Fans and teammates alike got to see the resilience of Carson High quarterback Trey Jensen Friday night.
After a sub-par performance against North Valleys last week, Jensen threw the ball with NFL-type precision, completing 13 of 16 passes for 211 yards and a score to key the Senators' easy 43-10 win over Hug.
Carson improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in league. Hug dropped to 0-4 overall, 0-3 in league.
"The biggest thing about Trey is that he is a competitor," Carson coach Blair Roman said. "He didn't have the best game last week, but he came out tonight and played well.
"We worked hard on our passing game over the summer, and tonight we showed the fruits of our labor. I challenged the kids to step it up (this week), and the results speak for themselves."
Jensen spread the ball around to eight different receivers.
"I came out this week and really focused on throwing the ball (at practice)," Jensen said. "I was rushing some balls last week. I worked on where to put the ball for the receiver to catch it. I'm pleased with myself."
His favorite target was halfback Dylan Sawyers, who caught five passes for 107 yards and a score, and also ran 12 times for 161 yards and three scores. He even averaged more than 40 yards on punts in place of Austin Pacheco, who was suffering from back spasms.
It was another big night for the offense, which totaled 477 yards, 266 on the ground and 211 through the air. The Hawks had no answer for Sawyers and no answer for the passing game. Carson scored on five of its nine possessions, and the defense also scored once.
"I'm not even sure what to say," Hug coach Brad Bodine said. "We just have to regroup. We knew Carson was a good team. Sawyers is a great runner. We took the sweep away, but he took something else."
That's what happened on Carson's first series, a drive kept alive by a Hug penalty which gave the Senators a first down at their own 48. After a 10-yard penalty pushed the ball back to the 38, Sawyers broke loose for a 62-yard TD run on an inside draw. He shook off a tackle attempt by Darius Johnson at the 20 and went untouched the rest of the way. Colby Blueberg ran in the 2-point conversion from Carson's spread PAT formation.
The Senators got on the board late in the quarter, driving 80 yards in six plays with Jensen's 6-yard keeper capping the drive. Brock Pradere's PAT made it 15-0 with 1:37 left.
The teams exchanged punts on their next two possessions. Hug was pinned back at its own 6-yard line. Disaster struck on the first play, as Diontae Blanton fumbled the snap. A wild scramble ensued. The officiating crew first ruled a safety, but then changed the call to a touchdown as middle linebacker Tyler Collins was on the ball. Pradere's kick made it 22-0 with 7:08 left in the half.
"They were trying to run the fly sweep and the quarterback kicked it around," Collins said. "I just got down on the ball. It was my first varsity touchdown. It was pretty cool."
It was just one of many big plays by the defense, as Connor Beattie and Gabe Pongasi had interceptions and Collins had the fumble recovery. Hug gained 282 yards, but 83 of those yards came on two plays, a 35-yard pass to Jaevis Johnson and a 48-yard run by Bam Watson.
"I think we played solid," said defensive end Jon Parker, whose hit on Blanton led to Beattie's interception. "I think it was our best game; better than Del Campo (31-10 win). We got after them."
Carson got back in the end zone right before the half, as Sawyers scored on a 9-yard run to cap an 8-play 67-yard drive for a 29-0 lead with 1:03 left in the half.
Jensen was magnificent on the drive, completing a 12-yard pass to Collins, a 22-yard pass to Sawyers, a 17-yard pass to Parker and a 6-yarder to Sawyers. The last pass to Sawyers gave Carson a second-and-goal at the 9.
Hug came right back with its first scoring drive, a 23-yard field goal by Aaron Serrano as time expired.
A key sack by Caleb Jeffers helped set up Carson's next score. He sacked Blanton on third down back at the Hug 8, forcing a punt. Lonnie Jackson shanked a 20-yard punt giving Carson great field position at the 28.
It wasn't wasted, either.
After Jensen threw incomplete on first down, Sawyers took a handoff and then cut it back inside and scored untouched. Pradere's PAT made it 36-3.
The Senators added another TD with 8:39 left in the game. Sawyers took a a little screen pass on the right side and turned upfield. A Hug defender appeared to have the angle, but Sawyers showed an extra burst of speed and roared down the sideline to complete the 61-yard play.
"Dylan showed a different gear on that play," Roman said.