Sullivan rides second half wave to down North Putnam

North Putnam's Myles Bryan reels in a catch against Sullivan in the opening round of sectional play.

Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

ROACHDALE - Rowdy Adams threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two more, as Sullivan used a second-half comeback to defeat the North Putnam Cougars 35-14 in the first round of the IHSAA Football Class 2A Sectional No. 37 play.

It was a tale of two halves Friday night. The defenses controlled play in the early going, as neither team was able to sustain drives. In surprising fashion, it was a scoreless first quarter of action. Sullivan did not have a first down until its third possession.

Late in the opening quarter, the Cougars methodically worked their way down the field on a fourteen-play drive. Mixing the run and the pass, North got itself in scoring position. Quarterback Christian Kramer on a second-and-11 hit Bryson Staggs on a 13-yard fade route to open the scoring. Evan Polley added the extra point to make it 7-0.

Sullivan would answer quickly. The big play was quarterback Rowdy Adams found Luke Adams from 31 yards out down the sideline just a couple of minutes later. This tied the game up at seven.

The Arrows would not get the ball back in the half. The Cougars ground out over seven minutes of the clock, keeping Sullivan’s offense on the sideline. Kramer would connect on nine passes in the drive, including the final one, an eight-yard throw to Myles Bryan with just :14 left in the half. They went into the locker room up 14-7.

“We were flying around and making plays and got some timely stops. Sullivan is a good team, but we knew if we came out and played to our potential, we could play with them,” Cougar coach Scott Moore said.

The second half was a different story. Sullivan took the kickoff and marched 70 yards. Rowdy Adams did most of the work through the air. The Adams-to-Adams combination worked again when he found Luke on a 43-yard strike in under two minutes to tie it up once again.

The Arrows took their first lead on their next possession. Rowdy this time found Joshua Wence out of the backfield on an eight-yard score, his third passing touchdown of the game.

North Putnam once again marched down the field, but on a fourth and seven Kramer’s pass fell incomplete, stopping the drive deep in Arrow territory. This was the turning point. After a couple of Cougar penalties, Sullivan was able to extend its lead. This time Rowdy Adams used his legs rushing around the right side on a four-yard run.

The Arrows would put the game away early in the final period. Taking advantage of an interception, Adams scampered 27 yards for the final score of the contest. Giuseppe Leone was perfect on the night on extra points making the final 35-14.

“We got worn down a little bit and didn’t make the plays that we made in the first half. This senior group is one of the best groups I’ve been associated with. What they did to get this culture and this program back will not be forgotten.” added coach Moore.

Sullivan will now face Cascade in the next round. North battled throughout and fought proudly and set the foundation for the future.

Scoring

2nd

9:56 NP Kramer 13 pass to Staggs (Polley kick)

7:51 S R. Adams 31 pass to L. Adams (Leone kick)

:14 NP Kramer 8 pass to Bryan (Polley kick)

3rd

10:20 S R. Adams 43 pass to L. Adams (Leone kick)

7:00 S R. Adams 8 pass to Wence (Leone kick)

:02 S R. Adams 4 run (Leone kick)

4th

10:25 S R. Adams 27 run (Leone kick)

Team Stats

Individual Stats

Rushing - (NP) Claycomb 29-95, C. Kramer 7-(-12); (S) Deckard 12-68, R. Adams 9-68, Wence 5-45, Hauger 2-20