By Jack Veltri

Correspondent

BLYTHEWOOD – So much of the Nation Ford Falcons’ success last year boiled down to the great connection between quarterback Kaden Barnette and wide receiver Josh Ameo. But with both players out for Friday’s season opener, there was a noticeable difference in how the Falcons played offensively.

Down eight starters in the first game of the year, Nation Ford suffered a 44-6 loss to the Blythewood Bengals. While the results weren’t ideal, Falcons head coach Michael Allen knows there’s still a lot of football left to play and the key players will eventually return.

“It just is what it is, man. It’s football,” Allen said. “I’m pretty proud of how we moved the ball up and down the field and just kept grinding it out. For me, it’s a win in that sense.”

Without Barnette under center, senior Carson Sanford made the start at quarterback. He showed flashes at times, but for the most part, it was a struggle to get much going. Near the end of the first half, he fired a 24-yard touchdown pass to junior wideout Jayden Scott to get the team on the board.

But outside of that, Sanford couldn’t find a consistent connection with his receivers. He finished the night 13-for-31 passing with the lone touchdown and two interceptions. The one bright spot for the Falcons offense was the run game, with a team-high 76 yards from junior running back Patience Andrews.

“Carson has been the type of kid that just grinded it out all summer long,” Allen said. “I’m pleased that he’s our quarterback. I think he’s going to continue to improve. Those types of things are going to happen to quarterbacks. So, we just got to sew up a little bit on our offensive line. I thought we ran the ball pretty well during the game. I thought Patience Andrews ran the ball really hard. Malachi Drayton ran the ball really hard. So those are some of the things that we can build on.”

For as much as the offense couldn’t get rolling, it wasn’t all on them. The Falcons struggled to contain Blythewood quarterback John Henry Collins through the air as he threw four touchdowns for 30 yards or more each time.

Allen said his defense had three sophomores starting in the secondary, again due to team injuries. Since those players all were on the ninth grade team last year and making their varsity debuts, he noted that was part of the adjustment.

Otherwise, the defense played relatively well and made eight stops. The Falcons also came away with a pair of interceptions off Collins. 

“Those cats are pretty good and the quarterback was throwing the ball well, especially on the deep balls. We just kind of got out-athleted a little bit there,” Allen said. “Those are some of the things I think we can fix. And again, some of those guys were out. So, you know what, man? It’s next man up. Playing that corner position sometimes, it’s a tough place to be. You’re a hero to zero quick, and it takes a nano second for that to happen.”

With another road game on deck next week, Allen believes things will be different for his team. He knows with the injuries they’ve had and being down so many starters, it’s a tough hand to be dealt for the opener. But outside of Barnette, he expects the rest of the bunch, including Ameo to be back soon, possibly for the next game.

“You’ve got eight senior athletes that are not playing on a given night and each one of them are probably the best at their position. You’re going to struggle a little bit, man,” he said. “The expectation is to get all those guys back. We built a little depth tonight with the young crew. And so, we’ll just go back to work and again, like I said, build our toolbox and get better, get tougher.”

Nation Ford will travel to York and play next Friday, Aug. 30 for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.