Abel Carter breaks a couple of Hug tackles earlier this season.
Carson High has been blessed to have some sensational sophomore running backs — Joey Thurman, Dylan Sawyers and Colby Brown — in recent years. Add Abel Carter to that list.
Carter rushed for 135 yards and three scores on just six touches to lead Carson to an easy 58-0 Homecoming victory over Hug in its final non-league game of the season Friday night at the Jim Frank Track & Field Complex.
Carson, 4-1, has won four straight since losing to Reed. The Senators start Sierra League play next Friday with a home game against Damonte Ranch. Friday’s game was played with a running clock the entire second half.
Carter scored on runs of 57. 34 and 13 yards, respectively to give him six scores on the season.
“It was pretty much the offensive line,” said the CHS sophomore. “They were opening up some big holes. When the holes are that big, it’s more them than me.”
Carter is being modest. He can shake and bake with the best of northern Nevada, making tacklers miss regularly. And, he’s strong enough to shake off tackles, too.
“He is definitely impressing me,” CHS coach Blair Roman said. “I don’t really like to compare. We’ve had some good sophomores here. Dylan was dominant his sophomore year, and Abel is getting there. He’d be the first to tell you that he needs to work on things.
“This was a great performance by the kids. They were fired up and ready to play. We had a good week of practice, and it showed.”
Carter has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in three of his last four games, and Friday’s 135 yards matched his season high set against McQueen.
Carter has 484 yards thus far, which already beats Thurman’s 300 yards. Brown ran for 771 as a sophomore.
The Senators scored on their second snap of the game, as Carter bolted 57 yards for a score, his second-longest TD run of the season. Johnny Barahona’s kick made it 7-0 42 seconds into the game.
Another Carter, older brother Asa, took center stage when he picked off a Tayshawn Clayton pass at the Carson 45 and returned it down to the Hug 4. Fullbasck Vic Castro V scored on the next play. The PAT made it 14-0 with 7:02 left in the opening quarter.
After a three and out, Carson flexed its offensive muscle again.
Taking over at Hug’s 42, it took the Senators just two plays to score. Joe Nelson completed an 8-yard TD pass to Connor Pradere, and then Abel Carter broke loose for a 34-yard TD run. The PAT made it 21-0. Carson’s three scoring drive took just 68 seconds, an Oregon Duck-like effort.
“I didn’t realize that,” Roman said. “We were very good on offense tonight.”
That’s an understatement. Carson gained 392 yards thanks to another dominant effort up front led by Kevin Rusler, Logan Menzel, Austin Ackerman and Eddie Duarte.
“I thought we dominated the line of scrimmage,” Roman said. Carson extended its lead to 28-0 46 seconds into the second quarter when Nelson threw a 3-yard TD slant to Connor Pradere.
After a three and out, Carson took over at its own 47, and the Senators didn’t waste the primo field position.
Nelson completed an 18-yard pass to tight end Ian Schulz, and then bolted up the middle for 13 yards down to the Hug 22. Abel Carter scored his final TD two plays later on a 13-yard run to make it 35-0.
Carson drove 50 yards for its next score, a 13-yard run by Elijah Fajayan to make it 42-0, and then Connor Sievers recorded Carson’s first safety of the year when he tackled Ja’lawnie Thomas in the end zone to make it 44-0 with less than a minute in the half. The play was set up by a bad snap over the head of Clayton.
Almost lost in Carter’s night was a season-best effort by the defense. Hug’s offense never got on track the entire night.
“We had a good weekof practice,” Ikela Lewis said. “Tuesday’s was all right, but Wednesday’s was the best defensve practice of the season, and maybe the best practice of the season. We were able to carry it over to the game.”
And Lewis & Co. know they must have a repeat performance next week to beat a strong Damonte Ranch team.