Terrin Keller returns the opening 2nd half kickoff for a nice Senator gain Friday night at Damonte Ranch High School.
RENO — Special teams has been a strength in the first eight games for the Carson Senators, and they made a couple of big plays Friday night.
Abel Carter had a 59-yard kick-off return early in the second quarter to set up Carson’s first score. It was Carter himself who scored from the 3, tying the game at 7.
Terin Keller added a lengthy return to start the second half, but it went for naught when QB Daniel Morrison was sacked for an 11-yard loss, and then Carson was hit with a personal foul at the end of the play which pushed the team out of field goal range.
“Our special teams have performed well all year,” Carson coach Blair Roman said after the 34-14 loss to Damonte Ranch.
MORRISON DEBUT: Morrison made his first varsity start, and after a slow start, he completed 5-for-9 passes for 114 yards.
“The only negative I saw was the fumble when he tried to hand it off to Abel,” Roman said. “I thought he played pretty well for his first varsity start.”
Roman tried to keep it simple for his young quarterback, who did take an untimely sack in the second half. Morrison threw the bulk of his nine passes when he was throwing with the wind.
“I made a bad read (on the fumble),” Morrison said. “I’ll take the blame for that. It can’t happen.”
MORE INJURIES: Linebacker Justin Tschetter left the game with a knee injury midway through the first quarter. The extent of his injury was unknown.
KEEMA UPDATE: Quarterback Jace Keema had surgery on his foot Thursday, and obviously is out the rest of the season.
Keema suffered a Lisfranc (midfoot) to his foot when it got stepped on at the Bishop Manogue game.
“I talked to Jace today, and he was in good spirits,” Roman said.
MORE ABEL: Carter stretched his streak of 100-yard games to eight with his 31-carry 161-yard effort… After three straight completions, he had his first incomplete pass of the season … Carter was lined up in the Wildcat formation, which will probably be more common the rest of the season.