Perry Flexes Muscles in 38-0 Victory over Carrick
Tagged under: District 8, Gameday Hub, News
Billy Splain | September 27, 2020
A beautiful Saturday afternoon at Cupples stadium saw opening contests for Perry and Carrick, and a dominating performance by Perry, as they cruised their way to a 38-0 victory.
Perry began the game from inside their own 20 after a fine kick off and proceeded to turn their opening drive into the Terrance Fearbry show, as the shifty back piled up 58 yards rushing. They switched it up and found paydirt as QB Jeremiah Davis found Ray Dean on a bubble for a 13 yard TD catch. The kick was blocked and the score stood 6-0 with 9:00 to go in the first.
Carrick went 3 and out on their opening drive and their punt was blocked, giving Perry prime field position, as they took over at the Carrick 23. On the opening play of the drive, Jeremiah Davis took a keeper around the end for a score. The 2 point conversion was no good, and Perry extended their lead to 12-0.
On the ensuing drive, Carrick QB Rashod Woods was sacked hard and fumbled the ball. Perry dove on it and took over from the Carrick 42 with 6:26 to go in the first quarter. Perry found paydirt as Davis hit Ahmad Arrington on a bubble screen for a 41 yard TD pass, along with a good PAT, extending their lead to 19-0 with 2:37 to go in the first quarter.
On the next Carrick drive, Woods pass was picked off by Demetrius Reynolds, giving Perry the ball on the Carrick 21. After a penalty, Dean carried for a gain of 21, putting Perry back inside the 10 as the quarter ended. The Perry drive stalled and brought up a 4th and goal from the 10, and Carrick was able to stuff a carry by Dean to hold for the first time.
After going 3 and out again, Perry tacked on another score on an 8 yard carry by Dean. The snap on the PAT was high and the holder was tackled, giving Perry a 25-0 lead. Perry added another score on a 12 yard pass from Dean to Fearbry to push the score to 31-0 with 2:01 to go in the 2nd.
In the third, Carrick began by taking the kick out to the 30. Aided by a penalty, they crossed midfield, but Woods first pass across midfield was intercepted and returned to the Carrick 27. Perry took over and fumbled the ball right back as a botched snap led to Emmauel Akinwale diving on the ball. On their first play, Woods hit Marshall for a gain of 52 and Carrick’s best field position of the day. The drive ended when CJ Simpkins picked off a Ross pass in the endzone. The score remained 31-0 after three quarters.
Perry added a late score from 5 yards out to put a cap on the game. The kick was good to make it 38-0.
Looking Ahead:
For Carrick, a program rebuilding itself from the ashes, small victories go a long way. They were able to put together a solid 10 play drive in the third quarter and there were individual flashes, such as Woods 52 yard pass to Marshall. With a shortened season, keeping their thin roster healthy is going to be important and the focus for them should be about making small improvements each week to become more competitive.
Carrick next plays at Madonna High, a small Catholic school in Weirton, West Virginia, which has had some fantastic squads over the years. Madonna was 1-2 coming into tonight, with a game vs Steubenville Catholic Central(OH) being played as I type. They follow with Carlynton, another opportunity to play a competitive game, and close the season with a tough order against Hollidaysburg.
For Perry, there’s not much of a season left, but the goal will be to make some statements in their final games and prepare for what should hopefully be a full 8-10 game season once again in 2021.
The Good: Perry’s offense. They move the ball well and limited mistakes for the most part. Some delay of game penalties to work on, but the kids did the job offensively. Terrance Fearbry is a pretty solid back who didn’t have to shoulder a big load today, with the bulk of his carries coming on the impressive opening drive.
The Bad: Carrick’s low roster numbers. The Raiders play hard, but they’re still a touch undermanned. Their lack of depth showed a bit today as numerous players were being stretched out for cramps on the sidelines throughout the game. A little depth could help the Raiders a long way, but the coaches are full of life and the kids played hard.
On a personal note, I believe in the purpose of athletics within the City League and I hope that we can see programs like Carrick find their way towards rebuilding and being competitive both in and outside the City League. I think they’re doing the right things in terms of seeking non-conference games against smaller schools from across the region throughout their rebuilding process. They need to get their numbers up, which I think, judging from their young roster, they’re on their way to doing it, even if it takes another year or two to cross the 40-50 player mark. Their staff is enthusiastic and doing all the right things to get the program going. It takes time to build a football program, as the numbers game is a big part of it compared to say, basketball, where two D3 players can swing an entire program overnight.
A competitive City League is a healthy thing for football in Western Pennsylvania and I look forward to helping champion Pennsylvania Football’s “Forgotten District” in the coming weeks and for seasons to come.
STATISTICS
PERRY
Passing
Davis 3-3, 48yd, 2 TD
Dean 2-6, 20 yd, 1 TD
Receiving
Dean 1-13, 1TD
Fearbry 3-9, 1 TD
Arrington 1-41, 1TD
Rushing
Davis 2-32, 1 TD
Fearbry 8-78
Dean 8-48, 1 TD
Jamison 4-4
Kelly 5-31
Mitchell 1-8
Green 6-29
CARRICK
Passing
Woods 4-16,62 yd, 2 INT
Ross 1-3,10 yd, 1 INT
Receiving
Moore 1-10
Marshall 4-62
Rushing
Morgan 3-9
Woods 9-(-9)
Ross 3-34
Miller 1-(-2)
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