According to Carroll Academy football coach Bo Milton, it wasn’t a pretty win.
But it was a win.
The Rebels dominated Clinton Christian on Friday night, taking a 42-0 win over the Warriors.
The Rebels are now 3-1 on the season and will travel to Greenville St. Joseph for a key district contest.
Despite the appearance of a solid win, there were things that Milton wasn’t happy about.
“We scored 42 points but it wasn’t a pretty 42 points,” Milton said. “We did what we were supposed to do and won the game. We missed some opportunities early on some pass plays and missed some scoring opportunities inside the red zone. We had a big third quarter and pulled away from them. The third quarter sealed the deal."
The Rebels struck on their first play from scrimmage as Brennan Blaylock hit Noah Beck on a 60-yard touchdown pass. The try for two failed and Carroll led 6-0.
After Carrol turned the ball over on downs on its next possession, the. Rebels went 59 yards in five plays as Blaylock hit Maddox Carpenter on a 32-yard touchdown pass. The try for two failed and Carroll led 12-0 late in the first quarter.
The Rebels turned the ball over on downs inside the Clinton Christian 10 on its next two possessions and lost a fumble on their third possession of the second. The Rebels scored one more touchdown in the second as Mathis Beck scored on a 13-yard run. Blaylock hit Drew Thomas on the two-point conversion as the Rebels led 20-0 at the hal.
“We missed some opportunities in the first half,” Milton said. “We missed some passes but got them out of the box and that’s something we haven’t been able to do in years past. But I thought we ran the ball well. Mathis and Maddox both ran the ball well and had great games.”
The Rebels got the ball to start the second half and went 58 yards in 13 plays as Mathis Beck scored on a 3-yard run. The try for two failed and Carroll led 26-0.
The Rebels got the ball late in the third in a punt block by Blaylock. The Rebels then went 22 yards in four plays as Mathis Beck scored on a 7-yard run. The try for two failed and Carroll led 32-0.
After a Clinton punt, Carroll went 33 yards in three plays as Carpenter scored on a 7-yard run. Mathis Beck converted the two-point conversion and Carroll led 40-0.
Carroll’s last points came on special teams when Clinton snapped the ball over the punter’s head and out of the end zone.
“I thought we did a lot of good things on defense,” Milton said. “It was just a slow game because they passed so much. We should have had about four interceptions and were there in great position. We really only gave up one pass play and were getting better in that aspect. We will need to be better in that area this week for sure.”
The Rebels had a big night on offense with 351 yards rushing and 110 passing for 461 yards of total offense with 23 first downs.
Blaylock was 5-of-10 passing for 116 yards with two TDs while Noah Beck had three catches for 73 yards. Mathis Beck had 168 yards rushing on 23 carries while Maddox Carpenter had 102 yards rushing on 17 carries. William Panni had 57 yards on four carries.
On defense, Mathis Beck and Carpenter each had six tackles while Carpenter had a fumble recovery. Landon Grantham had a fumble recovery and an interception while Blaylock also pulled down an interception.
This week’s game
The Rebels will open district play this week with a road trip down Miss. Hwy. 82 to Greenville St. Joseph.
The Irish are 2-1 on the season with wins over Riverside (41-0) and Indianola (32-14). Their lone loss is to Jackson Prep (35-0).
“They are kind of like they have been the last few years,” Milton said. “They have good athletes in the skill positions. They live and die off the big play. They didn’t hit those against Prep and got beat. They are a big-play team and we have to control the ball on offense and keep them off the field.”
