Carroll trounces Northwest

Mark Quaney’s mission on the first play of the second quarter Friday was to recover the onside kick that had scooted past Northwest’s front line.

Bishop Carroll’s senior made a beeline for the football as Northwest’s Justin Onwugbufor prepared to cover it.

Quaney got there first, grabbing the ball as he crashed violently into Onwugbufor.

“It couldn’t have worked out any better,” Quaney said.

Most of the first half went perfectly for Carroll, No. 1 in Class 5A. The Golden Eagles scored on their first six possessions and rolled to a 43-14 victory over their west-side neighbors in the season opener for both teams.

Quaney, a defensive back, also intercepted a pass in the first quarter that set Carroll on course for its 27th consecutive regular-season victory. The Eagles built a 37-0 halftime lead and added a touchdown in the opening minute of the third quarter before turning things over to their reserves.

Quarterback Colton Howell ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Denzel Goolsby added 106 yards and accounted for four touchdowns as the Eagles quickly foiled Northwest’s bid to end a losing streak to Carroll that started in 2006.

“It’s disappointing in that I feel like we didn’t answer the bell,” said Northwest coach Steve Martin, whose team lost to Carroll 12-7 last season. “I felt like we didn’t match their intensity. We did the first two series, but when things started to go bad, we dropped our heads.”

With Carroll starting five of its seven first-half possessions in Northwest territory, things snowballed on the Grizzlies.

Carroll took the north wind to start the game and produced 17 first-quarter points. Howell connected with Goolsby on a fourth-down jump pass from Northwest’s 7 for the opening touchdown. The Grizzlies marched into Carroll territory, but Quaney intercepted Kevin Folsom’s third-down pass, setting up a 47-yard drive that Goolsby capped with a 7-yard run.

“We knew they’d come out strong,” Quaney said. “They were hyped up and driving the ball easily. But they rolled out to the right, and I saw the receiver, so I just jumped in front of him.”

Taylor White added a 32-yard field goal on the final play of the first quarter for Carroll. But the Eagles were just getting started.

After Quaney’s onside recovery, Howell made it 23-0 by tucking the ball on a run-pass option for a 29-yard touchdown. After Northwest went three and out, Goolsby scored his third touchdown of the half on a nifty 22-yard run.

Howell capped the first-half scoring with a 36-yard keeper to the right side. He had 138 of Carroll’s 210 rushing yards before the break.

“What you see with him is what hard work does for a person,” Schuckman said. “Colton has always worked hard, but he took it to another level over the summer. He’s really worked on his game, and his running and passing have improved.”

Carroll, which outgained Northwest 459-260, scored its final points 59 seconds into the third quarter. Howell ran for 21 and 13 yards on the Eagles’ first two plays, then Goolsby turned the corner around left end and sprinted 34 yards into the end zone.

Northwest’s KeShaun McGaugh, who had 99 yards on 19 carries, ended Carroll’s shutout with a 7-yard touchdown with 10:47 remaining. Folsom and receiver Karol Williams also connected for a fourth-quarter touchdown for the Grizzlies, who will host Kapaun Mount Carmel on Thursday.

“Last year they played us well,” Schuckman said. “But this year, I thought our kids came out and made a difference.”

This story was originally published September 5, 2014 at 11:55 PM with the headline "Carroll trounces Northwest."