Carroll continues strong start with rout of rival Delphi in Bacon Bowl
DELPHI - It was business as usual Friday night for the Carroll Cougars as they blew out county rival Delphi, 39-6 to hold onto the Bacon Bowl skillet for the second year in a row.
For Delphi and fellow Oracle fans, they blinked and found their hopes of retaining county bragging rights vanquished.
Four minutes to be exact, as Carroll took three trips down the field before halftime to go up 20-0 and never looked back.
From the vantage point of Carroll coach Blake Betzner, his Cougars played up to the standard that has been set for them.
“Expectations, we’re drilling them with expectations,” Betzner said. “We’re going to push them as hard as they can be pushed so that’s what we tell them every week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, they better come ready to get after it because our expectations are high for these kids.”
The first quarter came and went with both teams trading possessions. Midway through the second, Carroll got hot and never cooled off with a 30-yard connection between Luke Tanner to Cohen Ayres to put the Cougars near the red zone.
Keegan Ellis finished off the drive with a two yard rushing touchdown, drawing first blood.
Carroll’s next possession started with a lengthy punt return by Xavier Williams before Ayres rushed for 33-yard touchdown on the next play.
An interception by Grady Lytle put Carroll in prime position to score with less than two minutes remaining in the half as the Cougars made quick work of the clock when Tanner found Hunter Simpson for a 15-yard receiving TD.
While Carroll shut out its week one opponent and held Delphi to one score on Friday, Betzner isn’t satisfied just yet with what he sees from his defense.
“I feel like we filled some spots last year. We have the dudes now," Betzner said. "It’s just if we’ll line up and do everything right. They scored a TD because half our team is in one coverage and the other half is in the other coverage.
“It’s not that we’re getting beat, it’s we’re not doing what we’re supposed to do on big plays so if we can get those cleaned up, we can be pretty special on that side of the ball.”
Carroll opened the season with a 51-0 victory over Tri-County.
Moving forward, the Cougars will celebrate for the moment but Betzner and his staff still remember the 35-6 regional loss to North Judson last season and the lasting memory of what it takes to find postseason success.
“They want to be coached. They want to work so we’re gonna continue doing that,” Betzner said. “I know where we need to be by the end of the year to compete with who we want to compete with, so we’re not close. We’re not close to where we want to be yet so they know they have to come ready to play every day.”
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Carroll continues strong start with rout of rival Delphi in Bacon Bowl
