CARROLL — Putting points on the board in each quarter helped Carroll overcome a determined Perry squad, 27-14, in Class 3A District 2 grid action Friday.
The Tigers (4-3, 3-0) passed for 163 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 158 yards and one TD and received two short field goals from Max Neu in claiming the victory.
The Bluejays rushed for only 70 yards on 33 attempts while passing for 63 yards and two short scoring strikes in falling to 0-7 overall and 0-3 in district play.
Colby Vincent hit Jang Jioklow for a seven-yard touchdown, with Neu booting the PAT as the Tigers opened a 7-0 lead after one quarter.
Perry sustained a long drive early in the second quarter, capping the march when quarterback Kaleb Olejniczak scrambled into the open and flipped a five-yard TD pass to Connor Kenyon. Caleb Alamina tied the score with the point-after with 8 minutes, 40 seconds left in the half.
Senior tailback Draven Williamson hammered away at the Perry defense throughout the game. The 5-9, 215-pound bruiser stomped for 132 yards on 34 rushes, rarely being tackled by the first defender.
His one-yard plunge and a Neu PAT moved the score to 14-7 with just under five minutes still to play in the stanza. Carroll’s ensuing drive was turned aside by a Perry defense that played well for most of the game, forcing a 28-yard field goal from Neu with 48 seconds left in the half, setting the score at 17-7 at the intermission.
Jioklow caught a 24-yard TD pass for the only points of the third quarter as the hosts expanded their advantage to 24-7.
The Tigers had several opportunities in the fourth quarter to blow the game open, but Olejniczak knocked down one pass to force a turnover on downs near the Perry 12-yard line, with Ever Tobar intercepting a Vincent pass in the end zone for a touchback to blunt another charge.
Carroll had the advantage of field position throughout the second half as the Perry offense consistently stalled, forcing repeated punts from deep in their own territory, the hosts regaining possession near midfield on several occasions.
The Bluejay defense was tested repeatedly, and forced a 22-yard field goal with just under five minutes left in regulation, Neu’s kick lifting the score to 27-7.
Perry was able to score again in the final moments when Olejniczak lofted a short, six-yard TD aerial to Tobar. Mario Cruz added the PAT to put the score at 27-14, where it remained.
Olejniczak recovered a fumble, with Byron Melendrez joining Tobar in intercepting a pass to lead the Bluejay defense. Tackle statistics were not available.
Olejniczak was 6-of-18 for 63 yards and two TDs through the air. Kenyon caught four passes for 39 yards and a score, with Kato Dougan snagging one pass for 18 yards while Tobar pulled in the six-yard TD pass that finished the scoring.
Perry was led in rushing by Olejniczak (14-49), with Xavier Craddock (9-14) and Justin Stammer (8-14) also carrying the ball. Dougan ran twice, losing a total of seven yards.
Vincent was 13-23-3 for 163 yards and two TDs passing for Carroll, with Jioklow (5-70, 2 TDs) and Isaiah Badding (3-48) leading the receiving corps.
Perry will host Boone October 12 for the final home game of the season. The Toreadors (4-3, 2-1) defeated visiting DC-G, 19-10, Friday. The teams have had two common foes, with Boone shut out by visiting Carroll, 36-0, September 28, while losing, 49-13, to host ADM in week four.
