KNOXVILLE, Tenn. | Two plays late in the first half summed up Carter's 56-8 win over Scott High here Friday evening.
First the Hornets scored on a 32-yard pass from Chandler Wilson to Spencer Russell with 8:56 to play in the second quarter, giving themselves a 35-0 lead. The play stood out because there was no player within 20 yards of Russell; the Hornets stacked two receivers at the line of scrimmage and the Highlanders' secondary failed to cover one of them going deep for the end zone.
Two plays later, Scott High laid the ball on the ground at its 28-yard-line. It appeared that no one in white was aware of the fumble, and Carter's Kash Altorn was able to scoop up the loose ball for an easy scoop-and-score, giving the Hornets a 42-0 lead.
It's likely that few people outside Scott County predicted the Highlanders to make the trip to east Knoxville and pull an upset against Carter. But it's also likely that few people thought the Hornets would win as dominantly as they did, racing to a 49-0 halftime lead en route to the 56-8 win.
Wilson was masterful. The QB, who is off to an impressive start to the season, completed 18 of 20 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns. He was still in the game, throwing passes, with a 49-0 lead and a running clock late in the third quarter. His final score came on a 63-yard pass to Alton, who slipped a tackle near the line of scrimmage and galloped to the end zone to complete Carter's scoring with 2:04 to play in the third.
The Hornets finished with 425 yards of offense.
Scott High, which rolled up more than 400 yards in its only other road game this season, at South Doyle, was limited to just under 100 yards of offense by Carter's defense. The injury-riddled Highlanders, who are down yet another running back for the remainder of the season with freshman Michael Bond breaking his leg, struggled to sustain drives.
Defensively, the Highlanders saw Carter average more than 10 yards per play.
Still, the game was not without its bright spots for the Highlanders. Scott High drove the ball into Carter territory to start the third quarter, only to have the ball go over on downs after an officiating miscue. The Highlanders were flagged for an illegal shift penalty that Carter declined. The chain crew mistakenly moved the down marker from third down to fourth down after the declined penalty, and the officials failed to catch the blunder.
Later, the Highlanders found the end zone when Brady Strunk hooked up with Elijah Fletcher for an 11-yard score. Strunk then called his own number on a successful two-point conversion try.
The touchdown followed Carter's only turnover, a fumble that was recovered by Jase Cloyd at the Hornets' 16-yard-line.
The touchdown came with 5:13 remaining in the game, but Scott High would not get another opportunity to touch the ball, as Carter was able to run out the remaining clock.
