The Greene County Rams picked up their first win of the football season in the 3A District 2 opener Friday night with a 21-6 victory over the Algona Bulldogs in Jefferson. It was the first meeting ever for the two teams.
The Rams jumped on the scoreboard on their first possession after getting the ball via a Bulldog fumble on the Bulldogs’ 21 yard line. Three plays were capped with a 15 yard carry into the end zone by Dylan Hamilton. The point after touchdown was good and the Rams were up 7-0 after only 1:46 of play.
The Bulldogs were strong on their next possession and moved the ball all the way to the Rams’ 1 yard line. As they did last week against Kuemper, the Rams held them there on downs. They took possession of the ball on their own 1 yard line, but unlike last week, they successfully worked the ball away from the goal line without the opposition scoring a safety. The Rams got the ball out as far as the 17 yard line but ended up punting.
Hamilton had his way running in the second quarter. The Bulldogs ended their first possession of the second quarter with a punt that gave the Rams the ball on their own 23 yard line. In the next four plays, Hamilton rushed for two yards, then 21 yards, then 17 yards, and he finished with a 30 yard run into the end zone, scoring his second touchdown for the night and putting the Rams up 13-0. A successful PAT put the score at 14-0 with 8:46 left to play in the quarter.
The score was 14-0 at half time. Hamilton rushed for 110 yards in 11 carries, with the Rams’ total rushing yardage for the half at 130 yards.
The Bulldogs apparently talked about Hamilton during half time, as the Bulldog defense held him to only 34 yards in the second half. Hamilton finished the game with 144 yards rushing.
The Rams started the second half on offense. Both teams punted after their first possession. The Rams then started a 10 play drive that took them from their own 45 yard line down to the Bulldog’s 25 yard line. On a fourth down with seven yards to go, the Rams made an unsuccessful field goal attempt.
With less than three minutes to play in the quarter, the Bulldogs got the ball on their own 20 yard line. It was their turn to run, as they covered 80 yards in five plays, all rushing, to score. They attempted a two-point conversion but didn’t make it. With 12 seconds left in the third quarter, the Rams were up 14-6.
The Rams almost scored with 6:49 left to play in the game. Quarterback Daric Whipple threw a 25 yard pass to Tyler Beger in the end zone. Beger caught the ball but dropped it. The Rams put kicker Nick Schroeder in for a second 42 yard field attempt, but that also was not successful and the score was still 14-6.
The Ram defense bore down on the Bulldogs. With a penalty and two tackles for losses, Algona punted an a fourth and 10 at their own 20 yard line. The Rams got the ball mid field. Hamilton rushed for five yards and Whipple ran the ball 43 yards for a touchdown. The PAT was good and the Rams were up 21-6. The score held for the final four minutes of the game.
The Rams had 265 yards total offense, with 219 rushing and 46 passing. Whipple was six for 11 passing. The Bulldogs had several plays with negative yardage. They finished the game with 120 total yards of offense, with 131 yards rushing and a loss of 11 yards passing.
The Rams are now 1-2 overall and 1-0 in district play. Algona is 0-3 overall and 0-1 in district play. The Rams play at home again next Friday in a non-district game against 3A Creston.
