Northwest head coach Steve Martin said to Alan Schuckman, head coach of Bishop Carroll after the game, "This is the best Bishop Carroll team I've seen."
He's probably right, after a 61-14 rout of Northwest Friday night.
"We knew we couldn't lay down tonight, we knew we had to be ready to play," Schuckman said. "(Northwest) punched us in the mouth early but our kids responded and that's the main thing."
Northwest (3-2) feeded off the home crowd's energy in the first quarter with a great 10 play 59 yard drive, capped off by a 31-yard touchdown pass from Chris Hughes to Deron Thompson. The Grizzlies led 7-0 four minutes in the first quarter. That was their last lead of the game.
Zeke Palmer and the Bishop Carroll (5-0) offense responded in a big way, marching down the field from their own 20-yard line before Tory Smith rushed in from 12-yards out to even things at 7-7.
Palmer showed off his arm and his legs on the next drive but only once each, hitting Matt Denning on the second play for a 74-yard touchdown strike and a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter, like the rest of the game, was Carroll's. They ripped off 28 points in the second, thanks to Smith, Palmer and Jalen Hernandez. Palmer finished his night 10-15 for 237 yards and no picks. He threw two touchdowns in the first half, both going to Denning. The second was an outstanding 34-yard pass to Denning in the very back of the end zone after rolling out, and releasing just before the sideline.
"He's a competitor and he makes big play, after big play," Schuckman said. "He doesn't run like a tailback, he runs like a fullback - he'd rather run over you than around you. Excellent leader and I can't say much more about him."
Those 28 points gave Carroll a 42-7 halftime lead and they put it in cruise control from there. Carroll scored twice more in the second half to equal 55 unanswered points before the Grizzlies scored again at home.
"We didn't let down and kept making big play after big play," Schuckman said. "Our kids are continuing to get better each week in practice. They are working hard, and that's what we have to reach our goal of a state championship."
