Saline, Notre Dame commit CJ Carr roll Pioneer
SALINE, Mich. – The Saline Hornets (3-0) defeated the Ann Arbor Pioneers (1-2) 56-0 with quarterback CJ Carr throwing three touchdowns in the first half to help the Hornets roll over the Pioneers on Friday.
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Here are the three takeaways from the game:
Hornets offensive onslaught
Offensively, Saline could do no wrong. Whether it was Carr, who had more touchdowns than he did incompletions, or the offensive line, the offense was impeccable throughout this matchup.
The Hornets achieved a near-perfect stat line, scoring touchdowns on their first seven drives. Carr also rushed for a touchdown.
Their offensive line routinely blew the Pioneers off the ball, leading to a lengthy run or allowing Carr to extend a play long enough to make a highlight play, leading to another touchdown.
Hornets sting defensively
There was little the Pioneers could accomplish on offensive. The stingy Saline defense not only held the Pioneers scoreless throughout the first half, but their defense did not allow Ann Arbor to cross the 50-yard line during the entire half.
The game started as well as a game could get for the Saline defense, who secured an opening drive interception, leading to the barrage of 49 unanswered points by the Hornets.
However, their final forced turnover came at the end of the first half as Saline secured a forced fumble, leading to the decisive seventh touchdown, effectively ending the game as a competitive contest. Defensively, Saline was aggressive, stronger, faster, and played a near-perfect game. The Hornets forced the Pioneers to punt for five of their first-half drives and completely dominated both sides of the ball.
Coach’s Thoughts
Following tonight’s victory, Saline head coach Joe Palka spoke on his team’s dominant first half, calling their performance impressive, but he preached to finish strong.
“It’s a 48-minute game.” Palka says, “We preach that theme a lot because if the score is tight, or if we’re down at half-time, we can come out with a positive result. Play the second half just as we did the first half.”
