NORTH ROBINSON — Colonel Crawford will get a much-anticipated rematch with Carey next week after taking care of business on Friday night.
The 8th-seeded Eagles ripped No. 9 Margaretta 49-14 in a convincing Division VI, Region 22 playoff opener.
Colonel Crawford (9-2) did the bulk of its damage on the ground, with Matt Clinard and Micah Thomas combining for a whopping seven touchdowns. Clinard gained 133 yards on 17 carries and scored three times. Thomas added 51 yards on 12 carries with four TDs.
The duo jumpstarted the offense from the very beginning.
Clinard busted loose on a 30-yard touchdown bolt and Thomas added a 3-yard plunge to make it 14-0 after the first quarter.
The Polar Bears (8-3) countered when Judah Keller’s 11-yard dash made it 14-7. Thomas answered by powering over from the 1 to push the margin to 21-7, before Margaretta returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards to slice the gap to 21-14.
Colonel Crawford’s defense took over from there, and didn’t allow another point.
Meanwhile, Thomas’ 2-yard dive gave C.C. a 28-14 halftime lead.
Thomas added a 6-yard run in the third period goosed the score to 35-14.
Clinard tacked on TD bolts of 12 and 6 yards in the fourth quarter to finish it.
Quarterback Kirk Lohr hit on 9-of-14 passes for 118 yards to balance the Eagles’ offense.
Colonel Crawford had a notable statistical advantage too, outgaining Margaretta in total yards (331-172), rushing yards (213-113) and passing yards 118-59. C.C. enjoyed a 21-7 bulge in first downs as well.
Next week the Eagles will challenge top-seeded Carey, which hammered Riverdale 49-6 on Friday night. The Blue Devils (11-0) edged Colonel Crawford 7-3 in the first encounter between these two on Sept. 23 in North Robinson. Next week’s game will be in the Blue Devils’ den.
