Alliance offense overwhelms Carrollton in EBC matchup

The Warriors knew going into their Eastern Buckeye Conference matchup against Alliance that the Aviators’ offense, piloted by quarterback JR Jackson, lived up to the team’s moniker in terms of being high flying.

For a moment in the third quarter, the score between the two teams was tied at 21 apiece. Then it wasn’t as the Aviators soared, scoring three consecutive TDs to take a commanding lead en route to a 47-28 win over visiting Carrollton.

In a 21-7 hole at halftime, senior Isaac Husted’s 1-yard touchdown run was followed by an onside kick that caught Alliance off guard, allowing the Warriors to recover. Then Hunter Allison’s 7-yard score tied the game with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter. 

It appeared to be a brand new ballgame. That was until Jackson, who had already thrown a long TD pass in the first quarter, threw a 17-yard touchdown pass as the third quarter drew to a close. He threw his third TD pass for 59 yards in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter for a 34-21 lead.

Alliance’s defense then got in the act as linebacker Johnny Beltz returned a pass 85 yards for a score and a 41-21 lead. Refusing to stand down, Carrollton responded with a long score as Allison connected with Jaden Murphy on a 76-yard score to draw within 13 points, but Jackson’s fourth TD pass of the evening squashed any hopes of a Warrior comeback.

Allison had a big game, completing 18-of-30 passes for 346 yards and an interception. Murphy caught five passes for 148 yards, while Husted pulled in six for 89 yards. Husted also had three carries for 4 yards, scoring twice. Husted, Marcus Brooks, and Tanner Johnston each logged 11 tackles for Carrollton (3-4, 1-1).

Girls Golf

On the strength of her seventh-place showing at the Div. I East District Sectional Tournament, Kaylee Russell was the only Carrollton golfer to advance to districts. At the Div. I Southeast District Tournament, hosted by Lancaster Golf Course Oct. 2, Russell tied for 14th place after shooting a 97. Although Russell, a senior, did not advance to the state tourney, she hangs up her cleats at Carrollton having competed in four consecutive district tournaments, which is no small feat.

Volleyball

Carrollton split its matches over the last week, beginning with a nonconference home loss Sept. 29. Visiting Beaver Local defeated the Warriors 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 25-15). Haley Thomas was Carrollton’s service leader, scoring 16 points and two aces while Emma Shafer distributed 16 assists. Juliaunna Miller led defensively with 13 digs. Thomas also recorded seven kills.

The Warriors rebounded Oct. 2 with a visit to Indian Creek, where they swept the Redskins 3-0 (25-9, 25-13, 25-17). Thomas had a huge game serving with 23 points and six aces, and Haley Leslie racked up eight kills. Shafer dished out 19 assists while Miller came up with 24 digs for Carrollton (10-11, 4-6).

Cross Country

So close, yet so far away. The Warriors competed at the Indian Valley Invitational Oct. 4 and both the girls and boys squads came mere points away from winning both team titles.

The boys finished with 100 points, second only to Garaway’s 94. John Childs placed seventh with a time of 17:48.0 to pace Carrollton. Also placing in the top 20 were Carson Murphy (18:36.4) and Landyn Wade-Perkins (18:36.9), who finished 17th and 18th, respectively. Andrew Childs finished 22nd and Andrew Husk rounded out the scoring with a 36th-place showing.

On the girls’ side, the Lady Warriors finished third overall with 83 points, behind Meadowbrook (77) and Indian Valley (82). Gabi McCort placed eighth in a time of 21:44.0, while Olivia McCort (22:19.0) was 12th and Ella Barkan (22:25.1) finished 14th. Norah Kerr-Jung placed 21st and Heather Allbritain finished 28th.

Girls Soccer

The Lady Warriors hosted three matches last week, and after two losses, they ended the week on a winning note. First up was a home date against Warren JFK Catholic Sept. 29. The two teams took a 1-1 tie into the break, but a Golden Eagle goal early in the second half proved to be the difference as Carrollton lost 2-1.

Chelsea Pesta’s goal in the opening seconds of the match gave the Warriors a lead that stood until the Eagles (11-2) tied the score with 8:41 remaining in the first half. Gianna James recorded 24 saves for Carrollton.

Carrollton next hosted EBC rival Minerva October 1. Again, Pesta gave the Warriors an early lead as she scored from a direct free kick with 25:40 left in the first half. Unfortunately for the Warriors, that would be their only goal on the day. The Lions, meanwhile, scored twice in the first half and again after the break for a 3-1 victory. In the loss, James logged 21 saves while Maria Nuzzolillo added one.

The loss drops Carrollton to 0-5-1 in conference play while Minerva improves to 3-2-1.

The Warriors had one more match, a home nonconference contest Oct. 4 against Shenandoah. Game stats have not yet been made available, but Carrollton defeated the Zeps 5-2 to move to 4-10-1 on the season.

Boys Soccer

In search of their first EBC win of the season, it came down to one last match as Carrollton visited Minerva Sept. 30. The Warriors hung tough, but Minerva scored once in each half to earn a 2-0 shutout. Rylan Barrick manned the net and earned eight saves for Carrollton (2-14, 0-5).