Stratford dominates Pinewood Christian to the tune of 48-7 victory at home

When a coach takes over a new program, there’s hope that consistency comes sooner rather than later.

Paul Carroll has yet to deal with consistency being a problem in his first season at Stratford. The Eagles won their first two games by 14 points and by 56. That’s an average of a 35-point margin.

Stratford didn’t veer far from the early-season norm on Friday, storming out to a 34-0 halftime lead en route to a 48-7 thumping of Pinewood Christian in GIAA non-district action.

41 points isn’t too far from that 35 point mark, and if not for some breakdowns on a routine defensive play that will no doubt inspire a major cringe and groan from Carroll, his defensive assistants, and the players involved, the Eagles would have had a second straight shutout.

That hadn’t happened since 2006, against George Walton and Mount de Sales. As it is, Stratford will have to settle for its fifth straight 3-0 start.

Pinewood, on the other hand, is 0-3 for the first time since 2018. The Patriots might have been a little tired from last week’s  67-48 loss at Brentwood. Stratford handed the Patriots their worst loss since Savannah Country Day won 52-0 last year, and worst against a GIAA program since 55-0 to John Milledge in 2022.

Stratford was worried about Banks Booth, Pinewood Christian’s standout quarterback and multi-sport athlete who threw for 2,406 yards last year while completing 63.2 percent of his passes with 26 touchdowns and three interceptions.

He was 36 of 50 for 452 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception in the first two games for the Patriots, adding a team-high 122 rushing yards.

“There’s no doubt, ain’t no doubt,” Carroll said of pregame concerns about containing Booth. “I expected at least two or three deep balls. We had a lot of young guys in the secondary because we’re banged up a little bit. 

“They surprised me as far as not giving up the deep ball. They gave up one.”

Booth had a nice statistical night, completing 15 of 21 for 151 yards and a late score, but suffered losses galore and managed only five yards on the ground.

On the other side of the ball, Pinewood had no answer for running back Tyler Stephens and quarterback Connor Fitzpatrick.

Stephens racked up 180 yards on 16 carries and a score, dazzling with some superb runs, including a big one called back because of a blindside-block penalty.

Fitzpatrick ran seven times for 106 yards, adding his own highlight-reel efforts with his legs and arm, completing 10 of his 13 passes for 159 yards. He ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more.

Tucker Johnston and Mike Dodd kept it going late, Johnston racing for 71 yards on four carries, plus a 48-yarder wiped out by a flag.

All the numbers would have been better, except for one key area.

“We had 10 penalties,” Carroll said. “The first two games, we had hardly any penalties. A lot of it was a block in the back, holding, just kinda stuff like that, things we hadn’t done. We can fix that.”

Stephens, a 5-foot-8-inch, 160-pound junior, was a mess for the Patriots to corral with 11 carries of at least 10 yards. He had a few more runs that were wiped out by penalties, including an impressive display early in the third quarter.

Fitzpatrick had an equally impressive 12-yard touchdown run when, after the first contact came in the backfield, he staggered and bounced the rest of the way to the short side of the field for the score.

They led the way to a 400-yard rushing night.

The defense, young or not, spent the night flying to the ball. Booth completed only six passes of 10 yards or more, and only two of at least 20.

“We try to build our team on effort,” Carroll said. “That’s something I’m proud about. They play hard.”