Carson High’s Isaiah Hurlbert (26) looks for room to maneuver after making a catch against Hug on Thursday night.
Photo by Carter Eckl.
A shutout win over Hug on Thursday night, 17-0, has squarely pointed the Carson football team in the right direction.
Sure, there were still some miscues and mental mistakes that could hurt Carson moving forward, if they continue, but a zero on the scoreboard allows for those corrections to be a bit easier to swallow.
Friday night, Carson will host Wooster for the first time since 2019 and both squads will be hoping for a 2-0 edge in the newly formed Class 5A Div. III league.
The Colts are coming off a 14-13 win over North Valleys last week.
“They’re a good defensive team,” said Carson High head coach Ryan Boshard. “They don’t give up a lot of big chunk plays.”
Wooster will switch up its defensive looks from a 4-2-5 to a 5-2-4, depending on what the visiting coaching staff is seeing in the moment.
On offense, the Colts will go as senior quarterback Carlos Lopez does.
Lopez has thrown for 455 yards so far this season with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions.
He’s only managed 26 yards rushing, but Carson will have to be wary of Lopez escaping the pocket.
“A little bit of both. I think they’re get into their power game with quarterback reads. It’s not something they’ve shown, but it’s very feasible,” said Boshard.
Carson cleaning up
Those miscues have already been passed over in film for Carson.
“There were quite a few things we needed to clean up in the second half,” said Boshard. “We left a number of opportunities on the field last week. We need to fix those things.”
Avoiding penalties, especially of the 15-yard variety, will be crucial in a game that will likely be close until the finish.
Carson will be making a change on offense this week.
Jake Weninger will be making the move from wide receiver to running back after showcasing his top-end speed on a 73-yard touchdown run last Thursday.
“In those big sets, it’s a lot like kickoff returns when he’s nine yards in the backfield,” said Boshard. “It’s very similar where it allows him to have vision, scat through those openings and then hit the gas.”
Defensively, JT Heaton has continued his steady presence at linebacker.
Heaton, who was an honorable mention at the position last season, leads the team in tackles by a wide margin with 48.
He added to his tackle-for-loss total, as well, with a stop in the backfield.
Roman Gantt was credited with 1.5 sacks Thursday night, blowing up the Hawks offensive line on several occasions.
“Between him (Heaton) and Roman Gantt, they just wreaked havoc the whole night,” said Boshard.
Dawson Herbert and Christian Rey each received credit for half a sack in the win while Odin Riley also recorded a pair of tackles for loss.
Friday night’s game is set for a 7 p.m. kick.