BRANSON, Mo. — Luke Gall scored five touchdowns in the first half and then took the second half off as Carthage rolled to a convincing 49-0 win over Branson on Friday night in Central Ozark Conference action at Pirate Stadium.
Ranked first in Class 5 by the Missouri Media, Carthage improved to 2-0 with the lopsided victory.
A senior running back, Gall recorded five rushing touchdowns in the first half as Carthage built a 42-0 lead.
The Air Force Academy recruit and last year’s COC Offensive Player of the Year, Gall spent the second half watching from the sideline.
Gall’s hard-charging 8-yard touchdown run with 5:27 remaining in the first quarter, along with Chris Mejia’s PAT kick, gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead.
Senior quarterback Cooper Jadwin ran for an 8-yard touchdown with four seconds left in the first quarter to give the visitors a 14-0 advantage.
Gall’s 1-yard TD scamper made it 21-0 early in the second quarter.
On the next possession, and with the rain pouring down, Gall broke free for a 60-yard touchdown run, giving his team a 27-0 cushion with just over eight minutes left in the first half.
A 1-yard plunge by Gall, along with a 2-point conversion, extended Carthage’s lead to 35-0 with three minutes left in the first half.
Gall added a 30-yard touchdown sprint with 20 seconds before the break for a 42-0 cushion.
Carthage’s defense limited the Pirates to one first down in the first half. The Tigers also recovered a pair of Branson fumbles in the opening half.
There was a running clock in the second half.
Carthage coach Jon Guidie had several reserves on the field in the second half.
Tigers sophomore QB Brady Carlton scored on an 11-yard run with just over nine minutes remaining for the lone score of the second half.
The Pirates dropped to 0-2.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Tigers host Class 6 No. 4 Nixa (2-0) next Friday in a key COC showdown at David Haffner Stadium.
