Pirates Run Over #6 Cougars 34-22, on Homecoming

Pirate Football improved to 3-1 (overall & MSC) on Homecoming Friday night, upsetting the Class 3A #6 and two time defending conference champs from North Harrison, 34-22.  Charlestown’s offense capitalized on great Pirate defensive plays in the second half to roll to a 27-15 advantage at the end of the third; then a 34-15 advantage with just under four minutes remaining in the game.  The Pirate defense minimized the Cougar’s (3-1) leading rusher Jaylen Peake, as he finished the game with 155 total yards on 23 carries; however 142 of those yards where in the first half.  Devin Lukes collected two huge interceptions, which stymied any attempts by North Harrison to muster momentum; while Bo Braunecker came alive in the second stanza to finish with 8 tackles (6 solo) and a sack.

During the halftime Homecoming festivities, Tristan Callaway and Madison Christy were crowned Charlestown’s new Homecoming King and Queen (shown in photo, courtesy of Melissa Stewart)

Once again, the Pirate offense got big ground production by Junior standout Marion Lukes.  Frustrating the Cougar defense, Marion logged 347 yards of rushing on 28 carries; after breaking the Charlestown single game record a week prior after a 475 yard performance.  Marion scored four of the five Pirate touchdowns, on runs of 21 and 6 in the first half; and 61 and 77 in the second half.  Lukes goes into week five of the season with a total of 1,144 rushing yards, placing him solidly among the top five rushers in the nation.

Junior Marion Lukes’ 77 yard rushing touchdown during the 3rd Qtr. vs. #6 N. Harrison:

Pirate quarterback Braiden Murphy scored on a seven yard run midway in the fourth quarter; before North Harrison concluded scoring with 85 yard kickoff return by Zane Armstrong.

The Pirates finished with 439 yards of offense, all on the ground; assisted by Addison Logsdon’s 81 yards on 13 carries.

The Pirates play out of conference next Friday, when they travel to Providence (2-2) High School (Clarksville) for another chapter in the forty plus year history between the two programs.  Kick off is scheduled for 7:00 pm at Murphy Stadium, to be broadcasted lived on WPMQ 99.3 FM Radio.