It likely has never happened that 194 points were scored at Linduska Field in one evening of football, but that’s what happened Friday night when the Greene County Rams hosted the Boone Toreadors.
The freshman game accounted for 103 of those points, a 53-50 Ram loss. Final score in the varsity game was 49-42 in favor of the Rams. The Rams and the Toreadors together put up 982 yards of offense – 417 on the ground and 515 in the air.
The Toreadors received the opening kick-off but ended their possession with a punt from the 50 yard line that Tyler Beger returned to the 24 yard line. The Rams scored nine plays later on a four yard trot by Max Neese into the end zone. Nick Schroeder continued his long perfect streak of point after touchdown kicks and the score was 7-0 with 6:12 to play in the first quarter.
The Toreadors scored on their next possession with 10 plays that covered 74 yards. Boone scored on a 12 yard run by quarterback Tanner Schminke that came after a 25 yard Schminke pass. Boone’s PAT was also good and with 2:59 to play the score was tied at 7.
The offensive fun continued. The Rams scored on their next possession finishing of a 68-yard, 10-play series with one yard run by Whipple. That touchdown was just four seconds into the second quarter; the Rams were up 14-7.
Boone came back and scored on their next possession with 10 plays that covered 81 yards. There was a fumble in the end zone that was recovered by Boone and the touchdown stood. With the PAT, the score was again tied at 14 with 7:24 to play in the second quarter.
It took the Rams just 1 minute, 26 seconds to score their next touchdown. Anthony Cunningham received the kickoff on the 8 yard line and returned the kickoff all the way to the Toreadors’ 34 yard line. The Rams were at first and 10 on the 20 when Whipple passed to Schroeder in the end zone for a touchdown. With the PAT the Rams were up 21-7 with 5:58 to play in the quarter.
Boone didn’t score on their next possession, hindered by a holding penalty that nullified a first down and a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct following a quarterback sack. The punt gave the Rams the ball on their 41 yard line.
The Rams threatened to score again, but at first and 10 on the Toreador 13 yard line a Whipple pass to Schroeder was intercepted in the end zone. That gave Boone possession on their own 20 yard line. They made it out to their 30 yard line but went out on downs, punting to a fair catch on the Rams’ 41 yard line.
Whipple threw incomplete passes twice, but on third down Whipple connected with Reid Lamoureux for a 52-yard pass play that put the ball on Boone’s 7 yard line. Whipple carried the ball for short gains on two plays and then connected with Beger in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. After another good Schroeder PAT kick, the Rams were ahead 28-14 with :09 to play in the half. The Rams took that two touchdown lead into halftime.
The second half had a wild beginning. The kickoff didn’t go well and the Rams had the ball on their 7 yard line. Whipple was hit for a loss on the first play, making it second and 12 on the 5 yard line. On the next play Whipple ran 95 yards all the way to the end zone. With the PAT the Rams were up 35-14.
The Toreadors scored in their next possession with a 10-yard drive that covered 58 yards and ended with a short Schminke pass in the end zone. The score was 35-21 with 7:29 to play in the third quarter.
The Rams’ next possession ended when Schminke intercepted a Whipple pass on Boone’s 23 yard line. That possession ended with a Toreador touchdown on a Schminke pass from the 22 yard line. With 1:50 to play in the third quarter the score was 35-28.
The Rams scored early in the fourth quarter with a seven play, 54-yard drive that began with Cunningham returning the kickoff to the Ram 46 yard line. Whipple scored the touchdown on a 25-yard run and the score was 42-28 with 11:06 to play.
In what was shaping up to be marathon football, with penalties in double digits, Boone scored on a 26-yard pass to the end zone with 9:10 to play in the quarter. That put the score at 42-35 with the Rams still in the lead.
The Rams were penalized for offensive holding and Whipple was sacked twice in the Rams’ next possession. They punted for the first time when they were at fourth and 29 on their own 15 yard line. The snap on the punt wasn’t accurate and Lamoureux’s punt gave the Toreadors the ball on the Rams’ 36 yard line.
The Toreadors seemed to have momentum on their side, but a 10-yard penalty for holding against Boone put the ball in the Rams’ 41 yard line. Junior Logan Lansman, son of head coach Dean Lansman, intercepted a Schminke pass and ran it for 65 yards and his first varsity touchdown. With 5:35 left in the game the Rams were ahead 49-35.
The scoring wasn’t done. The Toreadors scored the final touchdown of the game in just five plays that ended with another pass to the end zone. With 4:44 to play, the score was 49-42.
The Rams punted to finish their next possession, with Boone taking over the ball mid field with 3:07 to play. The Ram defense was able to thwart Schminke in passing and on a fourth down and 5 yard play Lamoureux intercepted a pass, only the second interception of the evening, and the Rams had the ball back with 2:08 to play. The Rams were able to put together a pair of first downs and run out the clock to hold on to the lead for the final 49-42 victory.
Unofficially, the Rams had 513 total yards of offense, with 303 yards rushing and 210 yards in the air. Whipple rushed for 253 yards and was 15 of 22 passing. Lamoureux was the leading receiver at 68 yards.
Trey Tucker led in solo tackles with four and Mitchell Gorsuch and Anthony Cunningham had three. Keyden Pollock had two solo tackles and 13 tackle assists to lead in total tackles at 8.5. Cunningham’s seven assists put him at 6.5 in total tackles and Tucker was at 6.0.
Boone had 469 total yards of offense, with 164 rushing and 305 yards passing. Schminke was 25 for 48 passing and rushed for 122 yards.
The game was the last at Linduska Field for seniors Lamoureux, Beger, Whipple, Cunningham, Jonny Varricchio, Neese, Keyden Pollock, Ben Lint, Branden Miller, Matthew Gordon, Noah Juergensen, Joe Thede and Mitchell Gorsuch.
The Rams are now 4-4 overall and 2-3 in Class 3A District 2, while the Toreadors are 2-6 overall and also 2-3 in the district.
The Rams will end the regular season in Carroll against the Carroll Tigers next Friday.
