In total command: Chillicothe has no answer for Bloom-Carroll's big plays

CHILLICOTHE - Through most of the first quarter, Chillicothe was keeping Bloom-Carroll’s high-powered offense in check, but once senior quarterback Ethan Thanthanavong figured things out, the Cavaliers had no answer.

Add in a pair of punt returns from the Bulldogs’ Beau Sherman, and it was just too much for Chillicothe to overcome in the season opener as Bloom-Carroll cruised to a 38-0 nonconference victory Friday night at Chillicothe’s Herrnstein Field.

“We were forcing them to think about what was going on and gained some respect and then big plays happened and the game got away from us,” Chillicothe coach Scott Bartholomew said. “Those punt returns are big plays, and not only are they big plays, but they take a lot out of the spirit of kids. We are coming off 1-9 and we are trying to gain that confidence and plays like that are daggers. I thought we hung in there, but it is a slow leak. They did what good teams do, they take advantage of everything.”

Bloom-Carroll coach Jeremy McKinney said the Cavaliers mixed up their coverages early on and the Bulldogs had to adjust on the fly.

“What they had showed in their scrimmages, wasn’t what we saw early tonight,” McKinney said. “They ran different coverages than what we practiced against, and we had to adjust to what we were doing, pass-wise. They want to send pressure and want to stop the run.”

Big-play Sherman

The Bulldogs took an early 3-0 lead on a 38-yard field goal from Treyton McKee, and while the Bulldogs’ offense was struggling, Sherman gave them the spark they needed.

On a punt that bounced to him, he picked it up in stride, weaved his way through traffic, and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter. After Thanthanavong connected with Evan Cardenas on a 48-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter, Sherman was at it again.

This time he returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown as he cut back against he grain and was off to the races to give Bloom-Carroll a 24-0 halftime lead.

“I have been putting in the work and waiting for my time to shine,” Sherman said. “I have been waiting my turn and I feel like I can finally showcase it. That’s kind of what I do, just make plays.”

Thanthanavong was in total command

Making his 30th career start, Thanthanavong, who started as a sophomore on the Bulldogs’ state runner-up team, completed 13 of 18 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns of 48, 74 and 24 yards. He threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to Rusty Hutchinson on the first play of the second half and then connected on a 24-yard scoring strike to Kelton Kirkpatrick to push the Bulldogs’ lead to 38-0 with 16 seconds left in the third quarter.

“First and foremost, I want to give all the glory to God because, without him, nothing is possible. Coming into this year, I wanted to give everything I got and leave nothing to doubt,” Thanthanavong said. “I didn’t take a vacation this summer because I was so dialed in. I want to prove myself and lead this offense. I have a lot of games under my belt and that helps, but I have to give credit to my offensive line and receivers because without them, those plays wouldn’t have happened.”

McKinney said Thanthanavong has a complete understanding of the offense and runs it to perfection.

“You are not going to rattle him,” McKinney said. “This was his 30th career start at quarterback and this is his first game of his third season. He played under the biggest lights you can play in as a sophomore. He is calm and does a great job of taking what the game gives him. We feel like defense can take away some things, but they can’t take away everything. It took us a little bit to get to that, but his ability to set the tone, stay calm, keep his eyes downfield, and scramble when he needs to, he is a special player.”

Bright spots for the Cavs

Sophomore quarterback Andrew Hamman did a nice job standing tall in the pocket in the first half, patiently waiting for his receivers to come open. He was 13 of 25 for 134 yards, but in the first half, he completed 11 of 16 passes for 119 yards.

Shawn Smith led Chillicothe with 60 yards rushing on 20 carries and Jaun Miller caught five passes for 40 yards.

Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @twil2323.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: In total command: Chillicothe has no answer for Bloom-Carroll's big plays