Carson High football has a ball in 42-6 homecoming win over Hug

As the Carson football team trotted back to the far end zone after celebrating a 42-6 win over Hug with the Senator student section, Carson head football coach Blair roman had a message for the team.

He told his players to enjoy the win, something Carson couldn’t do last season when Damonte Ranch came in and spoiled the Senators homecoming festivities.

This year, all the spoils went to those wearing blue and white.

From the opening kick, the Senators showed they were the better team as Carson marched 59 yards on nine plays before Gilbert Polanco-Vasquez punched in a two-yard touchdown run.

Carson’s defense took the field and held the Hawks to zero yards on their opening drive after a 12-yard quarterback sack by Senator defensive lineman Jason Chavez.

After the two teams traded a possession, Carson’s Polanco-Vasquez got back into the end zone, running off the right side of his offensive line to give the Senators a 14-0 with 8:25 left in the first half.

Polanco-Vasquez went on to score his third touchdown with 1:25 left in the half to move Carson in front 28-0, marking his second consecutive game with three trips to the end zone.

“It feels amazing. I want to give good props to all my offensive lineman,” said Polanco-Vasqiez. “I’ve been running track since my freshman year and just going on the outside to beat those DBs out there.”

The senior half back ended his night with 11 carries for 96 yards and the three scores.

Bradley Maffei got in on the scoring party as well, punching in a two-yard touchdown run toward the end of the first half. Maffei also had a 13-yard touchdown carry early in the fourth quarter to move Carson out in front 35-6.

After Maffei’s score, it was newcomer David Leach — a transfer from Dayton High School — who put a bookend on the night with a 13-yard carry to reach the eventual final score.

In the end, the Carson running game tallied 295 yards on the ground on 40 carries along with six touchdowns.

“I think it presents some preparation issues for a lot of teams,” said Roman of his multi-dimensional backfield.

Other Dayton transfers Seth Anderson and Connor Davis got in on the action as well as Anderson picked up some carries in the second half while Davis recorded six tackles and a sack in the first half for a 10-yard loss.

“He’s been a nice addition to the team,” said Roman of Davis. “For all four of them right now, honestly, it’s more of a matter of learning our system and being able to do it full speed, but they’re working hard at it.”

Defensive prowess

While the offense pounded the rock and scooped up yards on the ground, the defense prevented the Hawks from doing much of anything.

The Senators set single-game season highs in both tackles for loss (3) and sacks (2) in the first half while allowing just nine yards from scrimmage in the opening 24 minutes.

Connor Lampert maintained his team lead in tackles after securing eight more Friday night to move his season total to 26. Ivan Villegas posted a team-high nine tackles in the win.

Hug’s lone touchdown came late in the third quarter as the Hawks pieced together a 54-yard drive against the Senators’ second-string defense.

Singing the hometown praises

Roman thought a homecoming win was exactly what the doctor ordered as the coaching staff stood on the field and watched the Senator players celebrate the win with the student section and the rest of the fan base in the stands.

“It’s been too long since we kind of felt that,” said Roman. “It was really nice to see. I think it was pretty special.”

For Polanco-Vasquez, a win in his final homecoming game of his high school career couldn’t have tasted better.

“It really means a lot. ... All I wanted was to get a win at home on homecoming cause it’s a big event,” said Polanco-Vasquez. “We got that feeling and I’m proud of all my teammates.”

UP NEXT: After three consecutive games at home, Carson (2-2) will hit the road for the first time in over a calendar month next week to take on the Huskies of Reno (4-1), who are coming off a 17-14 win over Galena.