Barnesville’s Unbeaten Season Ends with 39-26 Loss to Girard
The Barnesville Shamrocks saw their undefeated season come to an end Friday night, falling 39-26 to the Girard Indians in the Division V playoffs.
Girard’s high-powered offense, led by reigning Division V Player of the Year A.J. Pearson, proved too much for the Shamrocks to overcome. Pearson completed 14 of 21 passes for 175 yards while adding 78 yards on 19 carries.
The Indians struck first on a 1-yard touchdown run by Pearson, but Barnesville answered with a 1-yard scoring plunge from Trey Toliver. Both extra-point attempts were successful, leaving the teams deadlocked at 7-7 early in the second quarter.
Girard’s patient, field-position approach paid off late in the first half. With just 28 seconds remaining before the break, Pearson connected with Joey Alejars for a touchdown pass, giving the Indians a 14-7 advantage heading into the locker room.
The Shamrocks struggled to find their rhythm offensively coming out after halftime, and Girard wasted little time capitalizing. Pearson found the end zone again on a 7-yard touchdown run to extend the Indians’ lead.
Barnesville, however, refused to go quietly. The Shamrocks answered just two plays later with a touchdown of their own, keeping themselves within striking distance.
But Girard’s offense continued to roll. The Indians found the end zone on back-to-back possessions, getting touchdown runs from Mario Lipinski and Pearson to build a commanding 32-14 lead.
Despite the deficit, the Shamrocks continued to battle. Toliver punched in his third rushing touchdown of the night, this time from 2 yards out, trimming Girard’s advantage to 32-20.
Any hopes of a Barnesville comeback took another hit when Pearson broke through for a 10-yard touchdown run, pushing the Indians’ lead to 39-20.
Barnesville managed one final score as quarterback Colt Carpenter connected with Phoenix Graham on a 4-yard touchdown pass, but the Shamrocks’ rally ultimately fell short.
The 39-26 defeat brought an end to Barnesville’s remarkable unbeaten run and postseason journey, while Girard advanced to the Division V, Region 17 championship game.
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