Nolan Shine, #10, played both ways against McQueen Friday night.
Nolan Shine pulled double duty Friday night, starting at outside linebacker and quarterback against McQueen, and he loved every second of it.
Shine threw two TD passes and was in on a handful of tackles in helping Carson stop McQueen, 28-21, in a Northern Division I crossover game at the Jim Frank Track & Field Complex.
“Coach told me to focus on quarterback during the summer ... because he wasn’t going to use me on defense against Clayton Valley,” Shine said. “Right after the Clayton Valley game, he told me I was going to be playing defense. I was ecstatic. That’s my position. I like to hit people. I was happy with the way I played on defense tonight.”
“I thought he did real well on defense,” coach Blair Roman said. “He’s an all-region player. He’s a good player.”
Teammate Brady Rivera was happy to see Shine back on the defensive side of the ball.
“It’s great,” said Rivera. “He’s a mad dog. I love the way he plays.”
For now, Roman plans to use both quarterbacks — Shine and Joe Nelson.
“I don’t like that normally, but that is the reality of the situation,” Roman said. “I have confidence in both young men. Joe is coming around.”
EXCHANGE ISSUES
There were several exchange issues on snaps from Corey Jasper to both Shine and back-up Nelson.
“I know there was one low snap,” Roman said. “I’ll have to talk to Nolan and look at the film. Nolan could have been tired (and lost concentration).”
That’s a key in a shotgun or pistol formation. A bad snap or fumbled snap can throw off the entire timing of the play.”
MISSING COACH
Linebacker coach Shane Quilling missed the game because of family emergency back in Montana. He is expected to be back for next week’s game against North Valleys.
INJURY REPORT
It appeared Carson escaped unscathed Friday night. However, earlier in the week Josiah Pongasi suffered a broken left collarbone and is likely out for the season. Conrad Franz missed the game with a concussion.
TWO STRAIGHT
Dilyn Rooker, Connor Pradere and Elijah Fajayan have caught passes in two straight games.
Pradere had a 56-yard TD grab while Rooker’s score went for 47. Fajayan had a catch for three yards.
CARRYING THE LOAD
For the second straight game, Colby Brown carried the load running the ball.
Brown carried 19 times for 66 yards and a 1-yard TD. He had 32 carriers for 135 yards and scores in both games.
The ground game never took off like Roman had hoped.
OLD HOME NIGHT
Former players Dylan Sawyers and Cole Dufresne were on hand. Both spent much of the game chatting with athletic director Bob Bateman ... Former principal Ron Beck, who retired at the end of last year, also was on hand. He said he plans to establish part-time residency near Casa Grande, Arizona. No doubt he’ll be a fixture at spring training games around the Phoenix area.
UP NEXT
North Valleys, Carson’s next opponent, appears to be the real deal after demolishing Douglas, 42-7, Friday night.
The Senators have won five straight against the Panthers, outscoring them 229-65.
