Carrollton drops second game, team is determined to get back on track this week
MENDON - The Carrollton Hawks are now in waters that they’ve been in before, but haven’t seen in a long time. However, head coach Nick Flowers and his team is determined to turn it around.
They fell to the Class 2A No. 6 ranked, Payson-Unity Mustangs 41-26 on Friday night in Mendon. The Hawks are 0-2, which is the first time since the 2010 season they’ve started out with that record.
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“Unity’s a great football team. They made plays and they’re going to contend for the North,” Carrollton coach Nick Flowers said. “We had opportunities and we made some plays, we just didn’t make enough plays.”
“We did start 0-2 and we did turn around and win the conference that year too. We just got to get back to the basics and that’s what we’re going to do for sure.”
The Hawks had the uphill task of facing Brown County and then Unity, two of the toughest teams in the WIVC, and last night in Mendon wasn’t any easier.
“I do think that this game and last week’s game prepared us for South conference play,” Flowers said. “We’re going to be ready for Greenfield next week.”
The Mustangs got on the board first as quarterback, Brody Dunker, ran in for a 2-yard score to put the home team up 7-0. Later on in the first quarter, on a fourth down, Carrollton quarterback, Wade Prough, was flushed out of the pocket, but managed to hit Jayce Arnett for a 32-yard touchdown pass. Prough ended up throwing for 293 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions after coming off of a slight knock from last week.
“We got Wade back and healthy now and we’re going into South conference play, probably about as healthy as we’ve been all season long,” Flowers said.
In the second quarter, Prough hooked up with Alex Bowker for 59-yard touchdown strike to put the Hawks ahead 12-7. It would be their only lead of the game.
On the ensuing drive Unity, after hurdling over several penalties, scored with just under a minute to go to make it 14-12. On the very next Carrollton drive, the Mustangs got a freak interception in the red zone. Prough threw a slant pass to Bowker, but the ball hit off his helmet, went several yards back, and Dunker caught it on a diving catch.
A couple plays later, Dunker connected with his twin brother, Jarrett, to up Unity’s lead to 20-12, which they took to halftime.
On the first possession of the second half, Prough was picked off by Todd Kelly for pick-six, to enhance the Mustangs lead to 27-12. To add to the bleeding, with 2:45 to go in the third quarter, Dunker hit Cory Miller in stride for a 29-yard touchdown to give Unity a three-touchdown lead at 34-12.
Carrollton wouldn’t go quietly.
Jeremy Watson lost his defender and Prough found him for a 55-yard touchdown strike to give the Hawks some hope at 34-20. However, just over a minute later, Dunker and Miller continued their air assault with another touchdown, this time from 20 yards out.
It was 41-20 Unity, but things started to get interesting.
Prough rifled a pass to Jerrett Smith in space, who ran away from the Mustang secondary for a 55-yard touchdown pass. The Hawks missed the two-point conversion to chip back into the game at 41-26.
Carrollton, with little choice, kicked an onside kick and recovered it at mid-field. On the next play, Smith threw a halfback pass to Watson for 44 yards. That set up a first and goal at one-yard, but the Hawks never broke through.
“We ran the ball three times in a row. We’re going to have to run power football and we didn’t get it done," Flower said. "They took some chances there and they stuffed us.”
On fourth and goal from the six, Prough’s slant pass was broken up and Unity held off what would’ve been, a potential stunning comeback from Carrollton.
“I hope this Unity team is going to do well and we wish them the luck,” Flowers said. “They did what we said they were gonna do and they were going to throw the football, and they did it very well.”
Flowers was impressed so much by Unity’s style of play on offense so that he likens them to the 2014 Hawks that made it to state.
They definitely worked on some of their weaknesses from last year and they remind me a lot of the runner-up team we had a couple years ago.”
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