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UPIKE Athletics

FB 16 GC Team
10
Winner Pikeville (Ky.) UPIKE 6-5, 5-1
7
Georgetown (Ky.) GC 7-4, 5-1
Winner
Pikeville (Ky.) UPIKE
6-5, 5-1
10
Final
7
Georgetown (Ky.) GC
7-4, 5-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
UPIKE Pikeville (Ky.) 0 0 7 3 10
GC Georgetown (Ky.) 0 7 0 0 7

Game Recap: Football |

Football Claims First MSC East Title with Buzzer-Beater Field Goal

GEORGETOWN, Ky. -- Damir Karapandzic's 42-yard field goal sailed through the uprights as time expired, giving the University of Pikeville football team a 10-7 win at No. 17 Georgetown on Saturday.

The kick not only won the game, it also gave the Bears their first share of a Mid-South Conference East Division Championship and allowed them to beat the Tigers for the first time in program history. Before Saturday, Pikeville had lost all 15 games against Georgetown since starting the program in 2001.

While UPIKE is the owner of the MSC East's automatic bid to the NAIA Championship Series, it will likely fall short of the top-20 ranking requirement without major movement in the rankings. The Bears close the regular season with a 6-5 overall record and 5-1 mark in the division.

It's the fifth time the Bears have tallied six or more wins in the last 16 seasons. UPIKE had finished second in in the MSC two other times - in 2004 and 2005 - but this is the first championship, although it will be shared with Georgetown which had an identical 5-1 record.

While Karapandzic provided the heroics, this was a game fought for by the defense which limited Georgetown (7-4) to just 111 yards of total offense, the second fewest gained this season. By allowing the Tigers just 42 yards through the air, the Bears broke the program record for passing yards given up in a season at 1,471.

UPIKE tallied 297 yards of offense, including 173 rushing, as it posted a 19-8 advantage in first downs and controlled the ball for 13 more minutes than the tigers. Willie McCloud led all players with 77 yards rushing - including a long of 46 - while Jamar Kirksey rushed for 71.

Bowen Smith played the bulk of the snaps at quarterback for UPIKE, completing 13-of-25 passes for 111 yards with a touchdown and interception. Braxton Whitmore was Smith's top target with seven catches for 53 yards and Austin Pray collected four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown.

Camron Parsley and Romon Morris finished with six tackles each to lead the Bears, followed by Jordan Mattingly and Tanner Fiser with five each. Mattingly registered 2.5 of his tackles for a loss.

HOW IT WENT DOWN

  • Midway through the third quarter it was a scoreless game and Georgetown had six yards of total offense before putting together a 15-play, 61-yard drive to score the game's first points. It was a slow, methodical drive with the two longest plays going for 10 yards. Zach Harris finished it off with a two-yard rush to take the 7-0 lead.
  • UPIKE didn't take long to answer, coming up with six on the first possession of the second half. The bulk of the yards in the six-play, 83-yard drive came from McCloud's 46-yard run on 3rd and 3. From there, Kirksey ran twice in Tiger territory and Smith got the touchdown on a 22-yard pass to Pray (7-7).
  • Nine straight empty drives followed Pray's touchdown grab until UPIKE was able to put together its game-winning drive. After starting on their own 23, the Bears got a nine-yard completion to Whitmore which had 15 yards tacked on to it on a personal foul. The play to set up the field goal came from Smith's 16-yard pass to Pray that got UPIKE to the 24. Karapandzic's 34-yard attempt was good and had room to spare (10-7).

 

-UPIKE-

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