ELMHURST — The Carthage College football team picked up its first conference road victory of the year with a 31-7 win over Elmhurst on Saturday afternoon at Langhorst Field.

• Final Score: Carthage 31 – Elmhurst 7
• Location: Elmhurst, Illinois – Langhorst Field
• Records: Carthage 2-2 (1-2 CCIW), Elmhurst 1-3 (0-3 CCIW)

• Carthage struck first midway through the opening quarter when Mugdim Kreho drilled a 23-yard field goal to make it 3-0. 
• Moments later, the Firebirds capitalized on an interception by Idarius Walton. 
• On the very next play, Easton Heafner connected with Omar Surveyor on a 23-yard touchdown pass, pushing the lead to 10-0.
• The Firebirds extended their advantage late in the second quarter as Mark Hunter capped off a 13-play, 97-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run to send Carthage into halftime up 17-0.
• Coming out of the break, Carthage wasted little time as Bryce Frank finished off a short field with a six-yard touchdown run early in the third, putting the Firebirds ahead 24-0.
• Frank struck again in the fourth quarter, breaking through for another six-yard score to give Carthage a 31-0 cushion. 
• Elmhurst spoiled the shutout with a late touchdown drive, capped by an 18-yard run, but Carthage comfortably closed out the 31-7 victory.

• Mark Hunter added 113 rushing yards on 17 carries and scored once.
• Bryce Frank rushed 13 times for 65 yards and two touchdowns.
• Omar Surveyor led the receivers with 75 yards and a touchdown on four receptions.
• Easton Heafner was efficient, going 12-for-14 passing with 120 yards and a touchdown.
• Defensively, Koen Abreu led the way with nine tackles, while Briton Stanton and Michael Sneed each added seven. Idarius Walton grabbed his first interception of the year, and Jy'Lique Barnes recovered a fumble in the opening quarter.
• Carthage finished with 358 yards of total offense, including 202 on the ground. The Firebirds controlled possession for more than 36 minutes and converted seven of 11 third downs.

"Really proud of our guys to go on the road at an opponent's homecoming and find a way to get a win. We did a great job from offense to defense to special teams. Our coaches did a great job preparing them. I'm really proud of everyone in the program."

• Carthage returns home facing WashU on Saturday, October 11, at 1 p.m.