Pleasant Grove continued its hot streak, as Eric Handley threw two touchdown passes to Clarence Taylor in a 37-12 victory over John Carroll.

“Gritty game, but it’s always good when come out with a win,” Pleasant Grove coach Darrell LeBeaux said. “Eric and Clarence have really made my life easy this season. Eric is a very smart kid who understands the game really well. Clarence is coming into his own, and he’s a heck of a playmaker.

“Both of them work their butts off,” LeBeaux continued. “When you have guys who are really good football players and put in the hard work, that’s a big plus.”

The Spartans (5-1 overall, 3-1 in Class 5A, Region 5) won their third straight game, while handing John Carroll (5-1, 3-1) its first loss of the season.

Key sequence: John Carroll took an early 3-0 lead, but the Spartans replied with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Handley’s 15-yard TD pass to Taylor. The Cavaliers then went 3-and-out, and, on the Spartans’ next play, Handley hooked up with Taylor on slant that he turned into a 60-yard touchdown and a 13-3 lead.

Stat sheet: Handley completed 14-of-22 passes for 200 yards, with TD passes of 15 and 60 yards to Taylor. … Taylor had four catches for 87 yards. … Collin Moore carried 11 times for 75 yards and a touchdown, and teammate Jordan Smith had seven carries for 75 yards a TD for Pleasant Grove. … John Carroll’s Mitchell Nutter logged 26 carries for 163 yards. … Tristan Rutledge scored on a 16-yard run for the Cavaliers, and Charles Farr kicked field goals of 30 and 27 yards.

Halftime adjustments: Pleasant Grove’s defense dominated the second half, forcing four 3-and-outs, recovering two fumbles and intercepting a pass. Githan Everson returned a fumble 52 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown. “The defense really stepped up tonight,” LeBeaux said. “They played Pleasant Grove football.”

Coachspeak: “It all starts with me and I have to do a better job of managing the game. We did a good job of running the ball. The O-line played hard and opened up holes. I’m proud of our team. I don’t think the scoreboard tells the whole story of the game tonight. They took advantage of our mishaps. We grew up a little bit.” – John Carroll coach Will Mara

He said it: “Despite what the scoreboard says, I thought we played a sloppy game. We had a lot of miscues and penalties on offense. The defense had our back tonight. They have been doing a great job all season.” – Handley

“If we stay healthy and hungry, we can be really good this year.” – Taylor

What’s next?: Pleasant Grove plays Fairfield at home next week, and John Carroll plays Ramsay at home.