By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
You didn’t really expect Loyola senior quarterback Bryce Carpenter to say that this week’s game against Calvary was just another game, did you?
Or that the Cavaliers are nothing more than the next opponent on the Flyers’ schedule?
Not from someone who attended Calvary, starting in pre-kindergarten until … he didn’t.
That was September, 2022, when Carpenter, who had started the first three games of the season at quarterback for the Cavaliers, decided to transfer after being informed that he was no longer the starter.
He had to sit out for a full calendar year from the date he enrolled at Loyola before becoming eligible to play again.
But Carpenter always knew the date of Nov. 3, 2023, was out there — when his new school would take on his old school. And now, here it is.
The Flyers will travel to Jerry Barker Stadium Friday night to take on Calvary for the final game of the regular season. Even though the game could decide the District 1-2A championship, you have to admit that Carpenter is an interesting story line.
And he knows it.
“I think it will be interesting,” Carpenter says.
You think?
“I think there will be some talking going on,” he says. “It will be pretty competitive. But I think it will be all love at the end of the game.”
Since becoming the starter for Loyola in Week 4 this year, Carpenter has led the Flyers to four wins in five games. He has brought a mixture of running and passing to the Loyola offense – he passed for 206 yards in his second start, and a week ago, rushed for 131 yards in a win over North Caddo.
But most of all, he’s helped the Flyers get into the end zone as he has accounted for 14 touchdowns in five games.
Changing teams and taking over in mid-season at quarterback is not a transition that many high school football players have to make in their careers.
“I had to meet new people and become a leader in a new locker room,” Carpenter says. “These are not guys I had been around my whole life. Plus, it’s a whole new offense, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot more about the game.”
Yet, having 12 months off wasn’t easy to overcome. There was an adjustment period before getting comfortable again at quarterback.
“Just being older, I feel like my confidence is back,” he says. “I understand defenses a lot better and have a better ability to make decisions.”
Carpenter says he keeps in touch with a few of his former teammates, and he is well versed in what Calvary has accomplished this year, as well as what he can expect once the game starts.
“I know they are athletic, I know they are competitive and I know they will probably be coming after me,” Carpenter says. “I think they are expecting to win and I’d like to prove them wrong.”
But he also knows what a tall order that is. Calvary is 9-0 this season, ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 2A and has outscored its previous district opponents 215-6. It’s the first time the Flyers have played a team ranked No. 1 in the state since 2015 (Sterlington).
“I think this week is an opportunity to show the improvement that we have made this season,” Carpenter says. “I’d like to show them that we are a better team than maybe they expect us to be.”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com