The Greene County Rams reclaimed the cowbell from the Perry Bluejays in a football game that went down to the final play of the game. After a first half in which the lead switched four times, the Rams put up the only points of the second half and claimed a 24-21 victory over the Bluejays. The final margin wasn’t determined until a Perry 41-yard field goal attempt with :04 on the clock hit the crossbar on the goal and was not good.
The Rams and the Bluejays now have identical 3-4 overall records, but the Rams are 3-1 in district play while the Bluejays are 2-1.
The Rams scored first, a 22 yard Nick Schroder field goal that capped a 42 yard, eight play drive. With 9:08 to play in the first quarter, the Rams were ahead 3-0.
Perry went out on four downs in its first possession, and the Rams also went four and out. Perry got the ball on their own 17 yard line and struggled to move it much. At third and 14 yards on their own 13 yard line Ram Jordan Challen intercepted a Will Whiton pass, giving the Rams the ball on the Bluejays’ 17 yard line. A Perry penalty helped the Rams’ cause. The Rams covered the 17 yards in four plays to score a touchdown. The extra point was good and the Rams were ahead 10-0 with 2:13 left to play in the first quarter.
The Ram lead was shortened quickly. On second and 10 yards to go on the next Perry possession, Whiton ran 69 yards for a touchdown. The extra point kick was good and with 1:20 to play in the quarter the score was 10-7 in favor of the Rams.
The next Ram possession ended with an intercepted Whipple pass. A 15-yard penalty against the Rams for targeting helped the Bluejays move the ball 41 yards in three plays for another touchdown early in the second quarter. Whiton ran the ball that time, too. In less than two minutes he scored two touchdowns. With the extra point good, the Bluejays were up 14-10.
The Rams turned the ball over on the kick-off after the touchdown and Perry got the ball back on the Rams’ 21 yard line. The Ram defense played tough and held the Bluejays on downs. The got the ball back on their own 22 yard line. The Rams reclaimed the lead with a seven play, 78 yard drive that was finished by a six yard Challen run. Schroeder was again accurate with the point after touchdown and the Rams took the lead, 17-14, with 7:40 to play in the second quarter.
That lead was again short lived. Perry ran the kick-off 92 yards for a touchdown and the Bluejays went ahead 17-21 with 7:24 left to play. That was the half time score.
The Ram defense was as tough in the second half as it has been all season. The Bluejays fumbled on the kick-off reception so the Rams had the first possession of the half. They and the Bluejays both went out on downs. The Rams began their next possession on their own 41 yard line. They were able to cover the 59 yards in 10 plays, including two consecutive carries by Whipple of 13 and 26 yards each. The drive ended with a three yard Dylan Hamilton run. The Rams held a 24-21 lead with 5 minutes left to play in the third quarter.
The Ram defense held the Bluejays on down three times in the second half, cranking up the excitement as the lengthy game neared the finish. The Bluejays started a possession on their own 13 yard line with 4:40 left to play in the game. They worked the ball to the Ram 29 yard line where they were held on downs. The drive took more than 2-1/2 minutes off the clock.
The Rams had the ball back with 2:02 left to play on their own 29 yard line. Whipple was dropped for a loss on the first play and the Rams ultimately ended up punting. Joe Doran put up a 44 yard punt all the way to the Bluejays’ 27 yard line, but Whiton returned it back to the Ram 48.
At that point, the Bluejays put junior Ryan Rathje in as quarterback and Whiton played as receiver. Whiton caught a Rathje pass out of bounds, creating second and 10, but then caught the next pass for a first and 10 at the Ram 30 yard line. The ball was fourth and 4 on the Rams’ 24 yard line with :04 on the clock. The Bluejays kicked a field goal to tie the game at 24, but the ball hit the cross piece on the goal and the Rams won the game 24-21.
Unofficially, the Rams had 280 yards of total offense, 203 rushing and 77 passing. Dylan Hamilton rushed for 63 yards, Whipple rushed for 57 and Challen rushed for 52. Jake Carey had 61 yards in pass receptions.
The Bluejays had 235 total yards of offense, with 202 yards rushing and 33 yards passing. Whiton had 167 yards rushing in the game.
