Carpenter has been in the position of having to do a lot while trying to lead a young team the past two seasons. But now he and a bunch of seniors and juniors have an opportunity to return Trotwood football to prominence together.
In Friday’s 38-8 victory, Carpenter completed his first nine passes to five different players. He made short throws and let Michael Smith and Kenaz Smith run. As the defense adjusted, Carpenter ran it more. And in the second half he found the right moment to throw deep to Armani Rodgers for a 73-yard touchdown.
“I think last week he had in his mind that he had to do more than what he needed to do,” Graham said of a 21-7 loss to Cincinnati Winton Woods. “So I think this game, he kind of realized, ‘Hey, man, let me get in a rhythm. Let me go out there and let this offense show some type of identity.”
In the end, Carpenter still had big numbers. He completed 14 of 19 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 11 times for 81 yards and a touchdown.
“It was in our game plan just getting the ball out of my hand and letting the playmakers make plays and they did that,” Carpenter said.
The Rams (1-1) host Division I powerhouse Springfield next week and have high hopes for a Division III playoff run. After the struggles of the past two seasons, this one is even more personal to Carpenter.
“It’s very personal because our biggest goal is we want to win the state championship,” he said. “I’ve been playing with these guys my whole life, so just to finish it off with these guys playing football together and winning the state championship that would put the icing on the cake. But it’s going to take a lot of work. It’s going to take a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of work.”
Carpenter committed to play college football at Indiana this summer, and he’s glad to have that decision behind him.
“It’s a whole lot of stress off my shoulders,” he said. “Now I can just focus on my team and focus on winning.”
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