Carver offense stalls out in region loss to Cairo

The Carver Tigers got creative to open Friday’s region game against Cairo. On the Tigers’ first offensive play, quarterback Xaiyhir Jacobs threw a pass behind the line of scrimmage to wide receiver Desmond Whitlock. Whitlock then set and hurled the ball to Jarius Thomas, who took it 57 yards for the score.

The only issue was the penalty flag lying on the field at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium. A false start negated the touchdown, which flipped the atmosphere for the Carver faithful in a heartbeat.

For Carver, its best offensive play in Friday’s 24-13 loss to Cairo was one that didn’t count.

The offense for Carver (2-5, 2-2) wasn’t totally absent, as Justin Swain and Khiari McCoy each had rushing touchdowns in the second quarter. But the Tigers were shut out in the second half, doomed by two turnovers and an inability to sustain drives that led to punts on three of their four possessions.

“We kind of beat ourselves,” Carver head coach Calvin Arnold said. “We just missed the opportunities we had. Any time you drop wide-open touchdown passes or get a long first down and then get a flag on the play, we’re going to beat ourselves every time.”

The Tigers’ first drive of the second half was a small sample of their close-but-not-close-enough play. Trailing 14-13, Carver marched down the field 62 yards on six plays. On the seventh play, the football hit the ground. Cairo (4-3, 3-1) recovered, ending what proved to be the Tigers’ best chance for points in the third or fourth quarter.

Though Carver flubbed some of its opportunities, Cairo didn’t just stumble its way into victory. The Syrupmakers’ offense ran the ball well all night, thanks in large part to running back Jamarcus Vicks. Vicks ended the night with 23 carries for 125 yards and one touchdown, the score coming midway through the third quarter to make it a 21-13 contest.

The Carver defense did all it could in the late goings to keep the team’s hopes alive. The Tigers made an interception, forced two field-goal attempts and only surrendered three points over the last 12 minutes. For its troubles, the Carver offense promptly gave the pick away two plays later with an interception of its own and put up only 23 yards in the quarter.

Carver’s latest loss is a blow to the team’s postseason hopes, but Arnold made it apparent he isn’t throwing in the towel just yet. The topsy-turvy nature of Region 1-4A is no secret, and while the Tigers’ performance Friday left them in a hole, the season is still far from finished.

“We control our own destiny, as far as where we want to go,” Arnold said. “We still have a chance to make the playoffs; we just have to win out from this point on.”

This story was originally published October 13, 2017 at 10:03 PM with the headline "Carver offense stalls out in region loss to Cairo."