The Greene County Rams scored first and early in a game against the Panthers of Creston-Orient-Macksburg at Linduska Field Friday and led 7-0 after less than four minutes of play. The lead was short-lived. The Panthers also scored on their first possession of the game, and the score was tied after six minutes of play. The Rams didn’t score again. The Panthers took home a 23-7 win, improving their season record to 3-1 while the Rams fell to 1-3.
The Rams scored on an eight play, 75 yard drive. Quarterback Daric Whipple and running back Dylan Hamilton shared rushing duties, with Hamilton carrying the ball 16 yards and Whipple adding a 50 yard scamper. Whipple capped off the drive with an 11 yard pass to Jake Carey. Nick Schroeder’s point after kick was good.
The Panthers answered with a seven play, 85 yard drive that included a 44 yard pass by quarterback Alex Nielsen.
The Rams weren’t able to make good on several opportunities during the game. Still in the first quarter, the Panthers closed their second possession after the score with a punt that went only 14 yards. The Rams had the ball on the Panther 43 yard line. The Rams worked the ball down to the 21 yard line, but the Panther defense held at third down with one yard to go, and again at 4:1.
The Panthers took over the ball on their own 21 yard line. Nielsen threw two passes for a total of 61 yards, and the Panthers had a first down on the Ram 17 yard line. A penalty against the Panthers moved the ball back, and the possession ended when Ram Matt Gordon intercepted a Nielsen pass and ran the ball back out to the Ram 36 yard line. It was the first Ram interception of the season.
The Rams lost the ball on downs, with a Joe Doran punt and the return putting it on the Panthers’ 47 yard line. Max Neese got the Rams’ second interception on a long Nielsen pass and ran the ball 44 yards before being brought down on the Panthers’ 35 yard line. Hamilton ran the ball 35 yards into the end zone, but the run was called back on a holding penalty against the Rams. That was the last time the Rams were in the end zone.
There was no scoring in the second quarter until the clock was down to 1:02 left to play. The Panthers put together seven plays that included a 44 yard Nielsen pass and ended with a 52 yard field goal by Conner Pals. The Panthers led 10-7 at half time.
The officials were very present in the third quarter. They called a total of four penalties in the first half, one against the Rams and three against in the Panthers. In the third quarter, they called five penalties against the Rams and three against the Panthers.
The Rams were on offense to start the second half; after a holding penalty against them on the kick off, the ball was spotted on their own 12 yard line. On the next three plays Hamilton rushed for eight, 35, and 15 yards, a total of 58 yards. The Rams were on the Panthers’ 30 yard line when Whipple fumbled the ball and the Panthers recovered the ball on their 35 yard line.
The Ram defense held the Panthers, with that possession ending with a punt, but the wind was at the Panthers’ backs and the punt sailed 57 yards. The Rams got the ball on their own 15 yard line. That possession ended with a 43 yard punt and the Panthers started their next drive on their 34 yard line.
The Panthers scored on that possession. The 64 yard drive included nine plays and a 32 yard touchdown pass. With 4:45 left to play in the third quarter the Panthers led 17-7.
The Rams were called for four penalties during their next possession, including two on a play on third and 12 at the Rams’ 33 yard line. The Rams were on their fourth down at their own 15 yard line when Doran punted the ball away.
Neither team had a first down in the fourth quarter until the clock was down to 3:30 left to play. The Panthers had intercepted a Whipple pass, but there were two flags on the play. A Ram was called for a dead ball personal foul and ejected from the game, and the Panthers were called for an illegal block in the back field. The ball was spotted on the Ram 26 yard line. It took the Panthers six plays to move the ball 73 yards and score. The point after attempt was not good, and the score was 23-7 with 1:59 left to play. That was the final score.
The Rams had a total of 247 yards of offense – 200 yards rushing and 47 yards passing. Hamilton rushed for 106 yards, and Whipple had more than 50 yards rushing.
The Panthers had 314 yards of offense, considerably less than their 400-yard average this season. Of that, quarterback Alex Nielsen had 194 yards passing and 72 yards rushing; he accounted for 266 yards of the total offense.
The game against Creston-Orient-Macksburg was a non-district game for the Rams. The Rams’ remaining games are all district games. They travel to Webster City next Friday.
