Look: Leroy Gonzalez leads resurgent Carroll to 49-14 win over Corpus Christi Moody
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Senior running back Leroy Gonzalez got off to a career-best performance during the early stage of Corpus Christi Carroll's Thursday night Week 7 clash against Corpus Christi Moody.
For the second straight week, Gonzalez exploded out of the backfield to power as part of a scorching-hot start that powered Carroll's relentless rushing attack in a pivotal District 14-5A DI matchup.
Gonzalez scored on a career-high four touchdown runs — all during the first half — to highlight a big night for the Tigers' offense, as Carroll crushed Corpus Christi Moody for a 49-14 district win Thursday at Cabaniss Stadium.
The victory marks Corpus Christi Carroll's second straight double-digit win against District 14-5A DI competition after the Tigers fell to Victoria East in a 54-7 blowout loss during their district opener several weeks ago.
The Tigers stormed out in front during the first quarter with back-to-back long touchdown runs by Gonzalez to start the game and give Carroll an early two-possession edge.
Corpus Christi Carroll pushed its lead over Moody to 21-0 during the late stages of the first quarter when junior wide receiver JC Slater hauled in a 30-yard touchdown catch when senior quarterback Benny Hernandez's pass bounced off the outstretched hands of a Trojans' defensive back in the end zone.
Moody responded with a touchdown of its own with 10 seconds remaining in the first quarter to trim Carroll's lead to 21-7.
Gonzalez, however, answered the Trojans' touchdown with another pair of back-to-back touchdown runs during the second quarter for Corpus Christi Carroll, which gave the Tigers a commanding 35-7 lead heading into halftime.
The Tigers tacked on a few additional insurance points when they scored two more third-quarter touchdowns to cap off a run that featured 28 unanswered points for Carroll from the end of the first quarter to the start of the fourth.
The Trojans added their final score of the night, a late touchdown, during the final few minutes of the fourth quarter.
With their second straight victory, Carroll has positioned itself squarely within the District 14-5A DI playoff race and also far surpassed its win total in recent years.
The Tigers have already won more games during the 2022 campaign than in the program's past five seasons combined (3-47).
Corpus Christi Carroll (4-2, 2-1) will look to keep rolling when the Tigers return to action searching for their third straight district win versus the Corpus Christi Veterans Eagles (3-2, 2-0) at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, at Cabaniss Stadium in Corpus Christi.
Corpus Christi Moody (0-6, 0-3), meanwhile, will look to bounce back by capturing its first win of the season when the Trojans take on the Corpus Christi Miller Buccaneers (5-0, 2-0) at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at Buc Stadium in Corpus Christi.
Check out SBLive's exclusive photo gallery from the game:
PHOTO GALLERY — CORPUS CHRISTI CARROLL 49, CORPUS CHRISTI MOODY 14
All photos by Blake Purcell
