Illinois football commit Carson Boyd racks up 413 total yards, 2 TDs in season-opening win

Boyd throws for 312 yards and two TDs and runs for 101 yards

Cardinal Ritter senior quarterback Carson Boyd / Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI – It wasn't always pretty on Friday night, but the top-ranked Cardinal Ritter football team took care of business in its season opener against visiting Jackson.

Leading the way for the Lions in their 44-7 win over 11th-ranked Jackson were standout senior quarterback Carson Boyd and senior running back Jamarion Parker.

Boyd, a University of Illinois commit, completed 26 of 33 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns (with one interception) and ran for 101 yards on six carries. Parker, a Nebraska pledge, added four touchdowns, including a TD catch.

The win was the 29th consecutive victory for the Lions, who have won back-to-back state championships.

"We have guys on this team that haven't lost in two years," Cardinal Ritter coach Brennan Spain said. "We've got some veteran, seasoned guys so I expect the veteran guys to be able to pull the younger guys along and show them how this thing is done. Kudos to Jackson, but we did everything that we wanted to do. We had some missed opportunities and things we need to work on."

Related: Nebraska commit Jamarion Parker scores four TDs in Week 1 win

Boyd, Parker and talented uncommitted wide receiver Dejerrian Miller are among the senior standouts Spain is counting on every week as the Lions seek a third consecutive state championship.

The focus will be on Boyd this fall after putting up big numbers the past two seasons while splitting time with since-graduated QB Antwon McKay Jr.

A year ago, as a junior, Boyd passed for 2,224 yards and 29 touchdowns (with one interception) and ran for 576 yards and six scores despite splitting snaps. He was selected as the Missouri Class 5 offensive player of the year by the Missouri coaches association even though he was technically Ritter's second-string quarterback.

A 6-foot, 181-pound dual-threat quarterback, Boyd has returned for his senior season bigger and stronger than a year ago and is poised for another strong season.

He showed that on Friday night, spreading the ball around the entire field to a talented cast of pass catchers – Miller, De'Shaun Stevenson, Elijah Abdullah and Elijah Lucas each had at least five catches and 52 receiving yards – and also shaking off defenders to gain yardage with his legs whenever he needed to.

The Lions have their eyes on a third straight state title and face a difficult schedule, but Boyd and Co. look like they have what it takes to make another long playoff run.

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- Nate Latsch |  latsch@scorebooklive.com