Whenever Paris slipped up on Friday, Knox County capitalized.
The Coyotes lost 48-36 at Knox County (8-2) in an 8-man Class 1 District 8 tournament game. The game was tied at 8 after the first …
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Whenever Paris slipped up on Friday, Knox County capitalized.
The Coyotes lost 48-36 at Knox County (8-2) in an 8-man Class 1 District 8 tournament game. The game was tied at 8 after the first quarter before Paris (7-3) trailed 30-14 at halftime.
Head coach Cody Carney said Paris was within striking distance with a 16-14 deficit thanks to passing and rushing touchdowns by Spencer Minks, who threw for 126 yards and four touchdowns on 8-for-17 passing. However, Knox County capitalized off Paris mistakes, even with the slick field. Carney said Knox County hit a pass when a Paris linebacker slipped, and the Coyotes slipped and failed to recover a kick to help the Eagles go ahead two more touchdowns.
“It seemed like anywhere we needed something to happen, the ball just bounced a different way,” Carney said.
Carney said the second half was more back-and-forth, but Paris couldn’t cut into its deficit. The defense has averaged 24.6 allowed this season and had a combined 34 points scored on it over the previous four games, but Knox County had a good thing going with 461 offensive yards, including 223 rushing yards.
“They did a great job running the ball tonight,” Carney said. “We had a tough time stopping them.”
Logan Mitchell led with 13 tackles and had two receiving touchdowns, and Bryce Wade had 10 tackles and two receiving touchdowns.
Paris did have some key injuries, including Sawyer Clements being limited due to a knee injury. He is the main running back but also is a linebacker, which was a problem for the Coyotes.
“We had a few young guys step in, and they tried to do the best they could,” Carney said. “We were really thin at linebacker tonight. We had some freshmen and sophomores in there trying to make plays and got caught off guard on defense. They run a good offense.”
Paris went into the game with a four-game winning streak and four straight 50-point games. The Coyotes haven’t had the best history against Knox County with a 1-5 record against the Eagles the last four years. However, Carney said it was another good season, finishing for the third straight year with a winning record.
“They went into the season with high expectations, and they came out with seven wins,” Carney said. “That’s a pretty dang good football season. I’m really proud of the seniors as I can’t put into words how much I’m going to miss them. They’ve been a huge part of our success.”
