Carthage is heading back to the state championship game after a 20-8 win over Cardinal Ritter on Saturday in the Class 5 semifinals.
The Tigers took the initial lead after returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown before ultimately taking a 13-8 advantage into the locker room at the intermission. Neither team scored in the third quarter, and Carthage took advantage of a late Cardinal Ritter turnover to ice the win. Carthage forced Cardinal Ritter into five turnovers.
Carthage matches up with Platte County in the state title game at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Carthage took control of the lead from the onset after RB Landon West returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Cardinal Ritter took the lead for the first time late in the first quarter when RB Kenny Robinson scored from 40 yards out on a 4th-and-6 handoff. Cardinal Ritter converted the two-point conversion to take an 8-7 lead with 9 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Tigers answered back when QB Zane Browning found TE Brayden O’Dell for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 6:29 left in the first half. Carthage’s attempt at two was no good, giving CHS a 13-8 lead.
Cardinal Ritter muffed a punt deep in its own territory with less than four minutes in the game and Carthage took advantage.
The Tigers iced the game away just a few plays later when Browning scored a short-yardage touchdown with two minutes left to cement the score at 20-8.
Other notable scores, Seneca beat St. Clair 57-20 to again advance to the Class 3 state title game.