Worth County snowballed Albany early in the game Friday and Jude Archer returned a punt for a touchdown as they kept pace in the GRC West with King City and Pattonsburg with a 54-7 win over Albany. King City and Pattonsburg both remained unbeaten as King City got a 64-22 win over Princeton and Pattonsburg got a 72-19 win over Stanberry. Something has to give next week as Pattonsburg will face King City Friday for Homecoming while Worth County will face St. Joseph Christian, who fell 28-22 to North Andrew.
Albany got the ball to start the game, but they were buried at their 19 after the return man slipped and fell. Elliot Mercer met Ethan Lininger and Sawyer Thurman and Carter Dannar was dropped by Bo Collins. Dannar caught a short pass that should have went for several yards, but he slipped and fell on the slick playing surface and Albany was forced to punt. That was the first sign that it might not be the Warriors' night. The second sign was when Hayden Sanders fumbled the ball on the Tigers first play from scrimmage only for Cole Ruby to scoop it up and score from 54 yards with 10:15 left and put the Tigers on top. Brayden Stevens got a block from Hayden Sanders and added the extra points to make it 8-0.
The game started to snowball from there after Jude Archer, Caleb New, and Wyatt Hill buried the Albany returner at the 16. On the first play from scrimmage, in a carbon copy of the Nodaway Valley nightmare only from the other side, a fumbled option pitch was pounced on by Bo Collins at the Warrior 7. Cole Ruby got blocks from Bo Collins and Ethan Lininger and took it to the house. Hayden Sanders got a block from Ethan Lininger and Lucas Frisch and scrambled for the extra points to make it 16-0 with 9:57 left in the first.
Albany lined up Mercer in the Wildcat formation and got two carries for six yards, but a counter to Jace Palmer fooled nobody as he met Bo Collins and the Warriors were forced to punt. Jude Archer returned it to the 39 and Cole Ruby weaved his way through traffic to the Warrior eight. Albany blew up an option play for a big loss and the blocking broke down on the next two plays. A false start moved the Tigers back to the 16, but then Hayden Sanders rolled out to his left and Lucas Frisch made a leaping catch in the end zone to score. On the extra point try, Brayden Stevens caught a screen pass and got blocks from Ryder Smyser and Ethan Lininger and converted it to make it 24-0 with 5:25 left in the first.
Carter Dannar, only a freshman, got loose on a sweep and took it 30 yards to the Tiger 26 on the next series. Elliot Mercer met Wyatt Hill on the next play and Palmer overshot his intended receiver on the next play. But Mercer broke a tackle to the 18 and then converted fourth and two to the 15. Dannar got loose again for nine yards to the 6. Albany went to play action, but Brayden Stevens got a hurry and Wyatt Hill broke it up. Lucas Frisch dropped Mercer for a loss and then a fumbled option pitch gave the ball back to the Tigers as Lucas Frisch pounced on it at the 16.
Lucas Frisch caught a bubble screen for 15 yards to the 31. Jude Archer caught a screen on the other side for just two, but then Cole Ruby got a block from Bo Collins and cut back for 14 yards to the Warrior 34. Albany nearly intercepted the next pass as nobody was home, but Hayden Sanders atoned for that as he got a block from Caleb New and that was all he needed to take it to the house with 11:48 left in the second quarter. Caleb New caught a pass in the end zone to make it 32-0.
Clayton Griffin ran back the ball to the 34 to give Albany good field position. They overcame a false start penalty as Palmer threw a strike to Will Fish for 15 yards to the Tiger 31; Will Fish has been a find at wide receiver this year. Elliot Mercer picked up two and Carter Dannar five more to the Tiger 24. But on the next play, Jace Palmer ran an option and tried to cut it up, only to fumble the ball after a big hit by Jude Archer that could be heard from the sideline and Wyatt Hill recovered it at the 15 for Albany's third turnover.
Worth County could do nothing thanks to a false start and was forced to punt. A short pass to Carter Dannar set up second and two at the Warrior 35. But a short pass to Eliot Mercer was blown up by Sawyer Thurman and Jude Archer, and a botched screen pass gave Worth County the ball on downs at the Warrior 33. Cole Ruby got blocks from Hayden Sanders and Caleb New and took an option pitch to the 21 and then Hayden Sanders followed Caleb New and Lucas Frisch into a hole and got in the clear for a score with 5:28 left in the half. Cole Ruby got loose on a screen pass after a block from Ryder Smyser and made it 40-0.
Albany got behind the sticks thanks to a Delay of Game penalty. Carter Dannar nearly broke one, but Ryder Smyser was the last person standing between him and the end zone and he brought him down for just a two yard gain. Wyatt Hill broke up a pass and Albany was forced to punt. Jude Archer took the punt, got a block from Brayden Stevens, and took it to the house to put Worth County over the 45-point margin at 46-0.
Gavin Pickering ran back the kickoff to the Warrior 37. But then Sawyer Thurman and Jude Archer blew up an option play and a drop set up third and nine. Another option to Mercer went nowhere as Brayden Stevens dropped him for a two yard gain. Albany tried to go for it on fourth and eight from their own 39 and set up a screen pass, but Ryder Smyser snuffed it out and the Tigers took over on downs with a short field to work with. They only needed one play to take advantage as Cole Ruby started left, got a block from Lucas Frisch, weaved his way through traffic, broke away down the right side, and took it to the house with 1:58 left. Bo Collins made a leaping catch in the end zone with 1:58 left to make it 54-0.
Albany finally got on the board in the closing minute as long runs from Eliot Mercer and Carter Dannar got them in the end zone with 1:01 left. Richardo Kopf kicked the extra point to make it 54-7. The game was called at halftime.
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