Oklahoma All-State football: Former Collinsville state champion quarterback helps guide East to wild 34-27 win
By Buck Ringgold | Photos by Karen Schwartz
SHAWNEE — Andrew Carney had seen that movie before.
More than seven months ago, the former Collinsville quarterback engineered a game-winning drive with the score tied in the final minutes as the Cardinals captured their first state championship.
A similar scenario was unfolding in Friday night’s Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State football game. Like that Class 5A title game in December, Carney lined up behind center, this time for the East after the West tied the score at 27-all with less than three minutes left.
And once again, Carney helped finish things off as he threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to former Hominy wide receiver Joe Overstreet with 12 seconds left, lifting the East to a thrilling 34-27 win against the West at Oklahoma Baptist University.
“I hadn’t thrown in a while and I was working on that throughout the game and towards the end of the second half, things started coming together and I started finding my rhythm again,” Carney said.
In that 5A title game against McAlester in December, Carney led a game-winning drive and ended up scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a keeper as the Cardinals prevailed, 42-35.
Friday, in another wild affair, the East offense took the field with 2:50 remaining following the West’s game-tying touchdown. But Carney, much like he did several months prior, remained calm and focused on the task at hand.
He converted a first down on a 13-yard scramble to the West 38-yard line inside the final minute. Then on a third-and-5 from the 33, Carney ran it for 8 more yards and a first down.
On the very next play, Carney appeared to be trapped in the backfield for a possible sack. But at the last instant, he broke free and launched a pass toward the end zone.
Overstreet was all alone just beyond the goal line to make the catch with 12 seconds showing on the clock.
“It was something that Cardinal football has instilled in us through coach (Kevin) Jones, to never give up on a play,” Carney said. “That’s what the Collinsville boys bonded through, all the way to the state game, that we knew we were going to give each other everything we’ve got and we weren’t going down without giving it everything we could.”
Carney - who also saw several snaps at tailback and even punted for the East - ended up as the game’s leading rusher with 103 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown while also throwing for 76 yards.
This fall, Carney will play tailback at the University of Central Oklahoma.
“Coming out into this game, I knew I hadn’t been in a live game throwing since the state game, and I haven’t been working it probably as much as I should have,” Carney said. “I’ve been working at running back and just working on footwork and power, building my strength to try to compete for some playing time this coming fall at UCO.”
Carney will be joined at UCO by his former Collinsville teammate, receiver/defensive back Oscar Hammond. Hammond caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from East quarterback Jameson Ross (Dewar) early in the second half, which put the East up 20-10.
Friday’s win also capped what had been a roller coaster of a senior year for Carney. Against Skiatook in Collinsville's second game of the season, he suffered a severe injury and ended up missing four weeks.
“I made a weird cut and (a Skiatook defender) came into me and I ended up tearing my MCL, out for four weeks,” Carney said. “My team had my back tremendously on that, and I was hungry coming back.
“I sat out four weeks, came back and kept dominating; picked up where we left off.”
And that season for the Cardinals culminated with the first state title in program history.
“The whole town took pride in that win and were super happy and always just had a great time, and we still enjoy that to this day,” Carney said. “When you go back there, you’ll hear people talking about it all the time.”
The West rallied from that 10-point third-quarter deficit. They pulled within three, 20-17, on a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Karsen Williams (Anadarko) to receiver Luke Hendrix (Washington).
Then with 9:49 left, the West tied it at 20-all on the second 40-yard plus field goal on the night from Jace Gilbert, this coming from 48 yards out. Gilbert, who helped lead Marlow to the 2A title and signed to kick for Iowa State, hit a 44-yard field goal to end the first half, cutting the East’s lead to 14-10 at the break.
But seconds after Gilbert’s game-tying field goal, the East quickly untied it as tailback Trey Duncan (Colcord) swept around the right side and darted in from 80 yards out.
The PAT from Jaxon Perdue (Fort Gibson) put the East ahead, 27-20.
The East then forced the West to punt. However, that punt was fumbled, and Hendrix made the recovery inside the East 30. Hendrix then scored his third TD on the night as he caught a 24-yard pass from Williams, and Gilbert’s PAT tied it at 27-all.
That’s when Carney went right back to work, helping drive the East to the eventual go-ahead touchdown.
The West took a 7-0 lead when Hendrix caught a short pass from Williams and dashed 62 yards to the end zone.
But the East responded on the next series, tying the score on a 17-yard pass from quarterback Trent Boatright (McAlester) to receiver Daxton Hembree (Westville), with Perdue adding the PAT.
Midway through the second quarter, the East took a 14-7 lead on a 6-yard keeper from Carney. Ironically, that was also the length of his game-winning TD in the 5A title game.
That win capped a 14-0 season for Collinsville, and that record wasn’t lost on Carney after Friday’s All-State win.
“It’s great to be 15-0,” he said.
