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By David Green
Kypost.com
MAYFIELD, Ky. - Beechwood's quest for a third straight and 12th overall state championship was a long shot, with a roster depleted from the last two seasons' richness. The Tigers lost four regular-season games.
However, they were ranked third in the state entering the semifinal round of playoffs, where they squared off with second-ranked Mayfield.
Their hopes died at the hands - or, more precisely, under the fleet feet - of a lightning-fast Mayfield team, which rolled to a 38-0 victory over the Tigers at War Memorial Stadium Friday night.
The 13-1 Cardinals manhandled Beechwood, rolling up 528 yards total offense, 365 of them on the ground, while limiting Beechwood to 203 yards.
"We got beat up front," Beechwood coach Noel Rash said. "Early on, we were hanging in there, but we just couldn't tackle."
The Tigers recorded only five first downs, compared to 24 for Mayfield.
Despite his team's dominant performance, Mayfield coach Joe Morris credited the Tigers.
"When you beat a team like Beechwood, you've done something," Morris said. "What a great win for us. Hopefully, we're not done yet."
Morris had reason to exult. His team, which lost 14-10 in the regular season finale at Class 2A Caldwell County, had to come from behind late to advance to the semis against district rival Crittenden County a week earlier, 31-28.
Meanwhile, Beechwood was cruising, eliminating Bellevue 41-20. That was the narrowest margin of victory in post-season play for the Tigers, who scored 54 and 58 points in their first- and second-round wins.
But Mayfield's control of the line of scrimmage unleashed its 1-2 punch of seniors Tyreese Murrell and Xavier Shelton. Murrell was the workhorse Friday night, carrying the ball 34 times for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Shelton turned in big plays carrying and catching the ball, rushing for 94 yards and receiving seven passes for 84 yards, including a 33-yard TD scamper in the second quarter.
"Obviously, the Shelton kid was better than our guys on the edge," Rash said. "That loomed large. Then, we started getting beat up front, and the whole thing fell apart."
"Stopping their speed" was the Tigers' mission, senior quarterback Matt Rigdon said after the game ended, his eyes tear-filled and his mouth bloodied from the punishment he absorbed as his team's leading rusher, with 11 carries for 60 hard-fought yards.
"They're fast," Rigdon said in praise of the Cardinals - not only their offensive skills players, but on defense as well.
"They had really good coverage on everybody," said Rigdon, who completed only six of 20 passes for 97 yards and threw two interceptions.
His counterpart, Mayfield junior Luke Guhy, was good on 13 of 25 passes for 163 yards with one interception. Guhy carried four times for 31 yards rushing.
After stopping the Tigers on three plays after the opening kickoff, Mayfield drove 39 yards to the Beechwood 23, but Guhy's pass to Shelton was intercepted by sophomore Cameron Vocke in the end zone. Beechwood then was forced to punt, and Mayfield drove 85 yards to the game's first score, on a five-yard run by fullback Matthew Shultz.
The Cardinals led 17-0 at halftime after Shelton's TD catch and a 24-yard field goal by Marc Wynstra. Murrell scored on two short runs in the third quarter and added a 42-yard dash in the final quarter.
Mayfield - which defeated Beechwood 14-7 to cap a 15-0 season and won its seventh state championship in 2005 - will meet Lexington Christian Academy in the state Class A final Saturday at Houchens-L.T. Smith Stadium at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.
BEECHWOOD 0-0-0-0--0
at MAYFIELD 7-10-14-7--38
M-Shultz 5 run (Wynstra kick)
M-Shelton 33 pass from Guhy (Wynstra kick)
M-Wynstra FG 24
M-Murrell 10 run (Wynstra kick)
M-Murrell 9 run (Wynstra kick)
M-Murrell 42 run (Wynstra kick)
RECORDS: Mayfield 13-1, Beechwood 10-4.
STATISTICS
Beechwood Mayfield
First Downs 5 24
Total Net Yards 203 528
Rush Yards 106 365
Pass Yards 97 163
Fumbles/Lost 0-0 2-1
Penalties/Yards 3-15 8-55
Individual stats
Rushing
Beechwood: Matt Rigdon 11-60, Cameron Vocke 6-28, Cory Schuler 4-9, Joe Colosimo 3-9.
Mayfield: Tyreese Murrell 34-214, Xavier Shelton 3-94, Luke Guhy 4-31, Matthew Shultz 4-13, Deandre Jackson 5-9, Jonathan Jackson 1-5, Shaquan Hayes 4-(-4)
Passing
Beechwood: Matt Rigdon 6-20-2 - 97
Mayfield: Luke Guhy 13-25-1 - 163
Receiving
Beechwood: Jacob Maus 3-55, Cory Schuler 2-38, Kody Klug 1-4
Mayfield: Xavier Shelton 7-84, William Higginson 3-38, Javarius Richardson 2-31, Jonathan Jackson 1-10
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