There were times against Indianola where head coach Bo Milton knew what the Colonels were running on offense.
But Milton said the Rebels were still unable to stop it.
The Colonels overcame two different deficits and scored the game’s last 13 points to take a 27-15 win over the Rebels in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs.
Carroll finishes the season with a 6-5 record.
Milton said injuries finally caught up with the Rebels against a tough Indianola squad that took two wins against Carroll this season.
“Our kid played hard and that’s all that I could ask of them,” Milton said. “You just have to tip your hat to Indianola. We were sitting there telling them what was coming, and we still couldn’t stop it. They blocked really well, and we didn’t have an answer for it. Lofton Holly got hurt and he was having a good game and I thought that really hurt us. When he got hurt, we had to move some people around and just weren’t the same after that.”
The Colonels got the ball to start the game but fumbled at their own 40. Carroll then put together a 14-play drive that ended with a fumble at the Indianola 10.
After an Indianola punt, Carroll took an early lead as they went 38 yards in nine plays as Brennan Blaylock hit Noah Beck on a 9-yard touchdown pass. Blaylock hit the PAT and Carroll led 7-0 early in the second quarter.
After another Carroll fumble recovery, the Rebels put together another drive as they put together a seven-play drive that ended on downs at the Indianola 8.
The Colonels responded with a 17-play drive that ended with a 3-yard run late in the half. The PAT was good, and Indianola tied the game at 7-7 at the half.
“We missed some opportunities in the first half and never got in a rhythm in the second half,” Milton said. “They found a spot and kept hammering it and just executed better than us. They were lining up in some things that exploited us in some spots. Had we scored on both of those drives, it might have been a different outcome.”
Carroll got the ball to start the second half but turned the ball over on a backwards pass at their own 34. Five plays later, the Colonels scored on a 24-yard touchdown run and kicked the PAT to take a 14-7 lead. The Rebels answered with a big play as Mathis Beck scored on a 58-yard run. Maddox Carpenter ran in the two-point conversion and Carroll held a 15-14 lead.
The two teams swapped punts and the Rebels got a break when Indianola threw an interception to Drake Dunn. But the Rebels eventually turned the ball over on downs to give the Colonels the ball back.
“I thought that was a big turning point in the game,” Milton said. “We got the interception and ran the ball down to their 5 and got a block in the back. I thought that was a bad call. He looked like he was going to block in the back but didn’t and the official just anticipated the call. If we get the ball deep and go ahead and score there, I think it’s a different game.
The Colonels then took the lead back as they went 74 yards in five plays and scored on a quarterback sneak early in the fourth quarter. The try for two failed and Indianola led 20-15.
Carroll went three and out and pinned Indianola at their own 5. The Colonels then went 95 yards and scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak 10 plays later to ice the game. The PAT was good, and Indianola led 27-15.
Carroll had 124 yards rushing and 96 passing for 220 yards of total offense. Carpenter led the rushing attack with 66 yards on 17 carries while Mathis Beck had 59 yards on four carries. Lofton Holly had 26 yards on five carries. Blaylock was 8-of-13 passing for 96 yards.
The Rebels are losing five seniors from this year’s squad.
“We are moving up 15 ninth graders and 13 eighth graders that say they want to dress out next year,” Milton said. “We just have to find some pieces and have to find five guys that will get up there and block somebody. We moved up to Class 4A and had a 4A schedule and plays a very good Magnolia Heights team. There are a couple of games that could have gone different. But we had a winning season, and these seniors never had a losing season. That’s a big accomplishment for those guys.”
