Breaking tackles Ben Bennington (#32) is seen right before he made Carroll's first touchdown late in the first half Friday night. He ran 18 yards for the score after quarterback Riley Eller hit him with a pass. The Cougars defeated Tri-County 28-6. Photo provided Not since 2004 has the Carroll Cougars football team won the first game of the season. Friday night they recorded a big 28-6 victory over the Tri-County Cavaliers 28-6.

Cougar fans did not know what to expect. Would the team be ready? Physically? Emotionally? Would they be aggressive on the field and play tough on both sides of the line?

And in the first half, fans got their answer. The Cougars weren't aggressive and at times they missed tackles. The offense was sluggish much of the first quarter. But the Cougars did manage to find the end zone with 1:41 left in the first half. Ben Bennington scored on an 18-yard TD run. The extra point kick was blocked. That scoring drive took 12 plays and 87 yards. The score was set up by a Randy Hoffman fumble recovery. The score was 6-0 Carroll, as time ran out in the first half.

The second half was a different story. The Cougars played aggressive and physical, both lacking in 2007 on the field. This coaching staff is teaching the players how to win. They don't run the same plays over and over.

Coach Steve Keown is willing to go that extra mile for the kids. He was Carroll's interim coach in 2007, but is now head coach. His staff includes Tom Hall, offensive line and defense line coach; Bill Dillon, defensive coordinator; Shawn Wickersham, JV coach; and Steve Ogle, freshman coach; plus some volunteers.

2008 is a new beginning for Cougar football. These coaches are trying to bring winning back to CHS.

The Cougars put another good drive together in the third quarter. They scored again with 2:08 (3) on the clock, when Drew Yoder ran it in from the 22-yard line. Ben Bennington ran the 2-point conversion, making the score 14-0 CHS.

The fourth quarter was all Carroll. The Cougars scored on a 28-yard TD pass from Riley Eller to Yoder and Skylar Bagwell's kick was good. Then Bennington scored on a 36-yard run when he bolted through the host team's line and down the field to the end zone. Bagwell had another good kick and the score was 28-0 CHS.

Tri-County then scored on a 19-yard run by Zeph Bickett. The extra point was no good and the game ended 28-6 CHS.

Offensively the Cougars looked a lot better, as QB Eller was 7 of 14 for 97 yards and 1 TD pass to Yoder. Yoder scored 2 TDs - a 28-yard pass from Eller in the fourth quarter and a 23-yard rushing TD in the third quarter.

Bennington also scored 2 TDs, both were runs. The first was in the second quarter on an 18-yard TD run. His second came in the fourth quarter when he broke through the Cavaliers' defensive line and went 36-yards for the score. The way he broke tackles was reminiscent of former Carroll football standouts Billy Dillon and Frank "The Train" Vega.

Carroll had 10 first downs and rushed 34 times for 213 yards. Eller had 97 yards passing and completed 7 out of 14 passes.

Defensively, the Cougars need to work on a few areas but hard work should yield results. Big Thomas Gillam, Josh Pine, Randy Hoffman and Yoder all played tough, as did Carson Spesard and Eller.

Friday night is the annual county championship, the Bacon Bowl. The host Delphi Oracle team will be coming off a big defeat by Lafayette Central Catholic. Kick-off is 7 p.m.