Ground game carries Carmel

Updated: September 16, 2011 10:51PM

Carmel got off the bus running, and never stopped as they took down Marian Catholic 44-20 Friday.

Ninth-ranked Carmel racked up 332 yards of total offense, all of which was achieved on the ground.

Running backs Jordan Kos and Mike Panico accounted for 262 of those yards, 131 yards each.

“We knew we wanted to run the ball, and just kept attacking on the ground,” said Kos, who reached the end zone three times.

Carmel quarterback Brian Brennan had no completions on only two attempts but still left with a smile on his face.

“Our run game was dominant,” said Brennan. “I owe it to Kos and Panico, we can always count on them. Those guys were beats.”

Four different Corsairs found the end zone on the ground, including Brennan.

The game started off looking like it’d be an offensive shootout by both squads.

Carmel took the ball 67 yards on 11 plays when Jordan Kos found the end zone on a 5-yard halfback dive on Carmel’s first offensive possession.

But Marian countered on its first offensive play with an 81-yard touchdown rush by Matthew Simmons, tying the game at 7.

The Corsairs recovered a fumble after a punt on the ensuing drive, setting the Corsairs up with a first-and-10 on Marian’s 17-yard line.

Carmel scored on the first play of the drive, a 17-yard rumble again by Kos.

Marian Catholic would control the ball five times on offense in the second half, scoring on just one of those five.

Carmel controlled the ball four times in the second half, scoring on three of them.

In all, Carmel’s offense had possession on eight drives, and scored on six of them.

With the win, Carmel improves to 3-1 on the season while Marian Catholic falls to 2-2.

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