DeCarlo Quintana (9) wraps up a Bishop Manogue ball carrier Thursday night during the Class 5A North regional quarterfinals.
Jeff Mulvihill, Jr. | InstaImage
Thursday night’s regional quarterfinal contest was all Bishop Manogue in the first half, but the Senators limited the Miners in the second half, falling 34-7.
Carson put together its biggest scare late when Jacob Campbell broke off a 56-yard run to Bishop Manogue’s 21.
From there, Parker Story hit the edge and punched in the Senators’ lone score with 8:32 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The ensuing kickoff, Carson got the ball back after a Miner fumble on their own 15.
Unable to capitalize on the red zone opportunity, Carson gave the ball back to the Miners with a few minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Bishop Manogue moved the ball about 25 yards before opting to punt the ball away.
A high snap led to the Miner punter attempted a long throw, which was picked off by Isaac Avina.
The Senators moved the ball back into the red zone as time wound down, but the Miners kept them off the board, resulting in the 34-7 final.
Carson High head coach Blair Roman said he was proud of the fight the Senators had in the second half after trailing by 27 entering the half.
“This is one of the most enjoyable teams I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach,” said Roman. “It just shows the character of the team and what these kids are made of.
(Carson linebacker Ben Heaton (34) and company take down a Miner ball carrier Thursday night / Jeff Mulvihill, Jr. | InstaImage)
Miners power to four touchdowns in first half
Carson got the ball to start the game and went three-and-out, punting it to the Miners.
Bishop Manogue’s Joe Hill scored his first of two touchdowns in the opening half on a four-yard carry to cap the Miners’ opening drive.
The Senators were stopped on fourth down on their next possession and Bishop Manogue’s Logan Shannon added a four-yard score of his own to put the Miners up 14-0 midway through the first quarter.
Logan Howren connected with Christo Viloria early in the second quarter for a 27-yard touchdown pass before Hill added his second touchdown late in the half.
“I give Manogue credit they took it to us in the first half pretty good,” said Roman.
Carson found some energy after pitching a shutout in the fourth quarter, but ultimately couldn’t find enough offensive production to climb back into the contest.
The Senators end the season with a 3-5 record and will lose 18 seniors to graduation prior to next season.
After a shortened spring season in which Carson went 0-5, the 2021 fall campaign lived up to the expectations of coach Roman.
“I feel like we maximized our abilities pretty well and thought we did a pretty good job coaching these kids and they certainly worked hard,” said Roman. “We had a good season. It wasn’t a championship season, but I’m really proud of them.”
Ben Heaton ends the year with 105 tackles, unofficially, along with six tackles for loss and three sacks.
His 105 tackles were the third most in Class 5A this season.
Jacob Campbell wraps up his high school football career with 565 rushing yards and three touchdowns after running for 107 yards against Manogue.
Six different Senators had interceptions on defense this season with Avina’s pick in the fourth quarter. Avina also posted 10 tackles Thursday night.
Denton Fitzpatrick led Carson with two picks and a fumble recovery over the course of the season.
(Gio Arce (28) runs for a 12-yard gain in the third quarter against Bishop Manogue Thursday night in the regional playoffs / Jeff Mulvihill, Jr. | InstaImage)
Other regional results
No. 1 McQueen 43, No. 8 Douglas 0
No. 3 Damonte Ranch 27, No. 6 Reno 21
No 4. Reed 21, No. 5 Spanish Springs 17
