Keys to victory: ‘It was huge’ — Senators’ defense the difference in 12-11 win

As with any one-point game, a handful of plays turned out to make the difference in Carson’s thrilling 12-11 win over rival Douglas on Friday night.

The Senators (2-7 overall, 1-5 in 5A North games) found themselves down, 8-0, early. A strong defensive effort over the final three quarters, though, turned out to be the difference.

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Here’s a look at Friday’s biggest plays:

• The Senators’ defense came up big on the first drive of the second half, stopping a promising Douglas drive on a fourth-and-1 play at the Carson 39.

Carson then took advantage of the short field, gaining 30 yards on consecutive pass plays to eventually set up a 1-yard touchdown plunge by JT Heaton. That gave Carson its first lead of the night, at 12-8.

“The defense unbelievably stepped up; we worked so hard to counteract their big plays all week,” Carson head coach Ryan Boshard said. “We worked on it, and we worked on it … I’m so proud of our boys for stepping up in those moments. It was huge.”

• Carson kicker Isaac Avina stepped up with a big game, pinning the Tigers throughout the night with deep kickoffs and strong punts. He also scored the Senators’ first six points, converting on two first-half field goals.

His second kick was a boomer, going over the crossbar from 51 yards out and cutting the Tigers’ lead to 8-6 with 4:10 left in the first half.

“Isaac Avina … he won this game for us last year,” Boshard said. “And, again this year, he was crucial. It’s unbelievable what he does for this team.”

• With Douglas driving on what would turn out to be the game’s final full drive, the Carson defense came up big once again.

The Tigers took over at their own 1 following a goal-line interception by Connor Jackson with just under four minutes to play. Two long pass plays from quarterback Owen Evans, of 22 and 13 yards, got Douglas moving toward at least a possible game-winning field goal attempt. With 70 seconds to play, though, Carson’s Kincaid Gill played an Evans pass perfectly and came away with a game-sealing interception.

Both teams have one regular-season game left. The Senators will travel to Fernley on Friday for a 5A-3A non-league matchup; Douglas (1-7, 0-6) will end its season at home against Spanish Springs.