Winona Christian football coach Junior Graham has been saying for months that the Stars were in for a rough season.
It certainly got off to a rough start for the Stars, who dropped a 50-0 decision to rival Carroll Academy in the season opener for both teams.
It was a rough loss for the Stars against a talented Carroll team that made the Class 3A title game last year.
“We were what we expected to be, and Carroll was what we expected them to be,” Graham said. “Some of those kids had never played before and it showed. But Bo (Milton) got what he wanted as far as a good first game and we didn’t get that. But we will come back to work and try to get better at us.”
The Rebels got the ball to open the game and promptly moved down the field. They went 65 yards in seven plays as Brennan Blaylock hit Drew Thomas on a 35-yard touchdown pass with 8:47 left in the first. The try for two failed and Carroll led 6-0 early.
Carroll got the ball right back as the Rebels recovered a Winona fumble. The Rebels then went 66 yards in seven plays as Lofton Holly scored on a six-yard run. The try for two failed again and Carroll led 12-0 with 5:07 left in the first quarter.
After a three-and-out by the Winona offense, Carroll went 80 yards in six plays as Blaylock hit Thomas on a 51-yard touchdown pass with 52 seconds left in the first quarter. Maddox Carpenter ran in the two-point conversion and Carroll led 20-0 at the end of the first.
Running back Sam Thompson breaks away on a nice run.
Kevin Brunt / The Star-Herald
“We lost our best player to COVID on Wednesday and he is our only big athlete,” Graham said. “I think we could have done a better job on their power if he had played. They wouldn’t have been able to run power as easily as they did. We just have to keep coaching hard and hope we can grow these guys to be competitive on Friday night.”
The Rebels kept on piling on the points in the second as Carpenter capped off an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a five-yard run. The try for two failed and Carroll led 26-0.
After another Winona punt, Carroll went 79 yards as Holly capped off the six-play drive with a one-yard run. Maddox ran in the two-point conversion and Carroll led 34-0 at the half.
Winona added two more scores in the second half as Lofton Holy scored on a 15-yard run with 7:22 left in the third. Mathis Beck ran in the two-point conversion and Carroll led 42-0.
The last score came with 10:13 left in the fourth as Nathan Matthews scored on a 9-yard run. Matthews ran in the two-point conversion for the final margin.
Carroll outgained Winona 529-93. The Stars had 56 yards rushing on 22 carries and 37 yards passing. Carroll had 417 yards rushing on 44 attempts and 112 yards passing.
Linebacker Reed Schuler with an open field tackle on the Carroll ball carrier.
Kevin Brunt / The Star-Herald
Sam Thompson had 40 yards rushing on 12 carries while Jake Ware was 4-of-7 passing.
On defense, Ware led the Stars with 11 tackles.
“There were some bright spots and we did something decently,” Graham said. “There is no way to simulate a four-quarter football game. It’s a lot easier to play hard when you are tired when you are winning. I think our fatigue was exposed more. But we will harp on the bright spots on Monday.”
This week’s game
The Stars will return home on Friday as they host French Camp, who did not play in a jamboree this past week.
“I really don’t anything about them,” Graham said. “It will be their first game. I know they will be sound in everything they do. Those kids from Choctaw County know how to play the game. They have instincts and are easy to coach. We know we will have our hands full. We have to continue to work on ourselves more than our opponent.”
The two teams did not play last year.
