Edited Sept. 15, game stats added
The Greene County Rams opened Class 3A District 2 play Friday with a 35-28 loss to the Algona Bulldogs in Algona. Both teams were 2-0 going into the game.
The Ram team is not particularly large but senior Daric Whipple, in his third season as starting quarterback, has developed a convincing aerial game. That wasn’t enough against the larger Bulldogs, and their pounding offense, almost all of it on the ground, prevailed.
The Bulldogs scored first with a 10-play, 78-yard drive that ate up the first three minutes of the game. The point after touchdown was good and with 9:08 to play the Bulldogs were up 7-0.
The Rams answered on their first possession. Max Neese returned the kickoff 22 yards to their own 39 yard line. The drive ended when at fourth and 10 yards to go on the Bulldogs’ 25 yard line Whipple threw a pass to Reid Lamoureux in the end zone. Nick Schroeder’s PAT kick was good and the score was 7-7 with 6:52 left to play in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs’ next possession ended with a 38 yard punt. Tyler Beger returned the punt five yards to put the Rams at their own 42 yard line. Max Neese carried the ball on first play for no gain, but Whipple carried the ball on the next play, broke free and ran 58 yards for a touchdown. With the PAT good, the Rams were up 14-7 with 4:09 to play.
Algona punted to end their next possession and the Rams did the same. With a bit more than nine minutes to play in the second quarter the Bulldogs started a power drive that took them from their own 27 yard line to score. The Bulldogs’ larger size let their offense muscle their way with the entire 73 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs’ PAT was not good. The score was 14-13 with the Rams leading with 5:15 to play in the second quarter.
The Rams finished the half answering the Bulldogs’ bulk with Whipple’s powerful arm. The Bulldogs had again muscled their way to the red zone and were threatening to score when there was a fumble on the Ram 15 yard line. The Rams recovered the fumble and took possession with 59 seconds to play in the half. Whipple carried the ball for a seven yard gain on the first play. He connected with Schroeder on a 38 yard pass, then with Beger on a 25 yard pass, and with Lamoureux in the end zone with a 15 yard pass and a touchdown 46 seconds after taking possession. The PAT was good and the Rams took a 21-13 lead into the second half.
The second half was all about the Bulldogs’ power rushing.
The Rams had the ball first in the second half but punted after three plays. The Bulldogs started their first possession on the Ram 48 yard line. They again used their power rushing and scored in 12 plays. The Bulldogs tried a two-point conversion but Beger foiled the plan. With 5:04 to play in the third quarter the score was 21-19 with the Rams holding the lead.
The Rams fumbled the ball after receiving the kickoff and the Bulldogs recovered the ball on the Rams’ 32 yard line. The Bulldogs’ bulk prevailed and they scored again. The two point conversion was good and the score was 27-21 in favor of the Bulldogs with 2:01 to play in the third quarter.
The Bulldog defense held the Rams on downs in the next possession and the Bulldogs got the ball on the Rams’ 43 yard line. That possession ended when quarterback Jackson Helmers fell with the ball and Ben Lint recovered on the Rams 15 yard line. The Rams worked the ball all the way to the Bulldogs’ 28 yard line before being held on downs. The Bulldogs got possession with 7:41 to play in the fourth quarter. It took them 10 plays to make the 72 yards, again all of them on the ground, and with the PAT the Bulldogs stretched their lead to 35-21.
The Rams scored once more with a 23 yard pass to Lamoureux taking the Rams to the Bulldogs’ 15 yard line and Whipple eventually taking the ball the last yard. The score was 35-28 with 1:49 to play in the game. That was the final score.
Statistics are telling. At halftime, the Rams had 267 total offensive yards (111 passing and 156 rushing) and the Bulldogs had 284 (28 passing and 256 rushing).
After the second half of play, the Rams had 360 yards of offense compared to 496 yards for the Bulldogs. Whipple was 10 for 28 on passing for a total of 196 yards in the air. Rushing yardage totaled 164, with Whipple earning 141 of them.
The Bulldogs 496 yards included just 36 aerial yards. Senior Grant Carroll rushed for 181 yards, senior Noah Arrowood rushed for 161 yards, and sophomore Noah Murphy rushed for 118 yards.
The Rams are now 1-2 on the season. They have another long road trip next week as they play the Creston/Orient-Macksburg Panthers in Creston.
Game stats compiled by The Scranton Journal: Whipple completed 10 of 28 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He ran for 141 yards on 12 carries and two TDs.
Neese added 23 yards on eight rushing attempts and had two receptions for 17 yards. Lamoureux caught four aerials for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Schroeder added 48 yards on two catches and Beger, 38 yards on two receptions.
Pollock led the defense with eight solo tackles, eight assisted tackles and a fumble recovery. Neese added eight solo and five assisted tackles while Whipple had six solo and six assists. Additional tackles went to Noah Juergensen, six solo, four assists; Logan Lansman, six solo, three assists; Mitchell Gorsuch, three solo, six assists; Lamoureux, three solo, four assists; Chase Stoline, three solo, three assists; Hunter Ruth, four solo; Jake Berns and Matthew Gordon, two solo, four assists each; Ben Lint, two solo, two assists and a fumble recovery; Beger, two solo, one interception; Dylan Fouch, one solo, one assist; Anthony Jacobsen and Johnny Varricchio each had one solo tackle; Branden Miller and Dylan Smith, one assisted tackle apiece.
Schroeder kicked all four PAT points and kicked off five times for 215 yards. Lamoureux punted three times for 109 yards.
Beger caught one kickoff for a 35-yard return and added a five yard punt return. Neese grabbed four kickoffs for 83 yards.
