CARTHAGE -- For a half, Hughes Springs had Corrigan-Camden's vaunted rushing attack figured out. Then the second half happened.

Corrigan-Camden piled up 451 second-half rushing yards and scored on seven of its first eight post-halftime possessions, running away from Hughes Springs 62-34 in their Class 2A Division II Region III area-round playoff on a cold and rainy Friday night at Bulldog Stadium.

The Bulldogs (12-0) will face Centerville (11-1), which earned a 48-27 win over previously-unbeaten Garrison on Friday, next week in the regional semifinals. Hughes Springs finished at 10-2.

Hughes Springs' Michael Martinez (22) runs the ball during the Mustangs' 62-34 loss to Corrigan-Camden in their Class 2A Division II Region III area-round playoff Friday night in Carthage. (Jeff Stapleton, ETSN.fm)
Hughes Springs' Michael Martinez (22) runs the ball during the Mustangs' 62-34 loss to Corrigan-Camden in their Class 2A Division II Region III area-round playoff Friday night in Carthage. (Jeff Stapleton, ETSN.fm)
loading...

Hughes Springs limited a Corrigan-Camden offense, which entered Friday averaging more than 430 yards per game on the ground, to just 118 in the first half, which ended with a 14-14 tie.

But once the third quarter began, the Bulldogs found their groove and never looked back.

Corrigan-Camden junior running back Keegan Mitchell led a trio of Bulldogs ball carriers that eclipsed the century mark, finishing with 166 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. His 73-yard touchdown run produced the first-two score lead for either team as Corrigan-Camden led 26-14 midway through the third after scoring on its opening possession of the half.

Sophomore Malyk Johnson added 160 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries, senior fullback Carlos Inguanzo finished with 147 yards and three scores on a team-high 17 attempts and Addison Kirkland provided 74 yards and a touchdown on only five touches.

Hughes Springs was led by senior quarterback Michael Martinez, a converted fullback playing in place of injured starting signal-caller Chad McKinney. Martinez passed for 167 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for a team-best 144 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

Corrigan-Camden's Cody Rogers (7) makes a leaping catch during the Bulldogs' 62-34 win over Hughes Springs in their Class 2A Division II Region III area-round playoff Friday night in Carthage. (Jeff Stapleton, ETSN.fm)
Corrigan-Camden's Cody Rogers (7) makes a leaping catch during the Bulldogs' 62-34 win over Hughes Springs in their Class 2A Division II Region III area-round playoff Friday night in Carthage. (Jeff Stapleton, ETSN.fm)
loading...

After Mitchell's 73-yard run, Hughes Springs responded with a five-play, 84-yard scoring drive. The Mustangs used a 19-yard run by Fred Hopkins, an 18-yard pass to Kane Sampson and a 41-yard run from Martinez to set up a 3-yard scoring pass to Austin Calcote that cut the Hughes Springs deficit to 26-20 with 3:35 remaining in the third.

And all the momentum shifted to Hughes Springs when Corrigan-Camden quarterback Haden Armstrong lost a fumble at midfield on the Bulldogs' ensuing possession. But two plays later, Corrigan-Camden recovered a Mustangs fumble and went up 34-20 on Johnson's 48-yard run and Mitchell's two-point conversion late in the third quarter.

Hughes Springs then went three-and-out, and Corrigan-Camden expanded its lead when Mitchell found the end zone for the second time on the night -- a 32-yard run that gave the Bulldogs a 42-20 lead with 10:24 remaining.

The Mustangs didn't go away, responding with a six-play drive that was capped by a 23-yard touchdown pass from Martinez to Malik Chism and two-point conversion, which again cut the lead to two scores.

But after a failed onside-kick attempt and a personal foul had Corrigan-Camden's next drive begin deep in Hughes Springs territory, Inguanzo dashed 34 yards to the end zone for a 48-28 lead. Once again, Hughes Springs had the answer, going 52 yards in a little more than minute and scoring on a Martinez 3-yard run that trimmed the deficit to 14 points with seven minutes remaining.

Corrigan-Camden's Keegan Mitchell picks up a first down late in the second quarter of the Bulldogs' 62-34 win over Hughes Springs in their Class 2A Division II Region III area-round playoff Friday in Carthage. (Jeff Stapleton, ETSN.fm)
Corrigan-Camden's Keegan Mitchell picks up a first down late in the second quarter of the Bulldogs' 62-34 win over Hughes Springs in their Class 2A Division II Region III area-round playoff Friday in Carthage. (Jeff Stapleton, ETSN.fm)
loading...

Corrigan-Camden met little resistance on its next series with Kirkland traveling 33 yards to the end zone for a 56-34 lead less than two minutes later.

Hughes Springs' next two possessions ended with interceptions, while Johnson's 73-yard touchdown with 32 seconds remaining served as the exclamation point to an impressive second-round victory for Corrigan-Camden.

Each team lost fumbles on their opening drives of the game. Hughes Springs was the first to take advantage, going in front 8-0 on Sampson's 33-yard run and Chism's two-point conversion to cap an eight-play, 75-yard drive.

Corrigan-Camden answered with a seven-play drive that ended with Inguanzo's 1-yard scoring plunge. Mitchell's run to the end zone on the two-point conversion tied the game at 8-8 with 1:23 remaining in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs forced Hughes Springs into a three-and-out after that, and took their first lead, 14-8, on another 1-yard run from Inguanzo. The scoring play was set up a clutch 27-yard completion from Armstrong to Mitchell on fourth-and-9.

Hughes Springs responded when Martinez's screen pass to Sampson on second-and-19 turned into a 36-yard touchdown. Martinez's run on the two-point attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the game tied 14-14 with 2:55 remaining until halftime.

Corrigan-Camden's Carlos Inguanzo takes the ball into the end zone during the Bulldogs' 62-34 win over Hughes Springs in their Class 2A Division II Region III area-round playoff Friday night in Carthage. (Jeff Stapleton, ETSN.fm)
Corrigan-Camden's Carlos Inguanzo takes the ball into the end zone during the Bulldogs' 62-34 win over Hughes Springs in their Class 2A Division II Region III area-round playoff Friday night in Carthage. (Jeff Stapleton, ETSN.fm)
loading...
---
Class 2A Division II Region III Area Playoff

Corrigan-Camden 62, Hughes Springs 34

Bulldog Stadium, Carthage

Corrigan-Camden         8    6   20   28    --  62
Hughes Springs            8    6     6   14   --   34
First Quarter
HS--Kane Sampson 33 run (Malik Chism run), 4:12.
CC--Carlos Inguanzo 1 run (Keegan Mitchell run), 1:23.
Second Quarter
CC--Inguanzo 1 run (run failed), 7:12.
HS--Sampson 36 pass from Michael Martinez (run failed), 2:55.
Third Quarter
CC--Malyk Johnson 16 run (run failed), 7:52.
CC--Mitchell 73 run (run failed), 5:37.
HS--Austin Calcote 3 pass from Martinez (run failed), 3:35.
CC--Johnson 48 run (Mitchell run), :51.
Fourth Quarter
CC--Mitchell 32 run (Johnson run), 10:24.
HS--Chism 23 pass from Martinez (Sampson pass from Martinez), 8:18.
CC--Inguanzo 34 run (run failed), 8:09.
HS--Martinez 3 run (pass failed), 7:00.
CC--Addison Kirkland 33 run (Mitchell run), 5:06.
CC--Johnson 73 run (run failed), :32.

                                         CC               HS
First Downs                          21                21
Total Yards                         599              454
Rushes-Yards                 52-569         41-287
Passing Yards                       30              167
Comp.-Att.-Int.                 2-2-0          9-19-2
Punts-Avg.                           0-0          3-33.7
Fumbles-Lost                       4-2              4-2
Penalties-Yards                   6-60            8-60

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Corrigan-Camden, Keegan Mitchell 13-166, Malyk Johnson 10-160, Carlos Inguanzo 17-147, Addison Kirkland 5-74, Team 1-15, Haden Armstrong 6-7. Hughes Springs, Michael Martinez 19-144, Kane Sampson 7-65, Malik Chism 6-30, Fred Hopkins 5-27, Chris Royal 4-21.
PASSING--Corrigan-Camden, Armstrong 2-2-0--30. Hughes Springs, Martinez 9-19-2--167.
RECEIVING--Corrigan-Camden, Mitchell 1-27, Cody Rogers 1-3. Hughes Springs, Sampson 3-57, Austin Calcote 3-43, Chism 2-50, Isidro Rodriguez 1-17.

More From East Texas Sports Network