FOOTBALL: Williams scores four second-half TDs in Pioneers’ 27-8 win

By GREG BURTON

Special to Southern Indiana Preps

CLARKSVILLE — Providence needed a spark in the second half against Mitchell on Friday night at Murphy Stadium.

The Pioneers got one with four exclamation points from Kaden Williams. The junior running back found the end zone four times in the final two periods to power Providence over the visiting Bluejackets, 27-8.

Williams had touchdown runs of 40, 52, 7, and 1 yards, scoring all his team’s touchdowns for the game.

The first half went quickly as the game had a scoreless tie at halftime. The offenses consisted almost entirely of running plays during that time.

The Pioneers put an end to a shutout on their first possession in the second half, however, when Williams broke free for a 40-yard romp into the end zone. The extra point sailed wide and Providence led 6-0.

Williams had a repeat performance on Providence’s next possession. On the first play from scrimmage, he got outside and sprinted past the Mitchell defenders, eating up the entire 52 yards needed to get to the end zone. The extra point was good this time, making the score 13-0 with 7:42 remaining in the third quarter.

A pass interception by Kaleb McCubbins set up the next Providence score. Williams pulled the rushing hat trick with his 7-yard run, which capped a six-play drive, at the 5:23 mark of the third. The point-after kick made the score 20-0 and the Pioneers were rolling.

Mitchell (5-2), however, did not want to give up without a fight, and the Bluejackets scored on their next possession.

A 3-yard run by Trey Slone, and a two-point conversion on a quarterback keeper brought Mitchell to with 20-8 with 2:46 remaining in the third.

Providence had an immediate answer. An 11-play, 52-yard drive culminated in Williams’ final touchdown, a 1-yard run with 8:55 left in the game.

Mitchell put together a long, fruitless drive that consumed about half of the remaining time. Providence followed this by running out the clock in the final eight plays of the game. The Pioneers were in scoring position at the end, moving the ball to the Bluejacket 4-yard line. They elected to take a knee and let the clock expire.

After dropping their first three games of the season, the Pioneers now have won four in a row to raise their record to 4-3. They will face a strong test on the road at 7 p.m. next Friday against 6-1 Milan.

SECTIONAL DRAW

Like all teams in Indiana on Sunday, Providence found out its sectional draw Sunday as the IHSAA set the sectional pairings in Indianapolis.

The Pioneers will visit Perry Central (3-4) in the first round of Class 2A Sectional 39 on Friday, Oct. 20. If Providence defeats the Commodores, it will face the winner of Crawford County (1-6) at Mitchell in the semifinals Friday, Oct. 27.

The other two opening-round contests on Oct. 20 are Switzerland County (3-3) at Eastern (2-5) and Clarksville (0-7) at Paoli (5-2). The sectional championship game will be Friday, Nov. 3.

PROVIDENCE 27, MITCHELL 8

Mitchell               0  0    8  0-  8

Providence          0  0  20  7-27

Third quarter

P — Kaden Williams 40 run (kick failed), 10:21.

P — Williams 52 run (Brandon Schafer kick), 7:42.

P — Williams 7 run (Schafer kick), 5:23.

M — Trey Slone 3 run (Caleb Lobosky run), 2:46.

Fourth quarter

P — Williams 1 run (Schafer kick), 8:55.