LEXINGTON — Nineteen of Lexington’s 20 seniors walked the length of the field arm-in-arm after Friday’s 49-18 loss to Toledo Central Catholic.
The one missing man was the one on everyone’s mind.
Avery Crawford suffered a grisly leg injury early in the first quarter of the Division III, Region 10 quarterfinal inside Whitney Stadium. He was taken from the field on a stretcher, an air cast immobilizing his right leg.
“My heart goes out to Avery Crawford,” Lexington coach Andrew Saris said through tears.
“That was just tragic,” TCC coach Greg Dempsey said. “We’re praying for that young man.”
First-half frenzy
Crawford sustained the injury with 7:03 remaining in the first quarter. The Minutemen (9-2) took a 3-0 lead a minute later when Cohen Lautzenhiser booted a 31-yard field goal.
It was all Central Catholic after that. The Fighting Irish (8-4) scored on their next three possessions to take a 21-3 first-quarter lead.
TCC running back Jeremiah Fuller scored the first of his four rushing touchdowns on a 1-yard plunge with 4:57 to play, before quarterback Ali Beydoun hooked up with wideout Victor Singleton on a 51-yard scoring strike for a 14-3 advantage at the 1:54 mark. Beydoun added a 27-yard QB keeper with 19 seconds to play in the period.
Lexington cut TCC’s lead to 21-10 on Markale Martin’s 1-yard plunge. Fuller answered with TD scampers of 30 and 6 yards later in the second frame.
“The offensive line did the job today,” Fuller said. “They were pushing people around.”
What’s more, the TCC offensive line was missing a starter.
“We actually had a starter get sick today. We were down a guy,” Dempsey said. “To have other guys step up and get things done was impressive.”
Not without a fight
Trailing 35-10 at the break, the Minutemen refused to go quietly. Brayden Fogle hauled in a 16-yard TD pass from Joe Caudill, then the duo connected on a 2-point conversion catch to make it 35-18.
“Dealing with them is a nightmare,” Dempsey said of Lex’s terrific tandem. “(Caudill) is one of the best players we’ve seen the last two years.
“They change games on both sides of the ball.”
TCC answered when Fuller busted loose for a 50-yard scoring dash. The final score came on 72-yard interception return by Jason Lawson.
End of an era
The loss brought an end to the high school careers of 20 Lexington seniors. The Minutemen won an outright Ohio Cardnal Conference championship this fall.
“This is a really special group,” Saris said. “They’ve got a soft spot in my heart because they were freshmen when I started coaching here.
“It’s the first class I’ve got to see all the way through.”
