Carson High’s Kincaid Gill (7) reaches out to make one of his team-high 14 tackles Saturday at McQueen.
Photo by Carter Eckl.
While the two schools don’t meet every year on the football field, Spanish Springs has had Carson’s number recently.
In fact, the Cougars have won the three meetings since 2015.
While recent history may not bear any weight on Friday’s contest, the Senators are still looking for that first league win of the season.
Last year, Carson didn’t see Spanish Springs’ senior quarterback, JJ Dain (No. 1). This season, he’s been weapon number one for the Cougars.
What to watch for
Dain’s 670 yards through the air have been dished out to a number of receivers.
His leading target has been senior Nate Penney (3), who has hauled in 259 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Aidan O’Neil (2) and Christopher Shakespeare (15) each have more than 100 receiving yards as well for the Cougars.
So far this season, Spanish Springs has rushed for 331 yards in six games, which is significantly less than what the Senators have managed in six games of their own.
Defense may be the name of the game as the two offenses have produced the two lowest point totals so far out of the nine teams in the Class 5A North.
After Carson’s 39-7 loss to McQueen this past Saturday, preventing Spanish Springs from running away with the contest will be crucial.
A week prior, it was Spanish Springs that took down McQueen, 33-12.
Marco Casci (40) has been the leading tackler on the defensive side of the ball for the Cougars.
Casci’s 37 tackles puts him inside of the top 15 in the Class 5A North and he has an interception to boast alongside his other numbers.
The Cougars have forced nine turnovers in their six games, meaning Carson will have to limit mistakes on offense to keep pace.
One major bright spot last week for Carson was Kincaid Gill’s 14 tackles, which were a team high.
Reigniting the spark
After a 21-point fourth quarter against Reed last Monday, the offensive spark seemed to dampen in Saturday’s matchup with McQueen for the Senators.
Carson’s managed 57 points this year and while the Cougars’ may be second to last in Class 5A North, Spanish Springs has still put together 44 more points than the Senators.
One plus for Carson is the Cougars’ defense has allowed 209 points in six games, which is the second most in the league.
For the Senators to find a way to win Friday, they’ll have to manage at least a couple of scoring drives against the Cougars.
5A North standings
(League, overall)
B. Manogue 4-0, 4-2
Galena 2-0, 5-1
Reed 3-1, 4-2
Sp. Springs 1-1, 2-4
D. Ranch 1-1, 1-4
Reno 1-2, 3-3
McQueen 1-2, 2-4
Carson 0-3, 1-5
Douglas 0-3, 1-5
