Carroll sets up shot to repeat in Class 5A

A bit of trickery got Bishop Carroll the early lead Friday night, and the Golden Eagles took it from there, rolling to a 34-7 Class 5A semifinal victory over Eisenhower.

Next Saturday, Carroll (11-1) will try for back-to-back 5A titles in Pittsburg against Mill Valley, which ousted St. Thomas Aquinas, 45-28.

“Our kids came out ready to play, and they wanted to set their legacy on Bishop Carroll football to go to back-to-back state championships, and we’ve accomplished that,” Carroll coach Alan Schuckman said. “We’ve got a big challenge ahead of us, but we’ll get a good game plan together and get ready to go.”

After forcing a three-and-out on Eisenhower’s opening possession, the Golden Eagles began with good field position at the Tigers’ 45. Carroll needed just four plays to find the end zone.

On a third-and-2 from the Eisenhower 25, junior running back Adam Theis took the handoff and lofted a scoring pass to a wide-open Colton Woodard just 2:03 into the game.

“We’ve been practicing it all week this week,” Theis said. “(Schuckman) knew I played freshman football and I was a quarterback, so he gave me the opportunity to throw the football.”

Eisenhower answered by driving from its 20, but two sacks of quarterback Mason Madzey knocked the Tigers back to the Carroll 40, forcing a punt to the Carroll 21.

Senior Jake Allen returned to action after sitting out two weeks because of concussion protocol and led led Carroll on a 12-play drive, hitting Theis with a screen pass 1:37 into the second quarter for a 14-0 lead.

“It was great being back out there,” Allen said. “I love being out there with my team.”

Later in the quarter, junior defensive lineman Martin Esquivel pounced on a Madzey fumble, setting up the Golden Eagles at the Eisenhower 41. Carroll needed just five plays from there, scoring on Theis’ 3-yard run for a 21-0 lead.

Theis finished with two rushing touchdowns and one receiving, in addition to throwing the halfback-option pass for a score. He rushed 22 times for 138 yards.

“I think our offensive line did a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage,” Schuckman said. “(Theis) is a tough runner ... he did a good job protecting the football and moving the chains.”

Madzey scored the lone Eisenhower touchdown, denying Carroll its second shutout of the season, with 5:41 to play. It was Eisenhower’s first trip to the semifinals.

“We’ve got to execute perfectly against a team like that,” Eisenhower coach Marc Marinelli said. “That doesn’t take away from the run we’ve made with these kids and these seniors. I definitely think these seniors have left a legacy of improving and just getting better, and they just made a run at the end.

“We hope it just goes forward. It’s just hard, because these seniors mean so much to me.”

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 11:25 PM with the headline "Carroll sets up shot to repeat in Class 5A."