Carroll Academy head coach Tommy Acy is noticing a difference in his football team.
“I see the joy on their faces,” Acy said. “I can see it building each week as we have success on the field.”
The Rebels did just that in their third game of the season as they pounded District 2-2A foe Greenville Christian School 33-6 to improve to 2-1 on the season and start league play at 1-0.
“That’s the biggest thing; we are off to a good start in district play,” said Acy, who watched his team gain 252 yards rushing on 49 attempts. “We knew by watching film Greenville Christian wasn’t the same team they were four or five years ago, but they did have a couple of good-looking athletes.
“We came out and hit them in the mouth from the start. They won the toss and decided to receive the ball, so we did an onside kick, recovered it and went down and scored. We set the tone from the beginning. We ran some different formations on offense to keep them guessing, and once we saw what they were doing on defense, we ran the plays that would make us successful.”
The Rebels also completed 7-of-11 passes for 131 yards. They were 4-of-5 on fourth-down conversions and held the ball for more than 36 minutes.
Senior running back Cohen Blaylock led the way with 103 yards on 10 carries. He also had one reception for 46 yards, which went for a touchdown.
Senior quarterback Collin Hurst was 6-of-9 passing for 112 yards with two touchdowns. His second TD pass was a 29-yarder to Logan Upchurch. He ran for 81 yards on 16 carries and scored two touchdowns.
Jake Truitt ran for 53 yards on 18 carries. Hayes White led the defense with seven solo tackles and one assist, and Hayden Hopkins had three solos and two assists. Jack Grones tacked on one solo stop and four assists.
The Rebels will be at home Friday as they entertain Regents of Oxford. The Lions lost their first game to Winona Christian School, 45-18, and dropped the second game 42-7 to Marshall Academy last week.
“We can’t go out there and treat them like they are 0-2,” said Acy. “I know their head coach (JoJo Pearson), and they will be well coached. They have only been playing for maybe four years, so they are growing their program. In a few years with the numbers they have in the junior high program, they are going to be much improved.”
The Lions are in MAIS District 1-2A with Kirk, North Delta and Lee Academy.
