Behne kicks 49-yard field goal
The Greene County Ram football team didn’t win the homecoming game against the Kuemper Knights of Carroll Friday, but despite the 39-3 score, there were positive take-aways for the Rams.
The Rams showed grit during the Knights’ first possession. The Knights received the opening kickoff, a Nathan Behne kick to the endzone, starting their possession on their own 20 yard line. They crossed the 50 yard line four plays later after an 18-yard rushing play. Five plays later the Knights were at first and 10 on the Ram 18 yard line, but at fourth and nine from the 17 yard line senior kicker Tommy Fitzsimmons kicked a field goal. The score was 3-0 after five minutes of play.
On the Rams first possession they moved the ball as far as the Knights’ 37 yard line, despite a penalty against the Rams for holding that negated an 18-yard rush by senior quarterback Gabe Ebersole. At first and 10 on the Knights’ 37, the Rams fumbled. Knights senior running back Jake Hausman recovered the fumble and ran 51 yards for a touchdown. After the PAT the Knights were up 10-0 with 3:36 left to play in the first quarter.
The Rams finished the first quarter with a blocked punt from the Ram 45 yard line.
The Knights began their drive on their own 41 yard line, with sophomore quarterback Brock Badding completing a 30 yard pass down to the Rams’ 29 yard line. A penalty for illegal procedure moved the ball back to the 34 yard line, and the Knights didn’t get past the Ram 29 again. The Ram defense held and the Knights punted at fourth and 19 from the Ram 38 yard line.
On their first drive of the second quarter the Rams made it as close as the Knights’ 47 yard line before Ebersole was sacked, losing 9 yards and putting the Rams at third and 13 to go from their own 44 yard line. Ebersole threw an incomplete pass and then punted. The punt was returned 19 yards and the Knights started their next possession on their 34 yard line.
The Knights scored on their next possession on a 66 yard, 10 play drive that was capped with a one yard run to the end zone by Kaesin Pierce. The PAT stretched the Knights’ lead to 17, but that wasn’t the worst news for the Rams.
Ebersole, who has played both quarterback and defensive back all season, as well as punting as QB, suffered a shoulder injury on defense and didn’t return to the game. The Rams had started the season with Nick Madsen on the roster as a second quarterback, but he suffered a concussion early in the season and hasn’t returned to play.
Ram coach Caden Duncan moved junior running back Camden Strennen to the QB position. At fourth and 10 to go from the Ram 19, Camden Jacobs went in to snap and Behne punted the ball for the first time this season. Behne’s punt went 31 yards and was not returned. Despite that, it took the Knights just five plays, including two incomplete passes, to score once more for the half. The Knights led 24-0 at halftime.
The Rams received the opening kickoff for the second half. Nick Stream returned the kickoff 35 yards, but a penalty against the Rams moved the ball back to their 20 yard line. Two plays later a 30-yard pass to Jack Hansen, aided by a penalty against the Knights, put the Rams on the Knights’ 39 yard line. The Rams were at third and 8 on the Knights’ 21 when Strennan was sacked, moving the ball back to the Knights’ 32 on the fourth down.
The next play was one Ram fans will remember for years. Jack Hansen held the ball, senior Cody Allen, who is also injured, snapped the ball, and Behne hit on a 49-yard field goal. Behne set a new school record and broke a 10-quarter streak of the Rams not scoring against Carroll teams. With 8:24 to play in the third quarter, the score was 24-3.
The Knights scored on their next possession with an 8-play drive, mostly on the ground. A two point conversion after the TD stretched the lead to 32-3.
The Rams finished their next possession with a Behne punt that gave the Knights the ball on their own 23 yard line. Michael Kasperbauer scored on a 77-yard play, and with the PAT the Knights had the necessary lead to start the clock moving continuously. About two minutes remained in the third quarter with the score 39-3.
That was the final score for the game.
Final stats for the game show the Kuemper Knights with 383 yards of offense – 247 yards passing and 136 yards rushing. The Rams had 81 yards passing and 69 yards rushing for a total of 150 yards offense. Defensive stats show the Knights with 49.5 tackles and the Rams with 40.5 tackles.
Despite the loss, the good news is that younger Rams had opportunities to play, including sophomore Broc Stream as quarterback. Even relying on less experienced players, the Rams held the Knights to fewer points than the Roland-Story Norsemen had a week earlier. The Rams play the Norsemen this Friday.
Finally, Senior kicker Nathan Behne, who is being watched by college teams, added an impressive statistic to his season.
