After two straight losses, Carroll Academy Coach Bo Milton was wondering how his team would bounce back.
The Rebels answered all of Milton’s questions.
Behind another strong rushing attack, the Rebels pounded home standing Marshall Academy to take a 37-6 win.
The Rebels are now 6-2 on the season and will host Winona Christian this week in a key 1-AA contest. Winona would win the division title with a win while Carroll could win it the next week with a win over Central Holmes.
On Friday night, Milton was pleased with the way his Rebels bounced back against a talented Marshall squad.
“I thought we played the best game we have played all year long,” Milton said. “From the opening drive to the very end, I thought we kept the hammer down. We just kept hammering away at them. I thought we dominated on offense.”
Marshall got the ball to start the game and drove deep in Carroll territory before turning the ball over on a fumble.
The Rebels then went 78 yards in six plays as Hunter Brackin scored on a 10-yard turn. Logan Taylor ran in the two-point conversion and Carroll led 8-0.
Marshall responded with a 12-play drive as they again drove deep in Carroll territory before turning the ball over on downs at the Rebel 6.
From there, the Rebels marched 94 yards in 13 plays as Morgan Mims scored on a 34-yard scramble, breaking a tackle at the 10 to score with 6:44 left in the half. Jeb Beck ran in the two-point conversion and Carroll led 16-0.
Marshall answered back with their only score of the game as they went 55 yards in six plays, scoring on a. 30-yard run to make the score 16-6.
The Rebels responded with another long drive as they went 63 yards in 11 plays as Mims hit Gavin Wiltshire on a 19-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion was good as Carroll led 24-6 at the half.
“We had two big defensive stands in the first half,” Milton said. “They were second down at the 2 and we held them out and then drove it 95 yards. I thought that was big. I thought we held their skills guys. We were able to keep them from attacking down the field.”
The two teams traded interceptions in the third quarter. The second one gave Carroll the ball at the Marshall 31 as Brackin scored on a 6-yard run to give the Rebels a 30-6 lead.
“We went to some old school stuff,” Milton said. “We went to some wing-T and double slot stuff. That allowed us to get Jeb and Hunter on the field at the same time with Morgan still at quarterback. We went to some nasty slot and went with that mentality. We wanted to hammer right away at them and were able to control the whole game.”
The Rebels added another touchdown as they went went 75 yards in four plays as Mims scored on an 8-yard quarterback sneak. The PAT was good for the final margin of 37-6.
The Rebels had 394 yards of total offense with 332 yards rushing and 62 passing. Mims had 179 yards rushing on 14 carries and threw for another 62 yards. Brackin had 88 yards rushing on 21 carries while Beck had 65 yards on 16 carries.
Beck led the defense with five tackles while Gavin Wiltshire had an interception.
The Rebels will play their biggest game of the season so far as they host rival Winona Christian on Friday night.
The Stars are 5-3 on the season but are 3-0 in division 1-AA play. With a win, the Stars would be division champs. A Carroll win would put the Rebels in position to win the title with a win over Central Holmes in the regular-season finale.
“It’s a big game for us,” Milton said. “It’s a good rivalry game and it should be a big crowd. It will be homecoming for us as well. We have a short week and I’m hoping with it being Winona, it will keep the distractions at a minimum. All of our kids know each other and hang out together. There are a lot of connections.”
Winona has lost two in a row with losses to Bayou (34-20) and Indianola (35-6). They opened the season with a 45-18 loss to French Camp. They have wins over Ethel (39-14), Central Holmes (20-12), Oak Hill (36-10), Park Place (28-20) and Marshall (32-14).
Last year, Winona beat Carroll 20-14.
