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  • TVCC kicker Saul Martinez (48) kicked a 50-yard field oal Saturday. He is seen above getting another perfect hold from punter Brad Dunavant. Mickey Garcia/scoreboardphotos.com

    Martinez kicks a field goal

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October 24, 2011

JUNIOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Goal oriented

Cards clinch playoff spot, need one more win for home playoff game

The Athens Review

ARLINGTON — The 11th-ranked Trinity Valley Community College Cardinals used a 21-point fourth quarter to pull away from the Cisco Junior College Wranglers for a 38-14 Southwest Junior College Football Conference win Saturday afternoon.

Coach Brad Smiley’s TVCC squad improved to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in conference with the win and clinched no worse than the third seed in the upcoming conference playoffs. Cisco (3-5) was eliminated from playoff contention, falling to 1-4 in league play with one game to go.

The Cardinals are scheduled to be at home Saturday against seventh-ranked and defending national champion Navarro. The Bulldogs (7-1) were a 41-14 winner Saturday against Northeastern Oklahoma to match the Cardinals at 4-1 in SWJFC play.

The winner of the 3 p.m. contest at Bruce Field will earn the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and host the other on Saturday, Nov. 5 in the semifinals. Blinn, which locked up the top seed Saturday with a 52-45 win against Kilgore, will face Saturday’s Tyler-Kilgore winner in the other semifinal in Brenham.

Clinging to a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter, the Cardinals appeared in jeopardy of losing at Chelsey Field for a third straight year. The Wranglers, who had trailed 17-6 at halftime, were threatening after having recovered a fumble on the Cardinal 33-yard line.

But when Jacob Morgan, the conference’s leading passer, tried to dial up a touchdown on the first play following the turnover,  he instead found TVCC defensive back Josh Reed. Most of Reed’s return to the Cisco 45-yard line was wiped out by a penalty, but the Cardinals had turned away the threat and had momentum.

The fourth quarter was all TVCC, starting with a 48-yard Tucker Carter touchdown pass to Derel Walker on the first play. The Carter-Walker combo had give the Cardinals their 17-6 halftime lead on a 28-yard scoring connection in the second quarter.

Vedial Johnson, who scored the Cardinals’ first touchdown on a three-yard run, scored from six yards out with 4:52 left in the game. James Jackson crashed into the end zone from one yard out with 50 seconds left to cap the scoring.

Cisco jumped on top early with a 29-yard Cory McNeil field goal.The Cardinals answered with Johnson’s first touchdown and extended the lead to 10-3 on a 50-yard Saul Martinez field goal.

The TVCC defense produced four turnovers. In addition to the Reed interception, Clifford Stokes and Anthony Garner picked off Morgan passes. Jermaine Longino had a fumble recovery.

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