WAUKESHA, Wis. – The Carroll University football team took the musket from the Carthage Firebirds for the first time in 25 years on Saturday afternoon on Schneider Stadium. The Pios defeated Carthage 26-17. Senior Linebacker Justin Kontny racked up a season-high 13 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. John Taylor came in for injury relief of Michael Johnson and finished with a career-high 230 yards passing and two touchdowns.
 
The Pioneers (5-4, 4-4 CCIW) outscored the Firebirds 20-3 after the first quarter of the game. Carroll ran 52 plays for 346 total yards of offense. The Pioneers finally got the ground game moving, with Nick Legnaioli picking up the first 100-yard game of his career. The Pioneers recovered a fumble from the Firebirds and broke up five passes. Jacob Laurent remained perfect at home, knocking in two huge field goals from 30 and 32 yards out.
 
The Pioneers' first offensive possession was a three-and-out, which led to a 10 play, 80-yard scoring drive for Carthage. Keon Miller responded with an electric, 87-yard kick-off return for a touchdown. Miller's touchdown is the first kick-off return for a touchdown since 2014. Laurent's extra-point attempt was blocked, and the Pios were down just one to the firebirds.
 
Carthage came back with another 80-yard drive to score from 14-yards out. Taylor stepped in as QB1 and picked up a first down on a 17-yard pass to Legnaioli on the first play from scrimmage. Taylor, who got backed up in the Carthage red zone, brought the Pios to the 12-yard line, which allowed Laurent to add three points to the board.
 
With 12 minutes remaining in the first half, the Pioneers didn't score again until 1:12 was left on the clock. Facing a 2^nd and 10, Taylor hit Trevor Hancock on a seam route in-stride for a 36-yard score. Carroll held up strong with 1:07 left in the second quarter and kept Carthage out of the end zone, as the Pios went into halftime up two.
 
The Pioneers' opening possession stalled out at the Carthage 39-yard line, after a failed fourth and three attempt. Carthage marched down to the Carroll 15-yard line, but Kontny came up with a huge tackle behind the line of scrimmage on 4^th and 2 to give Carroll the ball back. The Pios were forced to punt, but a muffed kick return was recovered by Donovan Parker on the Carthage 34-yard line. A play later, Taylor hit Austin Eichstaedt in the end zone for his first score of the game.
 
Carthage finally broke their scoreless streak with a 46-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. The Pioneers were forced to punt on their next possession but held strong in their own red zone forcing a turnover on downs at their own eight-yard line.
 
Legnaioli broke through for the longest rush of the season with a 47-yard screamer up the middle to set up Laurent's second field goal of the game. Carthage had just 14 seconds left on the clock when they got the ball back and were only able to run two plays before time expired.
 
Carroll will wrap up the 2021 season at Elmhurst on Saturday, November 13. The Pioneers will play in their 1,000^th career game against the Bluejays.