The best way Carroll Academy football coach Bo Milton could describe Friday night’s game against Winston Academy was frustrating.
The Rebels fell behind early as Winston took a 28-14 win to send Carroll to its fourth straight loss this season.
The Rebels fall to 0-4 on the season and will host Manchester this week.
Milton said the loss had him scratching his head after the game.
“It was just a frustrating night for us,” Milton said. “We just couldn’t get anything going. Nothing we did worked right. At times we looked really good on defense and at times we didn’t. We just didn’t play good complimentary football. We just couldn’t get them off the field in spots and it was just a frustrating night all the way around. I’ll tip my hat to them, they beat us.What they did, they did well and executed their game plan. We would get behind the chains and that’s not a good thing focus. And then they scored before the half and went up two scores and that’s tough for us to come back from.”
Winston got the ball to start the game and went 48 yards in six plays, scoring on a 6-yard run. The PAT was good and the Patriots led 7-0.
While Carroll punted on its first two possessions, the Patriots went 12 plays on their second drive and missed a field goal. On their third drive, the Patriots went 64 yards in four plays, scoring on a 31-yard touchdown pass to go up 14-0.
The Rebels answered as they went 61 yards in five plays as Logan Upchurch hit Owen Garrett on a 45-yard touchdown pass. Upchurch hit the PAT to cut the lead to 14-7.
After swapping punts, the Patriots extended their lead as they went 69 yards in six plays and scored on a 32-yard touchdown pass to take a 21-7 lead at the half.
“Our kids were frustrated all night,” Milton said. “They were trying to execute but it was just a bad night for us. We have a veteran group and I’m trying to put my finger on what’s going on. We are like Jekyll and Hyde right now. We will have a good half and a bad half. We just haven’t found that consistency and that’s part of the frustration all the way around.”
The Rebels threw an interception on their first possession of the second half while Winston went 68 yards in 10 plays , scoring on a 57-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was good and Winston held a commanding 28-7 lead late in the third quarter.
Carroll threw another interception early in the fourth quarter but finally put together another scoring drive as they went 95 yards in 12 plays, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Upchurch to Reed Thomas.
The Rebels had 205 yards of total offense with 75 rushing and 130 passing. Cohen Blaylock had 32 yards rushing on 13 carries while Owen Garrett had 21 yards on five caries. Upchurch was 11-of-17 passing for 130 yards with two TDs. Owen Garrett had three catches for 63 yards with one TD while Reed Thomas had four catches for 32 with one TD.
On defense, Nathan Matthews and Gage Ray each had 10 tackles apiece while Ryder Dowdle had eight tackles.
This week’s game
The Rebels will look to get their first win of the season as they take on winless Manchester.
The Mavericks have lost to Kirk (42-7), Winona Christian (35-7) and Riverfield (36-0).
“They haven’t won a game either so somebody is getting a win,” Milton said. “There are no ties any more with power points so somebody is getting a win. I feel like we should be the better team this week but were both winless so it’s kind of even. I saw them in the jamboree. They have gone through some stuff with their headmaster and coach getting fired before the seasons so they have had to make some adjustments.”
Last year, Carroll won 27-7.
