CARSON CITY — Nineteen unanswered points in the second half were the difference in the Spanish Springs Cougars’ season-opening 33-14 triumph over Carson in prep football action Friday night.

The two teams traded touchdowns in the first half as they went into the lockerroom deadlocked at 14 apiece. It was all Spanish Springs from there as the Cougars defense stiffened in the final 24 minutes of action, holding the Senators scoreless.

“At halftime we calmed down. In the second half, all three phases played extremely well, special teams, defense and offense,” Spanish Springs coach Scott Hare said. “We need to continue working on the small things, but when something bad happens, we seem to say let’s make something good happen for us.”

Spanish Springs linebacker Niko Leyva tackled Carson quarterback Blake Plattsmier in the end zone less than three minutes into the second half. The play went for a safety and gave Spanish Springs a 16-14 edge.

That was the first in a line of big plays for the Cougars defense after the break. Nearly eight minutes later, SSHS defensive back Jalen Dixon blocked a Carson punt, giving Spanish

Springs possession deep in Senators’ territory. The Carson miscue led to a Spanish Springs field goal by Brandon Pelfrey and a 19-14 Cougars’ edge at the 1:23 mark of the third quarter.

Spanish Springs added a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to put the game away. Cougars’ quarterback Richie Hernandez found tailback teammate Todd Giordano twice for touchdowns. An 8-yard pass-and-catch combination came with 10:12 to go in the final quarter of the non-league affair. A 1-yard scoring catch came with 1:45 left in the contest.

Giordano had a big night for Spanish Springs. He had a 59-yard touchdown run on the first possession for Spanish Springs. The long scamper put the Sparks school ahead 7-0 with 10:44 showing on the first-quarter clock.

Giordano racked up 123 yards on 14 carries.

Carson knotted the game at 7-7 on a Plattsmier 1-yard run with 7:19 remaining in the second quarter.

Spanish Springs wasted no time re-taking the lead. Andrew Hodgkins, who also saw time at quarterback for the Cougars, connected with Dixon for a 65-yard touchdown pass and a 14-7 SSHS lead with 5:54 to go before halftime.

Hodgkins finished 8-of-14 on the night with 135 yards through the air.

That lead did not stand up as Carson scored less than two minutes later on a big play. Plattsmier found Steve Fowzer for a 42-yard scoring bomb, accounting for the 14-14 halftime score.

“Now, we have a 1-2 punch where we can run and pass and have multi-dimensional guys,” Hare said. “But, we’re just 1-0. We definitely need to improve. We were not crisp by any stretch of the imagination, especially on offense.”

Spanish Springs plays its first home game next week as Wooster heads into the north Sparks valley for a 7:30 p.m. Friday kickoff.