The Carroll Academy offense had less than 300 yards of offense against Lee Academy on Friday night.
But that’s because the Carroll defense kept giving the offense a short field as the Rebels ran out to a 39-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 39-12 win over visiting Lee (Ark.) Academy.
The Rebels used big plays on offense and defense as they dominated the visiting Cougars on both sides of the football in the first half.
“We just stayed steady and hit some big plays and sort of took the wind out of them,” Carroll head football coach Bo Milton said. “We got a scoop and score on defense and some big plays in the passing game. It was one of the better games we have played since I have been here. They had some big kids and played hard. But I thought we came out and played really physical football and that was the difference.”
The two teams traded punts to start the game but Carroll pinned Lee at their 11-yard-line to start the game. The Lee punt was short and Carroll started their second drive at the Lee 24.
From the 24, it took Carroll just three plays to find the end zone as Jeb Beck scored on a 14-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed and Carroll led 6-0.
The Rebels found the end zone again thanks to the defense when Reese Fulton sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble. Defensive lineman Logan Hodges scooped up the fumble and raced 26 yards for a touchdown. Beck ran in the two-point conversion, and Carroll led 14-0.
After another Lee punt, the Rebels went marching as they covered 47 yards in seven plays. Hunter Brackin finished off the drive with a 16-yard run for the score. The PAT failed, and Carroll led 20-0 early in the second quarter.
Carroll got the ball right back on a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff.
The Rebels struck quickly as Morgan Mims hit Logan Taylor on a 40-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was blocked and Carroll led 26-0.
After fumbling into the end zone on their next drive, the Rebels was successful on another long pass play as Mims hit Gavin Wiltshire on a 70-yard touchdown pass. The try for two failed, and Carroll led 32-0 late in the second quarter.
The Rebels got the ball right back when Wiltshire intercepted a Lee pass. Five plays later, Brackin scored on a 10-yard run. Mims booted in the PAT, and Carroll led 39-0 at the half.
“I thought the passing game was huge,” Milton said. “Morgan threw the ball four times and completed all four and threw two touchdowns. I’ll take that anytime. I thought the pass plays were set up because we ran the ball well. People are going to try and load the box on us. Our receivers have run good routes and have done a good job of getting open.”
The Rebels had just 273 yards of total offense as Beck led the rushing attack 90 yards on 13 carries while Brackin had 45 yards on 10 carries. Wiltshire had 70 yards receiving, while Taylor had 41 yards on two catches.
“I thought we ran the ball hard,” Milton said. “It wasn’t a great night stats wise. But that’s because we pinned them deep and had a lot of short fields. But that’s fine with me. We had 39 points and didn’t have 300 yards of offense. I’ll take that. Our defense played really well, and defense will win you a lot of football games.”
On defense, Brackin had five tackles, while Hodges had four tackles and the fumble recovery for a touchdown. Chip Beck also had three tackles while Wiltshire had three tackles.
The Rebels will play at home again this week as they host rival Kirk Academy. The Raiders are 1-1 on the season. They opened the season with a 35-7 loss to Heritage and bounced back last week with a 41-13 win over Columbus Christian.
“This is a big rivalry game for us,” Milton said. “It’s 30 minutes up the road. Our kids know each other. They will be well coached and will play us hard. They lost to a really good Heritage team and beat Columbus Christian last week. We will have to play our best game of the season if we are going to win.”
