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Collins outran, outpassed and outkicked Western as the Titans moved on in the Class 4-A playoffs with a 36-20 victory at Western on Friday night.

“We do a lot of things well,” Collins coach Jerry Lucas said after his team improved to 10-3. “They’re huge up front and athletic as all getout. I thought our kids stepped up and made some plays.”

Western struck first, driving 58 yards in nine plays after Collins failed on an onside kick attempt to start the game. The Warriors went up 6-0 on a 1-yard run by Chiquan McCallie just 3:22 into the game. The extra-point attempt missed.

But Collins used big plays to take the lead. Zach Wilson passed 15 yards to Nathan Sames, and Lawson Page ran 13 yards on a quarterback keeper. Then Page found Deandre Farris for an 11-yard gain on fourth-and-10 to keep alive a drive that ended with Masai Whyte’s 1-yard touchdown run. Blanton Creque’s kick was good, giving Collins a 7-6 lead with 5:40 left in the first half.

Collins drove 63 yards in 14 plays on its next possession, and again it was Whyte from 1 yard out for the Titans’ second TD. Creque’s kick made it 14-6.

Western tied the game on the ensuing possession. Doreon Gordon carried twice for 25 yards, then Cory Durham burst through the line for a 40-yard touchdown run with 8:24 remaining in the first half. Holder Jordan Cooper fumbled the snap on the point-after attempt but grabbed the ball and sneaked through the defense for a two-point conversion.

Collins responded with a 55-yard drive that ended when Page fumbled on the Western 10-yard line. But the Warriors gained only 18 yards, and a 20-yard punt gave Collins prime field position late in the half.

Farris gained 27 yards on third-and-one at the Western 40, and two plays later Page hit Sames from 9 yards out for the third Collins touchdown. Again, Creque made the extra point, extending the lead to seven with 22.1 seconds left in the half.

Western had one more haymaker left. Dion Sutton returned the kickoff 90 yards for a TD with just 6.6 seconds left. But the kick failed again, giving the visitors a one-point edge at the break.

The Titans controlled the second half. Farris scored again on a 9-yard run with 5:17 left in the third quarter, and with Western’s problems in the kicking game, Lucas decided to go for two. Page hit Sames just inside the pylon to make it 29-20.

Western had an apparent 65-yard punt return on the first play of the fourth quarter, but a penalty for a block in the back wiped it out. That turned out to be huge.

Collins played ball control from there, scoring the clinching TD on Farris’ 3-yard plunge with 3:35 remaining. Western’s last threat ended when Farris intercepted Jordan Cooper’s pass at the Titans’ 10 with 1:40 to go.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2.../311160136