The Greene County Ram football team has a 2-0 record after another penalty-laden game. The Rams hosted the Nevada Cubs for their home opener Friday and claimed a 38-10 victory, despite being penalized 17 times for a total of 164 yards.
The Rams tallied 384 yards of offense, 231 of them through the air. Junior quarterback Brent Riley connected on 13 of 23 passes.
The Ram defense was powerful against the Cubs’ ground game, holding them to only 40 yards of rushing on 32 carries. The Cubs had 227 yards of offense. They were penalized six times for 47 yards.
The Rams scored first with a field goal with 1:47 to play in the first quarter. It was their third possession of the game, and the drive included the first first down of the game. The scoring drive started on the Rams’ 47 yard line. The 10-play drive ended with a 22-yard field goal by Cael Fisher and the Rams led 3-0.
The Cubs’ next possession was brief. A 40-yard punt on fourth and six gave the Rams the ball on their own 20 yard line. At third and 16 QB Riley connected with Colby Kafer on a short screen pass. Kafer made it past three Cubs to complete an 87-yard play to score a touchdown. Fisher’s first attempt for the point after touchdown went right, but the Cubs were called for roughing the kicker and Fisher had a second try. That kick was good and the Rams were ahead 10-0 with 10:15 to play in the second quarter.
The Cubs stretched their next possession to score a field goal. The drive started on the Cubs’ 23 yard line and was aided by four penalties against the Rams, including a 15-yard penalty on the kick-off. Twelve plays later Cub Jack Cahill kicked a 35-yard field goal to put his team on the board. With 5:51 to play in the half the score was 10-3.
The Rams scored again on their next possession. A Riley pass to Carter Morton picked up 27 yards, but the rest of the yardage was on the ground. Clint Dennhardt started it off with an 8-yard carry. Kafer took the ball eight yards, 30 yards, and then the last four yards for a TD. After Fisher’s PAT the Rams were up 17-3 with 3:20 to play in the half.
The Cubs crossed the goal line on their next possession, but a 53-yard pass play was nullified when the Cubs were called for offensive pass interference. On their next play, at third and 25 on their own 32 yard line, the Cubs fumbled and Ram Lance Hughes recovered. Three plays later on the Cubs’23 yard line the Rams fumbled and the Cubs recovered. Perhaps someone had greased the ball, because two plays later the Cubs fumbled.
Ram Brock Wuebker recovered that fumble and the Rams had the ball on the Cubs’ 13 yard line. Riley connected with Hughes on a TD pass play. With another good PAT kick by Fisher the Rams were ahead 24-3 with just more than a minute to play in the half.
There was another penalty against the Rams (nine all together in the first half) on the kick-off and the Cubs had the ball on their own 38 yard line. They worked fast and with a 34-yard Kody Kruschwitz to Jack Cahill pass play the Cubs scored a touchdown with 12 seconds to play in the half. Cahill kicked the PAT and the first half ended with the Rams up 24-10.
The third quarter was scoreless although the Cubs had the ball in the endzone. They were on the Ram 8 yard line at second down and four when Jakob Strottman fumbled the ball in the back of endzone, making it not a TD but a touchback, and the Rams had the ball on their 20 yard line.
The Rams worked the ball back out to their 48 yard line before they punted at fourth and five. The punt put the ball on the Cubs’ 15 yard line. At their own 25 yard line the Cubs needed to make one yard for a first down. The Ram defense held and the Rams had the ball back. Three plays later the Rams scored another touchdown, with Dennhardt carrying the ball the entire distance. Fisher’s PAT was good and the Rams led 31-10 with 9:19 to play in the fourth quarter.
The Ram defense took the Cub offense out on downs in their next possession and the Ram offense was back on the field on the 50 yard line. On the first play from scrimmage Riley connected with Morton who trotted to the end zone for a fifth Ram TD. Fisher continued finding the goal posts with the PAT and the score was 38-10 with 8:17 to play.
Later in the quarter the Rams got their first interception of the season, with Will Hansen nabbing a Kruschwitz pass on the Tigers’ 22 yard line and running it 15 yards. The penalty plague struck again and the Rams started their drive on the Cubs’ 30 yard line with 2:38 to play in the game. The Rams made it to the 25 yard line before going out on downs. The Cubs got the ball with 40 seconds on the clock and didn’t run a play.
For the game, Clint Dennhardt led in rushing with 84 yards in 16 attempts. Kolby Kafer rushed for 62 yards on 12 attempts. Joel Ward added seven yards on four attempts.
For the game, 19 Rams had solo tackles or assists. Will Hansen had five solo tackles and one assist; Trey Hinote had five solos tackles. Nick Breon had two solo tackles for loss and five assists. Morton had three solos and two assists. Brock Wuebker had 2 solo tackles and six assists, and Joel Ward had four solo tackles and an assist.
Lance Hughes and Wuebker recovered fumbles. Austin Delp punted five times with an average punt of 33.8 yards and his longest punt being 46 yards.
The loss was the second for the Nevada Cubs.
The Rams travel to the north side of Des Moines to play the Saydel Eagles next Friday.
