BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Caston (2-8) at Carroll (Flora) (10-0), 7 p.m.
(Winner plays West Central-Tri-Central winner in Class 1A, Sectional 43 final)
The Caston football team’s rushing attack transformed itself in a span of four weeks.
They were limited to 12 yards rushing in a 14-6 loss to North White in their regular season meeting on Sept. 22. Four weeks later, they pounded out 287 yards rushing against the same North White defense and eliminated the No. 7 Vikings 34-28 in a Class 1A, Sectional 43 quarterfinal.
It was their first road win since 2021 and just their second road win since the start of the 2017 season. It was also their first road win in a sectional game since 2014.
Meanwhile, North White had been 7-1 in their last eight home games prior to facing Caston.
Both sophomore Jabez Yarber (112) and freshman Landen Rigney (108) had over 100 yards rushing. Grant Yadon added 44 yards rushing and caught a 25-yard touchdown pass.
Caston coach Chris Ulerick had high praise for his team’s offensive line.
“Without a doubt, that was probably their best effort,” Ulerick said. “That was by far and away their best effort. … It was a lot of technique, but they knew their assignments, and they sustained those blocks. It was huge that they were able to do that.
“We had three or four plays that we were really confident in, and we were able to execute all three or four of those plays.”
Yadon also had an interception, a sack and seven tackles on defense from his linebacker spot.
On offense, Ulerick said the coaching staff has to be creative to find ways to get Yadon the ball. That includes brief stints at quarterback.
“He’s all over the place,” Ulerick said. “We have to come up with ways to make sure he’s involved in the offensive game plan. We’ve taken him from tight end a little bit and moved him more to wing. We did that in Week 2, and we had success. So we moved him around a little bit, and he’s played quarterback some too, and he’s had success there. It’s nice to have a kid that is able to hop around from spot to spot, but not only is it him, but the other kids, they have to move too because we’re still playing the same 12 to 14 kids. … When he moves, then the rest of them have to move too and keep everything fluid.”
Meanwhile, the defense forced three turnovers.Yadon, Yarber and Kyle Roudebush are among the linchpins at linebacker, but freshmen like Ashton Bowyer, Gage Minniear and Rigney are helping out in the secondary.
“He’s been hobbled, but we got to the point where he was running well enough and it had healed up enough that he was able to go, so we put him into service, and he’s a really good tackler,” Ulerick said of Bowyer. “Landen, he’s a good football player. He’s got to figure it out all the way with some technique stuff we’re still working on, and Gage is one of those kids that he’s always in the right spot. Physically, he’s outsized most times, but he’s always in the right spot. We can take some of those plays, but we’re working with him in practice.”
Caston’ reward for besting an undefeated team ranked No. 7 is they get to face an undefeated team ranked No. 3. Carroll has a veteran quarterback in Luke Tanner and strapping running back in Keegan Ellis, who is listed at 6-4 and 215 pounds.
“He looks every bit as big as what their roster says,” Ulerick said.
As good as Carroll might be on offense, they might be even better on defense. Their 3.5 defensive scoring average – that includes five shutouts – and their 44.9 average margin per game both rank No. 1 in the state.
Carroll, who is seeking their third straight sectional title and who is coached by former North Miami athletic director Blake Betzner, is expected to dress 19 seniors.
“They will run the ball, and then they will pass the ball,” Ulerick said. “They will keep you off-balance that way, but they’re a solid team. … They obviously have some experience. They’ve been good for awhile, so we’ve got our work cut out for us, but I think for our kids to play well, we should be in the hunt. … We’ve earned the right to be there, so we get a chance to go try and knock off another unbeaten team.”
Caston is 1-2 all-time in three previous postseason meetings with Carroll. The Cougars beat Caston 52-0 in the 2014 sectional semifinals in their most recent meeting.
If Caston wins, they would either play West Central on the road or Tri-Central at home in the sectional final.
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