kick)
RECORDS: Lindsey Wilson 7-0, 4-0 MSC; Thomas More 3-4, 1-2 MSC
