Cardinals close season with 41-14 homecoming win

Monday, November 02, 2009

The Cardinals scored 38 unanswered points Saturday to take a 41-14 win over Arkansas Baptist.

The Trinity Valley Community College Cardinals halted a five-game losing streak and celebrated homecoming in style Saturday afternoon with a 41-14 trouncing of the Arkansas Baptist College Buffaloes in a non-conference game at Bruce Field.

Third-year coach Brad Smiley’s Cardinals, unbeaten and ranked sixth in the nation at one point, ended the year 4-5. They were 1-5 in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference.

The Cardinals spotted Arkansas Baptist a 14-3 lead before reeling off 38 unanswered points, ignited by a 36-yard Bo Walker touchdown run. Walker scored three times.

Arkansas Baptist had its defense geared to stop Cardinal sophomore Chad Winbush, who went into the game needing 65 yards for a 1,000-yard rushing season. The Buffaloes held him to 39 yards on 19 carries.

Tyler Little went the distance at quarterback for the Cardinals, running his record as a starter to 4-0. The Colleyville Heritage redshirt freshman completed 26 of 33 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns.

Darnell Williams caught five passes for 103 yards and was on the receiving end of both Little scoring strikes.

The Cardinals also got a pair of field goals from Ernesto Guerra (32 and 45 yards).

Arkansas Baptist, playing as an independent this year after being a SWJCFC team last year, ended the year with a 2-8 mark.

In SWJCFC games Saturday, it was: Navarro 23, Blinn 20 in a battle of the nation’s top two-ranked teams, Kilgore 27, Cisco 10 and Tyler 54, NEO 33.

The conference playoffs begin Saturday with Tyler (3) at Blinn (2) and Kilgore (4) at Navarro (1).