John Carroll flexed its defensive muscle while unleashing a balanced offensive attack, cruising to a 44-7 victory over Maplesville in Friday night’s regular-season final.

John Carroll (7-3, 5-2 Class 5A, Region 5) outgained the Red Devils 484-185, forced seven three-and-outs on defense and did not allow a single third-down conversion.

The Cavaliers scored on their first two possessions, taking a 14-0 lead on a 44-yard run from Zach Archer and a 14-yard run by Mitchell Nutter, and starting quarterback Carson McFadden broke loose for a 58-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter to extend the advantage to three scores.

Charles Farr added a 35-yard field goal for a 24-0 lead with 3:18 remaining in the first half and McFadden connected with Ryan Redmond on an 11-yard touchdown pass for a 31-0 lead heading into halftime.

McFadden took the first snap of the second half before making his exit and the Cavaliers finished off the opening drive with Archer crashing into the end zone from a yard out. Sophomore quarterback Benjamin Barnes found Redmond for an 80-yard touchdown pass that was called back on a holding call, but connected again two plays later on a 59-yard touchdown pass to cap the scoring.

Maplesville (7-3, 6-1 Class 1A, Region 4) found the end zone early in the final quarter, capping an 8-play, 83-yard drive on a 15-yard touchdown run from Bryson Pickle. The Red Devils crossed midfield only four times and went three-and-out on their first four possessions of the game.

Star of the game: McFadden. The senior quarterback was 6-for-10 passing for 99 yards and a touchdown and had five rushing attempts for 108 yards and a score. He amassed all his yardage in the first half and took only a single snap in the second half.

“It felt good getting rest in the second half. We needed a win like this going into the playoffs and we got some rest for our guys,” he said.

By the numbers: 13, the number of consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance for John Carroll until this year. …10, the total number of tackles for loss in the game. …2, the number of wins in the series for John Carroll, which leads 2-0 after a 28-12 win last season.

Stat sheet: John Carroll – Barnes finished 7–of-9 passing for 162 yards and a scoring toss, while Nutter had 16 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. Archer had five receptions for 61 yards and two carries for 45 yards and a pair of scores. Redmond had three catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns, followed by Aubrey Walker with three receptions for 50 yards. Farr had a 36-yard reception and was 5-of-6 on PATs while knocking through a 35-yard field goal. Maplesville – Bradlee Padgett was 6-of-14 for 54 yards, adding 18 yards on three carries, and Nehemiah McCary had 14 attempts for 49 yards. James Lagrone had four carries for 24 yards, followed by Pickle with three attempts for 25 yards and a touchdown. Johnathon Wilson had four receptions for 34 yards.

Coachspeak: “It’s cold out here! We played well, got a big win heading into the playoffs, but there’s plenty to work on with as many pre-snap penalties we had tonight. Maplesville is a quality program and it says a lot about how well we prepared for this game.” — John Carroll’s Will Mara after getting the post-game water bath

What’s next? John Carroll is the 3-seed in Class 5A, Region 5 and will travel to Fairview for a first-round playoff game, while Maplesville finished as the 2-seed in Class 1A, Region 4 and will host Choctaw County in the first round of the AHSAA playoffs.