BALDWYN – French Camp's football season ended at the Baldwyn one-yard line. Trailing 28-20, French Camp quarterback C.J. Johnson was stopped a yard shot of the end zone on a fourth down run in the final seconds. “We missed a block and their guy go through and tackled him,” said coach Nathan Wright. But the key to the loss, Wright said, came on a fourth quarter Baldwyn touchdown drive that gave the Bearcats their eight-point lead when personal fouls by the Panthers' defense kept the drive alive. “We had possession plays three different times and committed fouls That's just inexcusable. We just marched them down the field and let them score.” Baldwyn coach Michael Gray said his defense keyed on Johnson, who nevertheless accounted for all but 12 of French Camp's 245 yards on offense and all three touchdowns. He was 4-7 passing for 98 yards, including a 30-yard TD pass to Darrion Smith, and ran 25 times for 135 yards, with TD runs of 10 and 22 yards. French Camp was missing two of its best offensive players, Silas Hodge and Macon Bentley, both with broken collarbones. But Wright attributed the loss to miscues in the blocking game and in the secondary. “They were very athletic and our guys were not able to block them very well.” The Panthers held Baldwyn to 53 yards on the ground, but quarterback Maddux Richey completed 19 of 27 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns. “When it comes to playoff time, it's always going to come down to who makes the plays and who does the little things,” Wright said. “When it came down to the end, we didn't do some of those little things well.” The loss snapped a five-game winning streak. French Camp finishes 6-4. “This is a team that got better every game and was really fun to coach,” Wright said. Johnson ended an outstanding season with 2,214 yards of offense. He completed 33 of 65 passes for 894 yards, with 12 touchdowns and only one interception, and carried 153 times for 1,319 yards (8.6 average) and 23 TDs. His contributions were not confined to the offense. As a defensive back, he was credited with 57 tackles, four for losses, and had two interceptions. He also averaged 37 yards for eight kickoff returns, including 82 yards for a touchdown against Noxapater. Johnson was chosen as a North team defensive back for the Bernard Blackwell North/South All Star Game, scheduled for December 19 at Brandon High School. Smith was Johnson's main target with 14 receptions for 377 yards and six touchdown. Hodge a freshman, carried 79 times for 533 yards (7.8 average) and four TDs in seven games prior to his injury. Freshman linebacker Landon Rushing was the team's leading tackler with 87. Logan Campbell had 52 tackles, 15 behind the line and eight sacks. Smith and Coleman Mackenzie played well in the secondary, Smith with 23 tackles and three interceptions and Mackenzie with 73 tackles. Wright said the seniors, including Johnson, Smith, Campbell and Mackenzie, will be missed. “It's a great group to build off of with the next group coming in, so I think we have some momentum. But there is no doubt we are going to miss those seniors moving on.” French Camp was third in Region 2-1A with a 6-2 record, trailing two-time defending state champion Nanih Waiya and Tupelo Christian. Both won their opening round playoff games. Baldwyn (6-3) was runner-up to unbeaten Biggersville in 1-1A. The Bearcats play at Nanih Waiya Friday.
