DE PERE, Wis. – Carroll football opened the 2026 season in impressive fashion Saturday afternoon, pulling away from St. Norbert for a convincing 40-10 victory at Donald J. Schneider Stadium. After a competitive opening quarter, the Pioneers seized control with explosive plays on both sides of halftime and never looked back.
St. Norbert controlled much of the early possession and was the first team to score, marching deep into Carroll territory before settling for a 35-yard field goal with 1:53 remaining in the opening quarter. Despite the Green Knights holding the ball for more than nine minutes in the quarter, Carroll answered immediately. On the third play of the ensuing drive, Anthony Martorano burst through the line and raced 76 yards for the game's first touchdown, flipping a 3-0 deficit into a 7-3 Pioneer lead with less than a minute left in the quarter.
The second quarter proved to be the turning point as Carroll's defense continued settling in while the offense found its rhythm. A 31-yard field goal from Matthew Swink extended the lead to 10-3 midway through the period before a key defensive play changed the momentum entirely. Sophomore defensive back Cameran Banks made a fantastic one-handed interception on a St. Norbert pass at the goal line. Just five plays later, quarterback Elisha Nieves connected with Marcus Johnson on a short pass that Johnson turned into a 68-yard touchdown, pushing the advantage to 17-3. Swink added another field goal in the final seconds of the half, sending Carroll into the locker room with a commanding 20-3 lead.
Any hopes of a St. Norbert comeback were quickly erased after halftime. Following a Green Knight turnover on downs near midfield, Carroll needed only one play to strike. Nieves found Danny Poor for a 47-yard touchdown pass just 10 seconds into the drive, extending the lead to 27-3. Later in the quarter, the Pioneers engineered their longest sustained drive of the afternoon. Starting at their own 14-yard line, Carroll marched 86 yards in nine plays, highlighted by a 58-yard connection from Nieves to Zach Johnson before Justice Humphreys punched in a three-yard touchdown run to make it 33-3.
The defensive front played a major role throughout the contest, consistently disrupting St. Norbert's offense despite the Green Knights running 72 plays and controlling possession for more than 39 minutes. August Johansen and Brayden Albee each recorded sacks, while Carroll finished with 10 tackles for loss and held St. Norbert to just 81 passing yards. Banks' interception was the lone takeaway through the air, and the Pioneers limited the Green Knights from capitalizing on extended drives all afternoon.
Carroll put an exclamation point on the win early in the fourth quarter. Facing fourth down near midfield, the Pioneers dialed up a trick play as punter Beau Veit delivered a perfect pass to Jayvion Williams, who sprinted 64 yards for a touchdown and a 40-3 lead. St. Norbert added a late rushing touchdown and threatened again in the closing minutes, but the Pioneer defense preserved the decisive margin.
The Pioneers finished with 496 yards of total offense, including 356 through the air and 140 on the ground. Nieves completed 15-of-29 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns, while Veit added the touchdown pass on special teams. Martorano led the rushing attack with 104 yards on just seven carries, and Marcus Johnson totaled 156 all-purpose yards while hauling in three catches for 100 yards and a score. Zach Johnson added 73 receiving yards, Danny Poor caught a touchdown pass, and Williams provided the highlight-reel score in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, Andrew Redmon and Evan Griffiths paced Carroll with seven tackles apiece. Jonah Miller and Evan Riemenschneider each recorded five stops, while Albee and Johansen combined for both Pioneer sacks. Carroll outgained St. Norbert 496-251 and averaged nearly 10 yards per offensive play in a complete performance to begin the 2026 campaign 1-0.
The Pioneers next game is their home opener in another nonconference matchup as they host UW-Eau Claire at 1pm, looking to avenge last season's opening loss.
