CHILLICOTHE – For most of the first quarter, Chillicothe held Bloom-Carroll’s high-powered offense at bay, but once veteran quarterback Ethan Thanthanavong got the hang of it, the Cavaliers had no answer.
Add to that two punt returns from the Bulldogs’ Beau Sherman, and that was just too much for Chillicothe in the season opener as Bloom-Carroll cruised to a 38-0 non-conference victory on Friday night at Herrnstein Field in Chillicothe.
“We forced them to think about what was going on and got some respect, and then big plays happened and the game got out of our hands,” Chillicothe coach Scott Bartholomew said. “Those punt returns are big plays, and not only that, they take a lot of the morale out of the kids. We’re down 9-1 and trying to get that confidence back, and plays like that are stabs in the back. I thought we held on, but it’s a slow leak. They did what good teams do: They take advantage of everything.”
Bloom-Carroll coach Jeremy McKinney said the Cavaliers messed up their coverage early and the Bulldogs had to adjust on the fly.
“What they showed in their practice games wasn’t what we saw tonight,” McKinney said. “They played different coverages than the ones we practiced against, and we had to adapt to what we did in passing. They want to apply pressure and stop the run.”
Sherman with great game
The Bulldogs took an early 3-0 lead on a 38-yard field goal by Treyton McKee, and although the Bulldogs’ offense struggled, Sherman gave them the momentum they needed.
When a punt came his way, he picked it up on the run, weaved through traffic and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter. After Thanthanavong threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Evan Cardenas early in the second quarter, Sherman was back at it.
This time, he returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown as he went against the grain, and was ready to go right away to give Bloom-Carroll a 24-0 halftime lead.
“I’ve been working hard and waiting for my big moment,” Sherman said. “I’ve been waiting for my chance and now I feel like I can finally show it. That’s what I do: just play.”
Thanthanavong was in command
Thanthanavong, who started as a sophomore on the Bulldogs’ team that finished second in the state, completed 13 of 18 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns of 48, 74 and 24 yards in his 30th career start. He threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to Rusty Hutchinson on the first play of the second half and then threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kelton Kirkpatrick to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 38-0 with 16 seconds left in the third quarter.
“First of all, I want to give all the glory to God because without Him nothing is possible. Coming into this year, I wanted to give everything I have and not let anything be in doubt,” Thanthanavong said. “I didn’t take a vacation this summer because I was so focused. I want to prove myself and lead this offense. I’ve been through a lot of games and that helps, but I have to give credit to my offensive line and my receivers because without them, these plays wouldn’t have happened.”
McKinney said Thanthanavong fully understands the offense and executes it perfectly.
“You’re not going to rattle him,” McKinney said. “This was his 30th career start at quarterback and this is his first game of his third season. He played under the biggest spotlights you can play under as a sophomore. He’s calm and does a great job of taking advantage of what the game gives him. We feel like the defense can take some things away, but they can’t take everything away. It took us a little bit to get there, but his ability to set the tone, stay calm, keep his eyes down and run when he needs to is what makes him a special player.”
Bright spots for the Cavs
Second-year quarterback Andrew Hamman did a good job in the first half of standing tall in the pocket and patiently waiting for his receivers to get open. He completed 13 of 25 passes for 134 yards, but in the first half he completed 11 of 16 passes for 119 yards.
Shawn Smith led Chillicothe with 60 rushing yards on 20 carries and Jaun Miller caught five passes for 40 yards.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Reach him at 740-689-5150 or email him at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @twil2323.
