RIVERSIDE, Ohio – For the fifth year in a row, Alter dropped league-rival Carroll, earning a 35-14 victory on the road Friday
Alter relied entirely on their rushing attack throughout, accumulating 307 yards on the ground and none through the air. Justin Winters, who entered the game with four touchdowns on the season, picked up three more and 85 yards on 15 carries.
However, the senior running back isn’t just a threat when the Knights have the ball.
“I started playing [defense] during Fairmont and I loved it,” Winters said. “I love getting out there and hitting people.”
Though defensive stats from Friday’s game haven’t yet been released, the numbers through last weeks romping of McNicholas speak for themselves. The two-way player has been credited with 33 total tackles after six games.
Joining Winters on both units is offensive (and now defensive) lineman Joe Thuney. With 30 tackles of his own, the D-1 recruit has managed to make his presence known to opposing offenses.
“I think I like defense better,” Thuney said. “Defense is more reacting to the action.”
After asking one of the team’s bus drivers what the score of the Reds’ game was, Thuney continued, “(The entire team) kept its intensity up because it was Carroll and they’re a big rival. I don’t think we lost our edge and we kept playing hard.”
Alter’s successful outing was partially hindered when another key runner, Matt Hurtubise, went down with a lower leg injury halfway through the second quarter.
For quarterback Zane Pitzer, losing Hurtubise was a wakeup call for the entire offense.
“When Matt went down, the O-line really stepped up; so did Joe,” Pitzer said. “I feel like Joe had a really good game. It all starts with the offensive line…if they don’t block, we can’t run. They did a great job of doing that all night, especially after losing Matt.”
Alter kept the Patriot offense at bay all night, allowing just 180 total yards. The 23 passing yards allowed provided the defensive unit with its best performance since Week 2 against Cleveland East Tech (19 passing yards).
Even more remarkable is the fact that on a night when so much was at stake, the Knights attempted just two passes—the team’s fewest since Week 7 of last year when Alter attempted the same number against Fenwick.
Carroll’s two scores came from junior back Todd Richardson, who finished the night with 114 yards on 20 carries. He also had a catch for 16 yards.
On Friday, Carroll (5-2) will face a struggling CJ (2-5) team, while Alter (6-1) matches up with a potent and undefeated Fenwick squad in a key game, both for the GCL crown and the inside lane for the Region 16 playoffs.
