The Ram junior varsity football team got an unofficial start to its season Friday night in Jefferson thanks to the varsity team. Every JV game to date has been cancelled due to rain, but with his team holding a 48-0 lead at halftime over the Saydel Eagles, the reserves played most of the second half. Saydel scored against the Ram reserves, but their playing experience was likely more important than blanking the visiting team. The final score was 48-7.
The Rams came into the game ranked No. 5 by the AP and No. 6 by the Des Moines Register in Class 2A football and a 2-0 record. The Eagles came with an 0-2 record, coming off a 56-0 loss last week in which they finished the game with only 17 yards of offense.
The Rams’ first points on the board came with less than two minutes off the clock. The Eagles kicked off to start the game and the Rams needed just five plays to move the ball 64 yards to score. Senior quarterback Brent Riley scored on the fourth play of the game, rushing 20 yards to cross the goal, but a penalty against the Rams for a block in the back nullified the TD. The Rams were penalized again on the next play for an illegal procedure.
On the next play, with the Rams at first down and 21 and the ball on the Eagles’ 31 yard line, Riley passed to senior Will Hansen for the TD. Cael Fisher successfully kicked the point after touchdown and the Rams were up 7-0 with 10:17 remaining in the first quarter.
The Eagles’ first possession started on their own 27 yard line. The Eagles netted six yard, including a five yard penalty against them and a six yard penalty against the Rams. They punted at fourth and 4 on the 33 yard line. Ram senior Carter Morton returned the punt 67 yards for a touchdown with the help of a good block by sophomore Bryce Stalder. Fisher’s PAT was good and with 8:04 remaining in the first quarter the Rams lead 14-0.
The Eagles turned the ball over on the first play from scrimmage on their next possession, with sophomore Jackson Morton intercepting a senior QB Payton Swafford’s pass and making it to the Eagles’ 32 yard line. Senior Kolby Kafer carried the ball 19 yards to the 9 yard nine, and took it another eight yards on the next play. Riley kept the ball for a short gain on the next play, and at third and goal Kafer covered the last less-than-a-yard for the Rams’ third TD. After Fisher’s PAT the score was 21-0, with 6:26 to play in the quarter.
The Eagles moved the ball just four yards in their next possession, from their own 24 yard line to the 20 yard line. Carter Morton received the punt and ran it 36 yards to the Eagles’ 15 yard line before being brought down. Carter Morton finished the effort on the first play from scrimmage, completing a pass play to collect the final 15 yards. The PAT was good again and the Rams were ahead 28-0 less than eight minutes into the game.
The Eagles’ next possession ended with a QB sack and the Rams had the ball back on the Eagles’ 18 yard line. It took them five plays to score the next TD, with Riley passing to junior Jaxon Warnke in the end zone. The PAT kick sailed through the uprights and the Rams led 35-0.
Unfortunately, Eagle QB Swafford was injured during the Eagles’ next possession; he not return to the game. Senior Garrett Shinn had QB honors most of the remainder of the game.
The first quarter ended with the Rams up 35-0. The Rams scored on the first play of the second quarter, a re-run of Carter Morton’s punt return. The Eagles started the quarter at fourth and 9 on their own 35 yard line. The Eagles punted the ball, Morton returned the punt 62 yards to score at TD, and after Fisher’s PAT the Rams were up 42-0.
The Eagles punted to end their next possession, but that time it was not returned. The Rams punted for the first time in the game to end their next possession, putting the Eagles on their own 36 yard line. The Eagles made their first first down of the game with QB Shinn carrying the ball to the 50 yard line with 7:07 remaining in the half. Shinn was sacked twice and the Eagles punted at fourth and 15 on the Ram 45 yard line.
The Rams started on their own 25 yard and used five plays to score another TD, this one with an 18-yard Riley pass to Warnke in the corner of the end zone. The snap for the PAT was dropped and the kick wasn’t good. The Rams were up 48-0 and the half ended that way.
The second half was a much different game, with the clock running continuously and Ram reserves on the field. The Eagles were on offense to start the half; they punted to end their possession and the Rams, with sophomore QB Joe Carey, had the ball on their own 38 yard line.
The Eagles intercepted a Carey pass to give them the ball on the Ram 39 yard line with 7 minutes to play in the third quarter. Again, they ended up punting, but the kick went out of bounds and the Rams had the ball back on their 19 yard line. Carey threw two incomplete passes. His third pass was caught, but by an Eagle rather than a Ram. Junior Jake Vanhouton then ran 23 yards for a Saydel touchdown. Senior Austin Pyle’s PAT was good and the Eagles were on the scoreboard with 40 seconds left in the third quarter.
No points were added to the scoreboard in the fourth quarter. Penalties were called against the Rams for a personal foul and an illegal procedure. Carey was intercepted again, a punt went into the back of teammate, and the Rams turned the ball over on a fumble. Those are the challenges of less experienced players.
There were high points, too. Senior Yersen Salvin in his first time in a varsity football game intercepted a pass. Caden Telleen was able to recover the ball after a bad snap. There was an 18-yard loss on the play, but the Rams didn’t lose possession. Also, when a Ram fumble gave the Eagles the ball on the Ram 15 yard line, the Ram defense held.
The Rams totaled 238 yards of offense, with 232 of those yards being in the first half. Quarterback Riley made seven of eight passes for 123 yards.
The Eagles had 32 yards total offense for the game.
The Rams host the Gilbert Tigers Sept. 20.
