Carmichaels toes the line, handles FC

McDONALD – Often times, the offensive line is a football team’s heart and soul.
That was never more evident than Friday night at Fort Cherry’s Jim Garry Stadium as Carmichaels rolled up 313 rushing yards in a 31-14 win over the Rangers.
The win puts the Mikes (6-2, 6-1) in sole possession of second place in the Tri County South Conference while Fort Cherry 6-2, 4-2) falls to third.
“They’re bigger than us up front, for sure,” Rangers coach Jim Shiel said. “They definitely were able to move us.”
Carmichaels’ offensive line averages 271 pounds per man.
“These guys never get enough credit but it needs to be given tonight,” Mikes coach Ryan Krull said adamantly. “From left to right, we got Jake Turner, Austin Strahan, Dave Thomas, Evan Burnett and Brandon Crowder. They were awesome tonight.”
Krull also gave credit to Collin Reynolds, Jacob Shaw and Jacob Buttermore for contributing up front.
Their dominance was never more evident than when facing a third-and-three from the Rangers’ 38-yard line late in the third while holding a 19-14 lead. Krull called a quarterback sneak that gained 10 yards by Kevin Kelly.
Several plays later, Brennen Pelzer plowed in from the three, giving the visitors a two-score lead.
Nick Mundell paced the Mikes with 192 yards on 29 carries.
His 22-yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter sealed the win.
“Nick and rest of the backs ran real hard tonight,” Krull said.
Pelzer added 59 yards rushing to go with three scores.
The Rangers were led by sensational quarterback Ryhan Culberson. But his 181 yards rushing and one TD run were simply not enough as the Rangers found no balance as they couldn’t generate a single yard passing.
Fort Cherry did take a short-lived lead in the third quarter when Jacob Baird recovered a Culberson fumble in the end zone, giving the hosts a 14-7 lead.
But Kelly brought the Mikes back on their next series with a 30-yard scoring strike to Dylan Wilson. The extra point kick was wide, leaving the Mikes down a point, 14-13.
Wilson then recovered a Zach Vincentian fumble near midfield. Five plays later, Pelzer found the end zone from five yards out, giving the visitors a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.