The Greene County Rams finished the home portion of the regular gridiron season with a battle of two evenly matched teams when they hosted the Clarinda Cardinals Oct. 2. The score was tied at zero at halftime and tied at 15 at the end of regulation play. The Rams won in overtime, 22-15, to improve to 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in Class 2A District 9 play.
“It was a very exciting game and one that we are very happy to have won,” coach Caden Duncan said. “Clarinda was a big, physical team, but we were proud of the fact that we were the team that set the tone early on. We felt like we were really controlling the game in the first half and if we could find a way to finish drives we would’ve been in great shape. Every time we had adversity we responded well. I’m very proud of the character and heart that our team showed throughout the game.”
The Rams won the coin toss and chose to receive the opening kickoff. They began play at their own 9 yard line and worked their way to Clarinda’s 12 yard line. Jackson Morton carried the ball to first and goal territory but the Rams were penalized for holding and the ball was moved back to the 22 yard line for second down and 12. Quarterback Bryce Stalder threw a pair of incomplete passes and another was caught but dropped, and the Rams turned over the ball at the 22 yard line.
The Cardinals weren’t able to get far and punted at fourth and 12 on their 20. Richard Daugherty returned the punt 18 yards and the Rams started their possession on the Cardinals’ 42 yard line. Rams Morton and Nate Black again rushed the ball and were at first and goal on the Clarinda 5 with 30 seconds to play in the first quarter. They were at fourth and goal on the 1 when the quarter ended. Neither team had scored.
On the next play the Cardinal defense managed to push Morton back and they claimed the ball on their own 7 yard line. The Cardinals ran eight plays and collected three first downs before punting on fourth and four from their 49 yard line.
The Rams recovered the punt on their 15 yard line. Black did most of the rushing to put the ball on the Cardinals’ 28 yard line at second and 9. Stalder connected on a pass to Morton, his first complete pass of the game with about four minutes to play in the half. The Rams, though, were penalized for having an ineligible player down field and the ball was spotted at the Clarinda 33. The Rams ended up going out on downs on the Clarinda 32 yard line. The half ended with Daugherty intercepting a pass on a first down play from the Rams’ 44 yard line.
The Rams finally scored on their second possession of the third quarter. They had punted to end their first possession and Clarinda had the ball on the 50 yard line. At second and 11 on their 49 the ball got loose and Daugherty was again in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. He recovered the fumble at Clarinda’s 39 yard line with 5:22 to play in the quarter.
Stalder threw incomplete on the first play. Black rushed for 15 yards on the next play, giving the Rams a first down on Clarinda’s 24. Black rushed on the next play for second and six on the 20.
The next two minutes will be used as a precautionary tale for years to come. Black rushed again for 14 yards, putting the ball on the Clarinda 6 yard line. Penalties against the Cardinals for a face mask personal foul and for unsportsmanlike conduct moved the ball half the distance to the goal line, the 3 yard line. The Cardinals were penalized again for unsportsmanlike conduct, again moving the ball to half the distance to the goal line. Stalder ran the final play into the end zone, and the Rams were on the board, 6-0, with 3:28 to play in the quarter.
The Rams tried a two point conversion. Stalder crossed the goal line again and the Rams were up 8-0.
On the kickoff after the TD, Cardinal senior running back Cole Ridnour received the kick and returned it 32 yards. However, he was called for unsportsmanlike conduct a third time and ejected from the game. The ball was moved up the Cardinals’ 41 yard line. Tadyn Brown ran for 22 yards on the next play, putting the ball on the Rams’ 37 yard line. Ram Patrick Daugherty intercepted a Wyatt Schmitt pass and the Rams had the ball again on the Clarinda 46.
A fourth penalty against Clarinda for unsportsmanlike conduct, this time against the coaching staff, came on the next drive with the Rams at third and 12 on the Clarinda 47. Stalder ran for 15 yards but fumbled the ball. It was recovered by Clarinda, but that was when the rules violation occurred. Clarinda ended up with the ball, but all the way back on their 19 yard line.
It took the Cardinals just two plays to score. Brown rushed 28 yards for first and 10 on the Cardinal 47 yard line. Schmitt connected with Michael Shull for a TD pass, and the score was 8-6 with 47 seconds to play in the third quarter. The Cardinals first tried a 2-point conversion. They were penalized for illegal procedure and the ball was moved back to the 8 yard line. That time the Cardinals tried a field goal. The kick was good and the Rams were up by one, 8-7.
The Rams started their next possession on their own 20. They lost yardage on the first down, but at second and 16 a pass play to Morton netted the Rams 25 yards, putting them on their 41 yard line. They got a first down on a Black rush and then were at second and eight on the Cardinal 45 when the Rams were called for holding and moved back to the Ram 49. On fourth and two Stalder picked up the yards needed for a first down, but there were two flags on the play. That put the Rams at fourth and 11 on the Clarinda 48. They punted to end the possession.
The Cardinals made it only to their own 31 yard line before punting on their next possession. That set up a series that started on the Ram 36 yard line. Morton got the ball to the Ram 45, and a call against Clarinda for encroachment put the ball on the 5 yard line. QB Stalder found his blockers and carried the ball 34 yards for a first down on the 16. He carried another six yards on the next play for second and four on the 10 yard line, and then rushed for nine yards on the next play. At first and goal on the 1 yard line Stalder faked a hand-off to Morton and then took the ball over the line himself. Nathan Behne’s PAT was good and the Rams were up 15-7 with 4:29 to play in the fourth quarter.
The score didn’t hold up long. Black, who is the Rams’ kickoff specialist, was injured on the scoring play and left the field. Behne was put in for the kickoff. Cardinal Shull received the kick and returned it 80 yards for a TD. The Cardinals scored a two-point conversion to tie the game at 15 with 4:16 left to play in the game.
Neither team got inside the other’s 20 yard line for the rest of regulation time, ending at 15-15.
The Rams hadn’t played an overtime period for several years. In Iowa high school OT, each team has one possession, starting on the opponents’ 10 yard line with four downs. Possessions are alternated, each time starting at the opponents’ 10 with four downs, until the score is no longer tied.
The Rams had the ball first in overtime. Black ran on the first play to get the ball almost to the 1 yard line. Stalder ran the ball in for a TD on the second play. Behne hit the mark with his PAT and the Rams were up 22-15.
The Cardinals picked up four yards on a Brown rush and Schmitt ran for five yards on second and goal to get to the 1 yard line. Schmitt kept the ball on the next two plays. Each time the Ram defense held and he was unable to pick up the needed yard. The game ended then, with the Rams winning 22-15.
The Rams had a big offensive night on the ground, with 352 yards rushing. Nate Black rushed for 152 yards and Stalder rushed for 117 yards. Morton added another 83 yards.
The Rams’ passing game wasn’t present. Stalder connected on three of 17 passes for 39 yards.
Morton led the defense in tackles at six, five of them solo tackles. Bradyn Smith and Jesse Miller had five tackles each.
The Cardinals totaled 265 yards of offense. Wyatt Schmitt was three of eight passing for 66 aerial yards. The Cardinal offense totaled 199 yards rushing, with Tadyn Brown accounting for 133 of them. Ridnour added 41 and Schmitt contributed 25 yards. Ridnour led his team in tackles with 12.5, even having missed playing in the last quarter of the game.
The Rams finish regular season play in Shenandoah this coming Friday, Oct. 9.
