Carroll senior quarterback Josh Holzinger went 6-for-9 for 97 yards and a TD, senior wide receiver Jack McGeady caught a TD pass and junior Jayden Crawford added a rushing TD for the Patriots, who led 36-0 at the half. The 30-point lead triggered the running clock in the second half.
“It’s really nice to start out the season with a win,” said Patriots coach Cody Byrd. “We felt we could come in here and get the job done and it’s good to be able to do what you think you can do. The boys executed really well tonight. I feel good about our preparation. I’m very proud of our coaching staff and our boys executed the game plan really, really well tonight and we were able to come away with a win.”
Ponitz quarterback Shameer Cunningham threw a 38-yard TD pass to wideout Jahfunte Jackson as time expired. Golden Panthers running back Benny Faircloth converted the two-point conversion for Ponitz (0-1).
“I thought we played a lot better in the second half,” said Ponitz coach Gabriel Brown. “I think we have a style of play that we have to get into, which first thing is eliminating turnovers, running the football and stopping the run. We do those three things, I think we give ourselves a chance to compete against anybody.”
The Patriots scored on all five of its possessions in the first half. Brown scored on runs of 11, 1 and 22 yards to give Carroll a 22-0 lead early in the second quarter. The senior missed a majority of last season after suffering a leg injury in the second preseason scrimmage.
“He’s such a leader for us, such a great player,” Byrd said. “The boys rally around him. Missing him last year really hurt and seeing him back healthy and leading this team on the field is awesome.”
Holzinger threw a 16-yard TD pass to McGeady and Crawford scored on a 5-yard run to make it 36-0 at the half.
The Golden Panthers drove the ball to Carroll’s 13-yard line, but lost possession on a fumble. After getting a defensive stop, Cunningham hit Jackson down the left sideline for their first TD of the season.
Next week, the Golden Panthers travel to Beavercreek, which beat them 62-7 a year ago.
“Some of the mistakes, giving them a short field, eliminated a lot of the things we wanted to do tonight,” Brown said. “We’ve got to lick our wounds, get back to practice and get ready (for Beavercreek).
Carroll hosts Tecumseh next Friday night at Spoerl-Bartlett Field. The Arrows beat the Patriots 28-14 in New Carlisle last season. The Arrows have a new coach in Randy Kerns, who previously coached at Fairborn.
“He always does a great job with teams he’s coached,” Byrd said. “We’re looking forward to it. It’s a physical game, so it really helped us that we were able to pull the (starters) out going into halftime. We’re excited, we’re healthy and we’re ready.”
About the Author