CARROLLTON - Two red-headed players for the Carrollton Hawks had big games on Saturday. One was Cole Brannan, who had a stellar performance running and catching the ball. But it was his senior companion Tyler Frye who had his best game in his Carrollton football career.
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“Yeah, one of the best. It’s up there at the top. We just knew that we had to catch the ball every time, just pitch and catch and do our best,” Frye said.
His hair may be red, but he put in a red-hot performance. He finished with three touchdown receptions and over 100 yards receiving for the day as the Carrollton Hawks knocked off and stunned the Class 1A #9 ranked West Central Cougars 56-28 in Carrollton on Saturday.
“It was definitely an important win. It’s one step closer to a winning season. You need to get wins when you can get them, and we felt like it got us one step closer to the South title,” Carrollton head coach Nick Flowers said. “We know that there’s not going to be an easy week in the South.”
Carrollton and West Central went back and forth on their first two drives by scoring touchdowns. It was 21-14 Hawks when they were the first team to get a stop on defense with 1:52 to go in the half and that’s when things got wild for Carrollton’s benefit. On a 3rd down on West Central’s 36-yard line, Cole Brannan took a halfback toss from Wade Prough and stopped to pass. He found Frye behind the Cougar secondary and Frye hauled it in.
Carrollton then forced and recovered a fumble on their 23-yard line with 5 seconds to go until halftime and was most likely satisfied with what they had for them. However Flowers wanted to at least try and make something happen.
Prough hit Brannan on a slant around their 35-yard line and had blockers with him. He cut to his left, successfully reading his blocks, and he was off to the races. He scampered 77 yards to the house and touchdown reception was the longest play of the season for the Hawks and gave them a vital 34-14 lead at halftime.
Battered but determined, West Central picked themselves up in a hurry, in two plays, nonetheless. Luk Weder broke several tackles, while busting up the middle, and broke away for a 67-yard score. The Cougars were right back in it at 34-20 but the Hawks replied on all of their answers.
Brannan returned the ensuing kickoff, nearly taking it all the way again, by dancing away from Cougar defenders, but was eventually taken down at the 9-yard line. Brannan ran the rock in on the following play to make it 42-20.
West Central scored one more time with 7:20 to play in the third quarter, which was once again followed up by a Carrollton touchdown. Jerrett Smith was on the receiving end of a Prough pass that was nearly picked off by a Cougar cornerback on a 4th down and 8. That put the Hawks up 48-28. Carrollton would add one more score as Prough found Frye wide open in the back of the end zone for a 6-yard catch.
“We gave up some big plays defensively more than we want to but our offense defiantly made up for it,” Flowers said. “We were flat out explosive today.
So far this season Carrollton game-by-game has improved has a team statistically and physically.
“I felt like last week against Greenfield we got better, today I felt like we got better both half’s,” Flowers said. I think the sky’s the limit for this group, we’re just getting better and better.”
Wade Prough threw five touchdown passes, a season high, and threw one interception.
Bowker hauled in two touchdown passes. Brannan had a big day as well by rushing for two touchdowns, and threw the 36-yard touchdown pass.
A big reason why Prough and the offense could operate so well was the work of the offensive line, like the team as a whole, has gotten better each game.
“I think if there’s a group of young men that ought to get a lot of credit today that’s that offensive line for us,” Flowers said. “We put an offensive line that’s totally new this year to score that many points against a quality football team. I can’t say enough about our offensive line.”
