First-year senior starters step right in to boost Valley's success

HANOVER ― Licking Valley senior Colton Carr had ripped off an 11-yard gain in the first quarter and was fighting for more, when the ball popped out.

Watkins Memorial picked it up and returned it 40 yards, setting up the Warriors' second score in a 30-13 win that spoiled homecoming for the Panthers in Randy Baughman Stadium.

The giveaway did not sit well with Carr, who went on to rush for a season-best 90 yards on 15 carries.

"It got me angry," he said. "It made me play more fearless. The line opened up holes and it made it easier to run."

Not coincidentally, Carr's best games of 2022 have been the two most recent ones. He and classmate Seth Phelps, an offensive tackle, have grown into their roles as first-year starters with Valley (4-3, 1-1) trying to finish with a flourish, still have a say in the Licking County League-Buckeye Division title and boost its playoff standing.

"Both of them have really paid their dues, working hard for three years to get their opportunity, and they've stepped up their games," coach Randy Baughman said. "Colton is an extremely good downhill runner. He's not going to dance around and he's going north and south. Seth really got serious in the weightroom and was one of our leaders in there. He's extremely smart and is able to make calls up there if need be."

Carr has rushed for 459 yards on 92 carries, and admitted he was a little slow getting out of the gate.

"The first couple games, I was maybe more timid," he said. "Learning what we were doing and being in that position. I grew up with Seth. He's one of my guys, one of my brothers, and he's getting better blocks and making hits."

"It's been impressive, the way he's improved and made gains," Phelps said of Carr. "He gets the rock, gets the ball moving and knows how to hit the hole hard."

The Panthers have a tough closing stretch of games, starting with Friday's trip to perennial small school power Lima Central Catholic (4-3), followed by league showdowns with Granville and Licking Heights (both 5-2). Despite the stinging loss to Watkins, the players are confident they are going to finish strong.

Check out the Licking County 2022 football season schedule

"There's still a lot to play for, the league championship," Carr said. "The seniors have worked too hard, and we're locked in. We're not selling ourselves short. There's a lot of work to be done in the film room. Coming off a loss, we're disappointed and sad, but we can't dwell on that. We have to step up and be focused."

"We still have a lot of goals and aspirations, and there's a lot left to accomplish," said Phelps. "We're not closed to being done yet. As seniors, we only have X amount of games left, so yes, we're going to play with urgency."

Baughman is pleased with the way the players have responded after the loss, which ended a three-game winning streak.

"We can't sit around and mope, and they came back in and had a great workout on Saturday," he said.

Lima Central Catholic has won at Valley the past two seasons, and the Panthers know they face another stern test on the road against the Thunderbirds.

"They have an outstanding quarterback who played well against us last year as a sophomore, and is even better as a junior," Baughman. "They have tall, lanky receivers, and are very aggressive on defense. The good thing is, we're basically playing against our defense, because this will be one of the few times we'll face a four-man front."

dweidig@gannett.com

740-704-7973

Twitter: @grover5675

Instagram: @dfweidig