Saturday, September 28, 2019

Big Plays Propel Tigers Past King City 42-6 in Shortened Game

Worth County used big plays to propel themselves past King City in a lightning shortened game that was called at halftime. The Tigers were helped at the outset when they won the coin toss and had the wind in the first quarter. King City was pinned at their 10 on the opening kickoff and was faced with third and three at the 17 following two carries by Parker Muff. Aydan Gladstone stepped in front of a pass and gave the Tigers the ball back at the King City 28.

King City came into the season with a lot of promise, but have gone downhill after the loss of quarterback Landon Wells to injury. Without him, the Wildkats have struggled to move the ball through the air, allowing enemy teams to load the box to stop the run.

Worth County only needed one play to get to the house as Aydan Gladstone aired it out to Alex Rinehart with 10:37 left in the first. Reed McIntyre caught the extra point pass to make it 8-0.

But then Worth County reverted to form, struggling on several plays in a row before pulling off a big play to continue pulling away. King City seemingly knew all of Worth County’s running plays, as they swarmed the run and showed the same scrappy form that they showed in the jamboree. But the Tigers were able to move the ball in the air at will behind the arm of Aydan Gladstone.

Both sides exchanged defensive stops before Worth County was faced with a second and 16 at their own 31. But then a play action pass fooled everyone and Aydan Gladstone aired it out to Reed McIntyre for 49 yards with 3:19 left for a score. Gladstone ran in the extra points to make it 16-0.

Worth County seemingly had King City set up for another three and out, but they had a rare defensive lapse as a black shirt was there for a pitchout to Parker Muff, but failed to wrap up, and Muff was gone for a 53 yard score with 2:35 left in the first. Jackson Runde, who has been earning more and more playing time with his sturdy defense, stopped Jacob Moen short to keep Worth County’s lead at two possessions at 16-6.

Worth County continued to struggle on the ground, as their run playbook was seemingly an open book for the purple shirts, and they went three and out. King City threatened to make it interesting at the close of the first quarter and the start of the second as a rare successful pass play, a 28 yard catch and run from Jacob Moen, put it at 40 after Worth County had pinned King City at the 15. There was a heartstopping moment after King City made it to the 29 as Jacob Moen was all alone for a pass, but it was incomplete, and a holding penalty moved them back to their own 38 anyway to kill the drive.

King City continued to snuff out all of Worth County’s running plays, but the Tigers used some trickery to get on the board again. With 7:15 left in the second, Worth County pulled off a successful double pass from Alex Rinehart to Andrew Alarcon for 68 yards after they were backed up second and 13 from their own 12 to make it 22-6.

The Wildkats went three and out on their next play and pinned Worth County back to their own 1. Alex Rinehart was nearly trapped in the end zone for a safety, but he scrambled out to the 2 to set up the longest play from scrimmage in Worth County eight man history as Aydan Gladstone aired it out to an unguarded Jaxon Anderson from 78 yards out with 5:19 left. Andrew Alarcon took an option pitch from Gladstone and got a block from Jaxon Anderson to make it 30-6.

King City threatened to strike right back as they started off on the Tiger 39 and three carries brought it to the Tiger 24. But then Alex Rinehart stripped one of the purple shirts and took it the other way for a 56 yard score with 4:12 left to make it 36-6.

Jackson Runde, for the second week in a row, recovered a successful onsides kick and set up Worth County’s last score. Worth County finally found daylight on the ground on third and 12 at the 18 as Andrew Alarcon took a spread draw 13 yards to the 5 with time running out at 1:32. A delay of game penalty set them back to the 10, but Aydan Gladstone picked up six and Andrew Alarcon the remaining four yards as the Tigers scored again with 1:21 left to make it 42-6. Two pass breakups late in the first half sealed King City’s fate.

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