Behind 4-TD performance of running back Emmanuel Crawford, Grove bests Collinsville, 49-21

Crawford accumulates 319 yards as Ridgerunners claim District 5A-4 showdown between undefeated squads

By Mike Moguin 

COLLINSVILLE - An offensive shootout was expected in a key District 5A-4 showdown between unbeaten Grove and Collinsville Friday Night.

But that was not the case.

Instead, it was the running of Emmanuel Crawford that propelled the Ridgerunners (8-0 overall, 5-0 in district) to a 49-21 rout of the Cardinals Friday night at Sallee Field.

Collinsville (7-1, 4-1) had no answer for Crawford as he ran through holes and open running room for four touchdown runs on 20, 70, 56, and 1 yard, along with 319 total yards on the ground with 21 carries.

“I worked hard all week with my team and my (offensive) line killed it (Friday),” Crawford said. “I give a lot of credit to them.

"We prepared for this team and had this game circled on our calendar for a while. We came out with our hair on fire.”

Grove coach Ron Culwell did say handing the ball off to Crawford was the plan.

“We felt like if we could get him loose, then we would have a good night,” the coach said. “It is always the game plan to try to get him loose. Give him some space and let him make plays.

“I think we played as a team; we have some great players that stood out (Friday), but it wasn’t just them, it was everybody on the field. Our line blocked well, our backs ran well, our receivers caught the ball well, our quarterback threw the ball well, and defensively, we bent a lot, but we made a lot of big plays when we had to make plays.”

And that they did. The RIdgerunners had a key interception that preceded one of Crawford’s TD runs and stopped the Cardinals twice on fourth-down conversion attempts twice in the first half.

“I knew we would be ready to play,” Culwell said. “We had practiced well all week and we were razor sharp in the locker room.”

Grove struck first as Crawford ran for a 20-yard touchdown, the first of his three scores in the first half.

Kaden Rush tied it for the Cardinals on a quarterback keeper from 6 yards with 4:16 left in the opening quarter.

That’s where it ended when the opening quarter closed looking as if the predicted offensive shootout was coming to manifestation.

But that changed in the second quarter.

The Ridgerunners answered back and eventually took over momentum.

Grove answered the Cardinals’ tying TD as quarterback Carson Trimble threw to Hagen Hacker for 21 yards in the end zone, making it 14-7.

Collinsville drove with hopes to answer again but came up short, turning the ball over on downs.

Starting at their 30, the Ridgerunners threw an incomplete pass. Then came Crawford’s 70-yard run through his line and clear amounts of open room to the end zone.

After Grove built up a two-TD lead, it appeared as if Collinsville was becoming desperate by throwing long passes.

A deep long pass by Rush was picked off by Landon Davis, allowing Grove to take over at their 13-yard line. Later in the drive, Crawford ran through a hole in the middle and broke free for a 56-yard TD, increasing the Ridgerunner lead to 28-7 with under six minutes to go before halftime.

Trimble threw a second TD pass to Hacker from 10 yards before the half, making the score 35-7.

After a scoreless third quarter, Collinsville’s offense began coming back to life in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals got touchdowns on a one-yard run by Jack Keith and a 29-yard pass reception from Rush to Hudson Henslick.

Of course, it was too late as Grove stayed hot, answering each score. Trimble scored from 3 yards on a keeper and Crawford got his last TD from the Cardinals' 1-yard line.

Collinsville finished the game going 1-for-5 on fourth-down conversions.

With the win, Grove remains unbeaten and is now in the driver’s seat for the District 5A-4 title.