Statement win: Bloom-Carroll hammers Logan Elm to gain control of first place in MSL

CARROLL — On paper, Friday’s matchup between Bloom-Carroll and Logan Elm seemed one for the ages.

Both teams came in 5-1 on the season, were unbeaten in Mid-State League-Buckeye Division play, and featured high-scoring offenses putting up nearly 40 points per game. However, once the game started, the Bloom-Carroll Bulldogs showed Logan Elm that they were still the top dog in the league.

Bloom-Carroll quarterback Ethan Thanthanavong contributed four total touchdowns. The defense suffocated the Logan Elm offense as the home Bulldogs cruised to a 41-14 victory over the Braves at Carl Fell Stadium. It marks the ninth consecutive victory for Bloom-Carroll over Logan Elm, with an average score of 42-12 in those contests.

“(Logan Elm) is a very, very well-coached team,” Bloom-Carroll coach Jeremy McKinney said. “We knew that was the case and they would be tough, and they were. So luckily we were able to make enough plays to come out on top.”

Both teams struggled to find their footing on offense to start the first quarter, with Bloom-Carroll (6-1, 4-0) and Logan Elm (5-2, 3-1) trading punts twice. However, the Braves cracked first when they fumbled a punt return and the Bulldogs recovered on the Braves’ 12-yard line. A few plays later, the Bulldogs cashed in when Thanthanavong threw a swing pass to Jude Blair and Blair did the rest and scored on a 15-yard touchdown to put the Bulldogs on top 7-0.

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On Logan Elm’s ensuing possession, Bulldog safety Bastian Ovalle intercepted Braves quarterback Aaron Walters and returned it inside the Braves 20-yard line. Three plays later, Thanthanavong rolled to his right, looking to pass, but saw nobody open and turned into a runner. He made a defender miss with a quick juke, used a block from Rusty Hutchinson to give him room along the sideline, and was somehow able to tightrope his way close enough to get the ball over the plane of the end zone.

“We’re going to go as Ethan goes,” McKinney said of his quarterback. “He’s played as many games as you can play in, his 36th game as the starting quarterback. So anytime you have that experience, and he’s played under the brightest lights possible, that’s when you see he doesn’t get rattled, he’s very poised. He means an awful lot to this entire team and he’s worked hard to put himself in that position.”

A 14-yard touchdown run by Beau Sherman gave the Bulldogs a 21-0 lead at halftime, but the Braves started the second half determined to get back in the game in the final 24 minutes.

Kicker Maggie Wilson executed a perfect onside kick to begin the second half with Logan Elm recovering. All the Braves needed was three plays to cash into the end zone with Michael Bock finishing the drive with a touchdown run to cut the Bulldog lead to 21-7.

Bloom-Carroll came back ready to get the run game established and slowly put together a 12-play drive that drained seven minutes off the game clock and Jude Blair ended with a three-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs ran for 96 yards in the second half at a pace of more than five yards per carry.

“We don’t want to be a one-dimensional football team,” Thanthanavong said. “We want to show teams that we can run when we want to and throw it when we want to, and dominate every single aspect.”

After the Bulldog defense forced a three-and-out on the Braves’ next drive, Thanthanavong showed off his arm on the first play of the drive with a 44-yard touchdown throw down the sideline to Evan Cardenas, dropping the pass right into the receiver's hands as Cardenas beat his man off the line.

“We called a run play, and we didn’t like what we saw,” Thanthanavong said of the play. “(Bulldog coach Jeremy) McKinney looked at me and called the pass play, so we checked to the line. Great catch by Evan, too, it was unbelievable.”

The Braves responded with a quick touchdown drive that featured two long pass plays and a one-yard touchdown run by Walters to make it a 34-14 game. And on the ensuing kickoff, Wilson executed yet another perfect onside kick that the Braves again recovered and it kept the Braves right in the game.

But the Bulldog defense held strong, forcing a turnover-on-downs to seal the win.

Thanthanavong finished the game 8 of 12 passing for 122 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 67 yards and two scores. Blair was the leading rusher for the Bulldogs with 71 yards on 16 carries with a score.

One area of concern for the Bulldogs was the 11 penalties against them in the game, something that McKinney was not thrilled with. On the other hand, for the Bulldogs to not be at their best for 60 minutes and still pull out a 27-point victory is a scary sight for their opponents moving forward.

“Very encouraging that we’re going to be playing very confidently going into the last few weeks before the playoffs,” Thanthanavong said, “but this was a big one, we wanted it and we got it.”

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Statement win: Bloom-Carroll hammers Logan Elm to gain control of first place in MSL