Carroll Academy football coach Bo Milton has found a formula that works for his team. The Rebels used a stout, physical defense and kept pounding the football and took a 36-0 win over home- standing Kirk Academy on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.
The Rebels are now 1-0 on the season and will host Hillcrest in their home opener Friday.
The Rebels were up to their old tricks again as they rushed for 421 yards and had 505 yards of total offense.
“I thought we played physical and got after them again,” Milton said. “I thought Kirk played hard for the first 16 minutes of the game. But we just kept pounding at them. We played six running backs and only one kid had more than 10 carries.”
On the opposite side of the football, the Raiders had just two first downs and less than 100 yards of total offense.
“I thought the defense played great the whole game,” Milton said. “We only gave up two first downs and one of them was in the first quarter and the other in the fourth. We didn’t bring a lot of pressure last week but dialed it up and brought some more pressure this week. Our guys did a good job of bringing pressure and not letting their quarterback get comfortable. That was a big thing for us and I thought the effort was good from the beginning to the end.”
The Rebels got the ball to start the first half and turned it over on downs at the Kirk 22. On their second possession, the Rebels went 56 yards in six plays. After a 30-yard punt return by Braxton York, Brennan Blaylock hit Noah Beck on a 28-yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter. The try for two failed and Carroll led 6-0.
After Carroll lost a fumble on its next possession, the Rebels put together a 14-play drive but turned the ball over on downs midway through the second quarter.
But that’s when the Carroll offense got going as Brackin broke free on a 64-yard touchdown run. The try for two failed and Carroll led 12-0.
After a Kirk punt, their fifth of the half, Carroll hit another quick score as Mathis Beck scored on a 77-yard run right before the half. The try for two failed and Carroll led 18-0.
“It looked a lot like the past couple of years,” Milton said. “We talk about it all the time that we aren’t going for a knockout blow to the head. We are just going to keep pounding at the body until they go down. Then all of sudden, something pops for a big play. The kids have really bought into the philosophy that we are going to be more physical than the other team.”
In a rare turn of events, Carroll got the ball to start the second half as well and went down the field quickly as Mathis Beck ripped off a 36-yard run and then a 7-yard touchdown run. The try for two failed and Carroll led 24-0.
“I thought that was a key to the game,” Milton said. “We scored twice late in the first half and got the ball to start the second and scored again. It kind of took the air out of their sails.”
After another Kirk punt, Carroll scored on a busted play when Mathis Beck burst through the middle on a 22-yard run but fumbled and Noah Beck scooped up the fumble and raced 35 yards for the score. The try for two failed and Carroll led 30-0.
After another Kirk punt, the Rebels went 62 yards with William Panni scoring on a 25-yard run. The PAT attempt failed and Carroll led 36-0.
Mathis Beck led Carroll with 216 yards on eight carries with three TDs while Lofton Holly had 53 yard on 10 carries. Blaylock was 7-of-8 passing for 84 yards while Noah Beck had six catches for 80 yards.
On defense, the Rebels had four sacks and allowed just three first downs as Kirk managed less than 100 yards of total offense. Mathis Beck led the defense with seven tackles and one sack while Panni had five tackles and a sack. Cooper Beck had five tackles while Braxton York had an interception.
The Rebels will have their home opener this week as they host Hillcrest Christian.
Last year, the Rebels won 44-0.
“It’s our home opener and we have to stay focused,” Milton said. “Hillcrest has struggled but they aren’t a team you want to let hang around. They will be a good test and we need to stay focused. We can’t be looking ahead. We have to take it one game at a time and this is our most important game. They aren’t throwing it as much as they did last year. They are trying to spread you out and run the football.”
