Football: Charleston dominates Glen Rose, advances to 3A title game

CHARLESTON -- A strong second half is just what Charleston needed Friday night to return to the Class 3A state championship game.

Charleston used a strong effort after halftime on defense to pull away with a 44-13 victory against Glen Rose after leading by just three points at the break at Alumni Field.

[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD: Full results + recaps, photos and more]

Class 3A Semifinals

Charleston 44, Glen Rose 13

Glen^7^6^0^0^—^13

Char^8^8^14^14^—^44

First quarter

Char — Flanagan 2 pass from Rowland (Flanagan run), 2:32

Glen — Weatherford 6 run (Chavez kick), :43

Second quarter

Char — Flanagan 70 interception return (Hampton pass from Rowland), 6:42

Glen — Hughes 13 pass from Towers (run failed), 4:38

Third quarter

Char — Ketter 13 run (Taggert kick), 7:47

Char — Zimmer 37 pass from Rowland (Taggert kick), 1:06

Fourth quarter

Char — Ketter 5 run (Taggert kick), 11:09

Char — Flanagan 18 pass from Rowland (Taggert kick), 6:43

"We made some adjustments on defense," Charleston coach Greg Kendrick said. "I've said year after year, we are winning with defense. We have been known to put some points on the board, but it's about the defense."

Charleston took a 16-13 lead into halftime with the help of senior wide receiver Sean Michael Flanagan making plays on both sides of the field. Flanagan caught a 2-yard touchdown pass for the first score of the game then returned an interception for a 70-yard score to help extend the lead in the second quarter.

Freshman quarterback J.T. Towers took over for Glen Rose on the final drive before halftime and cut the Tigers lead to 16-13 at the half. Towers capped a 53-yard scoring drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Austin Hughes with 4:38 left before the break.

But Charleston's defense then allowed just 43 total yards of offense in the second half and scored 28 unanswered points to put the game well out of reach.

"I don't want to talk about this game," Glen Rose coach Mark Kehner said, declining comment after the game.

Flanagan did it all for the Tigers finishing with 103 total yards and also had two interceptions returns for 125 yards. He also added had two punts for 71 yards and hauled in five passes for 32 yards and two scores.

"I can't say enough about him," Kendrick said of Flanagan. "He is a game-changer. They were doing a good job putting two guys on him on offense. But he got his touches on defense and made the most of it."

Charleston junior running back Brayden Ketter finished with 20 carries for 123 yards with two touchdowns, and senior quarterback Jackson Rowland completed 17 of his 27 passes for 187 yards with three touchdowns for the Tigers.

"I can't be more proud of these kids," Kendrick said. "The hard part is getting to the state championship. We have been blessed. This group of kids make coming to practice fun. I love them."

Charleston (13-0) broke open the close game with a 13-yard touchdown from Ketter to push the lead out to 23-13 in the third quarter. Rowland then found senior wide receiver Josh Zimmer for a 37-yard touchdown, extending the lead out to 30-13 with 1:06 left in the third quarter.

"We put two really, really good quarters together," Kendrick said. "That's a good ball team we just played. They are hard-nosed team. We just played really well."

Glen Rose (12-2) didn't convert a first down on its first two drives of the game but was able to get the offense going on its third possession after Charleston's first touchdown. The Beavers needed just four plays to cap a 62-yard scoring drive to cut the lead to 8-7 with 43 seconds left in the first quarter. Senior quarterback Aaron Weatherford finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.

Charleston heads to the Class 3A championship game looking for its sixth state title in the past 11 years.

"We always said we haven't peaked yet," Kendrick said. "We haven't put our four best quarters together yet. That's encouraging for us going forward. We played very, very well the second half."

Sports on 12/03/2016

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