Carson quarterback Drake Hardcastle looks to throw against Damonte Ranch during the teams’ regular-season meeting. Hardcastle and the rest of the Senators are hoping they can defeat the Mustangs in a postseason rematch to reach next week’s regional title game.
Photo by Jeff Mulvihill, Jr. | InstaImage.
Two weeks ago, it seemed likely that the winner of the regular-season finale between Carson and Damonte Ranch would get the honor of hosting a regional semifinal.
That’s exactly what happened after the Mustangs pulled out a 16-14 win over the Senators and now have home-field advantage for the Class 5A North-Division III regional football semifinals.
Carson High School head coach Ryan Boshard did not mince words after the Senators’ loss in the regular-season finale. He hoped the loss stung enough that Carson would be able to use it as motivation for a rematch that felt inevitable.
Friday night will be the chance to see just how personal the Senators took the loss in the first meeting.
After the loss on their home turf, Boshard was steadfast in saying that the Senators’ execution wasn’t where it needed to be. That’ll be crucial for the Senators to give themselves the best shot to win Friday night.
“For us, the X-factor is going to come down to execution,” said Boshard.
The Senator head coach feels the Mustangs won’t do a whole lot differently in the second meeting, except for how they handle the Carson offense.
“That’s the million-dollar question. If you look at the game plan, they’ll have to do one of two things. They’ll either have to light the box or tighten up their coverage on the pass. Either way, it’s going to open up something for us. We just need to execute.”
Over the years, opponents know that Carson wants to run the football to establish any other areas of attack.
The Mustangs were only one of two teams this season to hold the Senator ground game under 85 yards and without a touchdown. The only other team to do so was Highland (Idaho).
EVENLY MATCHED
In the first meeting, Carson quarterback Drake Hardcastle was able to find some seams as he went 16-of-26 for 242 yards and a touchdown, but also had three interceptions.
On the flip side, Damonte Ranch’s running back Kobe Craig was able to carry the ball 42 times for 222 yards and a touchdown while the Mustang passing attack threw for another 202 yards and a score.
“We just have to play hard. He’s going to get his yards because of the size of the line and the way he is; it’s just making sure they don’t get it into the end zone,” said Boshard.
Friday night is looking to be another slugfest between two evenly matched teams.
A win would put either side into the regional final and one game away from a 5A state title game.
With the first matchup being so close, there’s really only one thing left to do in the eyes of the Carson head coach.
“Both of us are what-you-see-is-what-you-get,” said Boshard. “We are just going to line it up and see what we can do.”