Colonels Open With Bang

Watson Cook

8/22/11

The 2011 version of the Colonels made their debut one to remember with a scoring outburst their opponent won’t soon forget. Opening the season on the road at Bayou Academy, the Colonels used a mix of new faces with old faces in new places to throttle the Colts 50-21.

The Colonels took the early lead on their second possession as senior running back Dustin Roncali took one to the house from 51 yards out, capping a 3-play, 63-yard drive. The PAT was unsuccessful, leaving IA up 6-0 with 6:38 remaining in the 1^st quarter.The Colts answered right back on the ensuing kickoff as Chandler Carvan returned the kick 85 yards for a touchdown (PAT good) giving the Colts their only lead of the night, 7-6. The Bayou lead was short-lived though as sophomore Cleveland High transfer Ashton Knight one-upped Carvan with a 86-yard return touchdown of his own. Roncali’s successful 2-point conversion run put IA up 14-7 with 6:00 left in the 1^st.

The Colts kept things close for a while as Carvan found the end zone again with a 16-yard run (PAT blocked) with 3:48 left before halftime. On the following drive, the Colonels extended their lead as Roncali punched it in from the Colt 4. He also converted the 2-point try to put IA up 22-13. The Colts had 1:01 to try and make something happen but Knight’s twin Tristan picked off a Colt pass to preserve the Colonels’ 8-point halftime lead.

The Colonel defense, led on this night by the effort of a group of sophomores (Andrew Garrett, Dalton Sykes, Michael Sykes, and Tristan Tackett) forced a Colt punt to open the 3^rd quarter. The offense, which scored on all four of its 2^nd half possessions, wasted little time getting going. A 3-play, 77-yard drive was highlighted by D. Sykes’ 47-yard run. Roncali again added the 2 point conversion, giving the Colonels a comfortable 30-13 lead. After forcing another punt, the Colonels took over at the Colt 31. Following one play for negative yards and a 5-yard penalty, senior quarterback Taylor Marlow, who was making his first start at QB, threw a strike to junior receiver Trey Roberson from 37 yards out, padding the Colonel lead to 36-13 (2 point try no good). The defense forced a third consecutive Colt punt, giving the Colonels the ball at their own 39. An 11-play, 61-yard drive that took the game into 4^th quarter was capped by A. Knight’s 6- yard run. Marlow added the PAT (43-13) to put the game out of reach with 8:56 remaining. The Colts however, did not give up and scored on their following possession as Carvan added his third touchdown of the night pulling the Colts to within 22 (43-21). IA put the exclamation point on the game when D. Sykes scored on a 23-yard run with just over 1:00 remaining. Marlow added the PAT to give the Colonels their season-opening 50-21 victory. IA produced 409 yards of total offense; 120 pass, 289 rush.

IA, 1-0 will host Lee Academy Friday, August 26. Kickoff at Legion Field is set for 7:30.

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