CHARLESTON- The Charleston Tigers have advanced again to the second round of the Class 3A state football playoffs. Charleston defeated a talented Barton Bears team at Alumni Field by the score of 49-28.
With the win, Charleston will host Bismarck on Friday, November 17 in the second round. The winner of that game will advance to the state quarterfinals.
The Tigers jumped out to an early 21-0 first quarter lead against a Barton team that looked sluggish from their long trip to western Arkansas. In fact, the Bears fumbled on one drive to set up a Charleston score.
But the Bears would not give up, and both teams exchanged scores in the second half, but Barton could not make up the early deficit that it created in the first half.
Charleston senior all-purpose player Reese Merechka came up big again for the Tigers. Merechka scored six touchdowns on Friday after scoring seven the week before against Lavaca. Merechka was named the offensive player of the game, and senior defensive lineman Hunter Little was named the defensive player of the game.
In action from around the 3A-1 conference teams that played in the first round of the state playoffs, top-seeded Booneville defeated number five seed Drew Central by the score of 56-14. Number three seed Mansfield defeated the three seed from the 3A-4, Centerpoint, by the score of 57-22. The number four seed Hackett Hornets were defeated by two seed Bismarck by the score of 42-13. The top-seed from the 3A-4, Glen Rose, defeated the five seed Lavaca Arrows by the score of 51-0.
RNN Sports will have more on next week’s second round of the state playoffs on our website at residentnewsnetwork.com next week. We will be back in Charleston next Friday to bring you coverage of the Tigers’ game with the Bismarck Lions.
Action photos from tonight’s game will be published on Monday at Charleston Tigers Sports on Facebook, as well as on RNN Sports’ “Team Press Pass” page on Facebook.
Congratulations to the Tigers on their big win, and we will see you at the stadium next Friday!
