Gonzaga, looking to rejoin area’s elite, thumps Carroll to begin season

The tenor in Gonzaga Coach Randy Trivers’s steady voice picks up ever so slightly when he’s asked to characterize his team’s spirit. It’s an unselfish bunch, he says, and one that wants to honor the legacy of Gonzaga football.

Saturday afternoon’s 35-7 road victory over Archbishop Carroll in Northeast Washington — which began with an interception on the Lions’ first pass attempt and included a 35-point margin in the second quarter that induced a running clock — was certainly one means to that end.

“Everything clicked out there,” senior quarterback Aidan Conrath said after the season-opening win. “It’s a big win for us at the start of the season.”

At face value, a team in the No. 13 Eagles’ position, having finished each of the last two seasons with a 5-6 record, might scoff when provided reminders of the past. Gonzaga has a different perspective. On Saturdays last fall, the Eagles watched graduate Caleb Williams take home the Heisman; in the spring, he came back and saw them in person. Next April, Williams and fellow graduate Olu Fashanu are projected to land in the first round of the NFL draft.

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This summer, they also mourned the death of athletic director Joe Reyda, who served as a longtime beacon for the program and was honored with a moment of silence before the game. All three embodied the Gonzaga mantra: to be a man for others. That made it easy for this group to envision the blueprint of a winner. It just needed to follow those same principles.

“Reyda did so much behind the scenes for us, it’s stuff like that that’s taken for granted,” Conrath said. “We definitely want to honor him this season.”

“They look at the guys who came before them,” Trivers said before the game. “It’s motivation for them to show these guys they belong in this purple jersey.”

The foundation took its first form under the muggy conditions Saturday against Carroll. The Lions captured a title in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference’s lower division last season but began its year with a new coach in Derian Quick and a five-star-sized hole in its defense with Nyckoles Harbor off to the University of South Carolina.

Gonzaga, which belongs to the conference’s upper division, put the game away quickly. Conrath was responsible for four first-half touchdowns, including a quarterback sneak on drive No. 1 and a toss to a toe-dragging receiver in the back of the end zone on drive No. 2. The receiving core rarely looked fazed, with senior Darius Wise Jr. pulling in two second-quarter touchdowns. The defense was just as stout, forcing four first-half turnovers.

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A halftime lead of 35-0 held until 3:10 remained, when Carroll scored its only touchdown.

“Obviously our goal is much bigger than this,” Conrath said. “We’re looking for a WCAC championship.”