Nov. 5 — TOLEDO — Players and fans were full of jubilation and head coach Lucas Watkins received a water bath.
The Cumberland Pirates had just won the football program’s fifth playoff game, so the celebration was justified.
“It’s exciting. It’s exhilarating. It’s a great feeling,” Watkins said. “This is what you coach football for – for feelings like this. I’m so happy to see the hard work, effort and it all pay off for the kids.”
Cumberland defeated Tuscola, 28-6, at Pirate Field.
The Pirates scored on their first offensive possession following a blocked kick by junior defensive lineman Zach Harmon.
Starting at the 24-yard line, Cumberland advanced five yards after a Warriors penalty. Junior quarterback Hudson McElravy found Harmon for five yards.
Senior running back Grant Keyser was stopped in the backfield before gaining two yards. McElravy then rushed for a pair and Keyser added six more yards. Junior Logan Gerhardt gained seven yards before Tuscola stopped Keyser again in the backfield.
McElravy then found junior receiver Kade McMechan for six yards, Keyser rushed for four and McElravy hit junior running back Owen McGinnis for a 22-yard gain. McElravy then rushed a yard.
The drive ended with McElravy finding senior running back Cameron Brown for a 10-yard score, making the score 6-0 with 1:57 left in the first quarter. McElravy then hit McMechan for the two-point conversion, making the score 8-0.
Cumberland’s defense stood tall again on Tuscola’s next drive, forcing a turnover on downs.
McElravy followed with a 58-yard touchdown pass to Harmon.
“We saw on film that they were playing a lot of man coverage, so we had a bunch of them placed on the right and we kind of condensed them a little bit,” Watkins said. “We had Zach on the inside and ran a wheelie route, angled to the outside, and they lost him.”
The Pirates opened the second half with a score when McElravy found McMechan for a 28-yard touchdown.
Both teams then exchanged errors. Each quarterback threw an interception and Cumberland fumbled.
McElravy found senior receiver Kelby Bierman for a 62-yard touchdown that made the final tally.
All night, the Pirates operated under the philosophy of “Fold. Don’t break.”
“We have a philosophy of ‘Fold. Don’t break.” They made some big plays; We were playing our corners deep and keeping everything in front of us, and we did that for the most part,” Watkins said. “They were able to gain some yards and get down into the red zone, but it got a little bit more difficult for them. I thought we did a good job against the run. Then offensively we were able to run the football. I thought that set up stuff in the passing game.
McElravy threw for 224 yards and four touchdowns.
Watkins said he got his receivers working.
“These kids are athletes. It’s not possible without a quarterback who throws the ball like Hudson McElravy,” he said. “I thought he had a really good game.”
Keyser also had a strong performance, totaling 118 yards.
“It’s not going to happen without the offensive line,” Watkins said. “That offensive line did a really good job. They blitzed a few times, which messed us up, but Grant runs the ball hard.”
Cumberland advances to the second round against Camp Point (Central), Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be played at Central High School.
Alex Wallner can be reached at 618-510-9231 or alex.wallner@effinghamdailynews.com.
