Ram defense holds Shenandoah to 1 yard total offense for game
The Greene County Ram football team opened Class 2A District 9 play with a 49-7 win over the Shenandoah Mustangs in Shenandoah Friday. The Rams, ranked 5th in Class 2A, are now 5-0 on the season. The victory came without help from standout player Carter Morton, who was on the sideline due to injury, and without Cyclone recruit Tyler Miller during the first half.
The Rams started the game with the ball on their own 41 yard line after Xavier Hayes returned the kick-off 27 yards. The Rams worked their way to the Mustang 34 yard line, but went out on downs after quarterback Brent Riley threw three incomplete passes. The Mustangs ended their first possession of the game with a punt that gave the Rams the ball back on the Ram 43 yard line. Five plays later the Rams scored their first touchdown of the game with a short pass from Riley to Tyler Teeples. Cael Fisher’s point after touchdown kick was good and the Rams were up 7-0 with 5:09 to play in the first quarter.
The Rams scored again just 15 seconds later when Hayes intercepted a pass by Mustang quarterback Kyle Cerven and ran 23 yards to cross the goal line. The PAT put the Rams up 14-0.
The Mustangs hit the high point of their game when Jason Stogdill received the Ram kickoff, broke away and ran 95 yards for a touchdown. Their PAT was also good and the score was 14-7.
The Rams started their next possession well enough, getting from their own 36 yard line to the Mustangs’ 24, including a 24-yard pass play to Will Hansen. The Rams were at first and 10 on the Mustang 24 when a penalty against them for holding moved the ball back to the Mustang 30. Riley threw two incomplete passes and the Rams were at fourth and 19 when a third Riley pass was intercepted in the end zone.
Luckily for the Rams, the Mustangs were called for pass interference, giving them another chance at fourth and 4 on the Mustang 15 yard line. Riley connected with sophomore Bryce Stalder and the younger player had his first varsity touchdown. With the PAT the Rams were up 21-7, still in the first quarter of play.
Both teams went out on downs in their next possession. With 10:12 to go in the second quarter the Rams had the ball on their own 46 yard line to start a drive that ended 10 plays later with a pass play to Hansen to score the Rams’ fourth TD of the game. With Fisher’s PAT the score was 28-7 with 5:49 to play in the half.
The score was still 28-7 at halftime. The Rams had tallied 227 yards of offense for the half and held the Mustangs to -6 yards.
The first possession of the second half should have belonged to the Mustangs, but the Rams did an on-side kick and recovered the ball. The Rams were called for holding twice and the possession ended with a punt as the Rams were at fourth and 19 on their own 42 yard line. With the wind at his back, freshman Nathan Black punted the ball 58 yards and the Mustangs had the ball on their 20 yard line. The Mustangs punted four plays later and the Rams had the ball again on the Mustang 48 yard line.
Six plays later Riley connected with sophomore Jackson Morton for a touchdown, but it was nullified by the Rams’ third holding penalty. At fourth and 14 the Rams attempted a field goal. Fisher’s kick went wide right and the Mustangs had the ball again.
Hayes got his second touchdown of the game on another pass interception on the next play. This time he ran the ball 32 yards for the TD. With the PAT the Rams were ahead 35-7 with 5:30 to play in the third quarter.
The Ram defense again held the Mustangs on downs and put the offense back on the field at the Ram 47 yard line. Running back Colby Kafer carried the ball four of the next six plays, finishing with a 24-yard touchdown run. With the PAT the score was 42-7 with 1:08 to play in the third quarter. The clock ran continuously the rest of the game.
The Rams scored once more in the game on a 17-yard pass play to junior Jaxon Warnke in the end zone. Fisher completed a perfect night, making seven of seven PATs, and the score was 49-7 with 6:30 left to play in the game.
Unofficially, the Rams had 356 yards total offense, with 253 through the air and 103 on the ground. The Mustangs had 48 yards of offense through the air but lost 47 yards on the ground, for a total offense for the game of just one yard.
The Mustangs broke a 12-game losing streak with a 52-14 homecoming win over Riverside last week. They’re now 1-4 on the season.
The Rams host the Kuemper Knights next week for homecoming. Game time is 7 pm.
