It was kind of hard to tell as Union Star, with only six players out, was totally outmatched. But Northeast's Junior High Boys showed that they had a small but athletic bunch on the floor as they ran past the Trojans 36-2 Monday. Shaun Burns, a small but athletic post player, led the way for Northeast, scoring 12 in the first quarter and 18 altogether as his teammates were feeding him the ball at will and letting him do the rest. "He's a very athletic player," said Coach Charley Burch. "He would normally be a 3-man, but he's the tallest kid we had out there." Steve Schulte, the younger brother of Jacqueline and Michelle, ran the point and constantly pushed the ball up the floor, got the ball to the open man, and played the same sort of relentless defense that his older sisters are known for. "He's the one who sets the show for the rest of the team," said Burch.
But while Northeast had an easy time of it Monday, Coach Burch said he wasn't promising an easy time of it the rest of the way. "We're going to have our hands full at Jefferson Thursday," he said. And he said that the scoring leaders would vary from night to night. He said the team needed to work on getting better on their press and finishing better. Union Star did not have a lot of size, meaning Northeast got a lot of second and third looks. "We can't expect those sorts of chances against taller and better teams," he said. "We have to knock down the shot the first time."
Shaun Burns opened the scoring with an inside shot with 5:30 left in the first and then Steve Schulte made a nifty move to the basket to draw the two-shot foul and hit both of his foul shots. For the rest of the quarter, Burns did all of the scoring. First, he scored inside off a Schulte feed, scored a layup after Schulte got a steal off the press, hit two more inside shots, the last coming off a high-low pass from Joel Scroggie. Burns finished with a driving layup to round out his eruption in the first quarter. That left Northeast with a 14-0 lead going into the second.
Some of the other players began to get in on the act in the second quarter. Austin Jones got a layup off a Brandon Auffert steal. Joel Scroggie then hit a pair of shots, one off a steal and one after he cleaned up after another steal as Northeast was jumping passes at will. Steve Schulte scored a driving layup and then Burns scored an inside shot off a feed from Austin Jones with 30 seconds left in the half to make it 24-0.
The avalanche continued in the third quarter. Brandon Auffert opened the scoring off a steal with 5:45 left, and then Garrett Jackson got on the board with a shot from the baseline. Shaun Burns then rounded out his scoring for the night with a steal and drive and then a putback to make it 32-0 after three quarters.
The only tense point was whether Northeast would keep a shutout, a rarity in basketball even at the junior high level. With the running clock going, Austin Jones scored off a steal with 3:59 left. It looked for a while like Northeast would keep the shutout, but finally, Kolby Barnett scored off a drive with 2:30 left in the game for Union Star to break the shutout. Brandon Auffert scored from outside after Austin Jones got an offensive board and a kickout with 1:55 left to round out the scoring for Northeast.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
NEN Junior High Girls Can't Solve Trojan Size
Northeast Nodaway's Junior High girls couldn't solve the size of the Union Star Trojans and fell 20-14 Monday night. "They got off to a quick start and they never recovered," said Coach Ryan Davis. Davis said that his girls had their chances. "But we couldn't build on the late run that we had at the end of the first half," he said. He said that in order for his team to improve, they had to work the ball inside more and keep Taryn Farnan out of foul trouble; Farnan fouled out in the fourth quarter. Davis said that the problem in the fourth quarter was that they could never buy a stop and get the game down to a one-possession game; every time Northeast would cut it to 2 or 3, Union Star would answer.
Union Star opened the game by scoring the first seven points of the game in the first three minutes of the game; Davis said that his charges were not contesting the outside shots, meaning easy looks for Union Star. Northeast did not even get on the board until 43 seconds left in the first quarter, when Taryn Farnan stepped through a defender to draw a two-shot foul and hit one out of two. In the meantime, Northeast had trouble shooting over the twin post players Rylee and Timberlee Wilkerson and nothing was going in all night.
Rylee Wilkerson's inside shot with 1:53 left in the first half gave Union Star its biggest lead of the night at 13-3 before Northeast started coming back. A pair of steals from Claudia Wiederholt and Taryn Farnan and a pair of free throws from Farnan made it a more manageable 13-9 at the break.
Sarah Bliley hit from the left wing with 3:34 left to make it 13-11 in the third quarter after the first two and a half minutes were scoreless. Besides that, Northeast continued to have trouble shooting over the taller Trojan squad. Union Star countered with a baseline shot from Timberlee Wilkerson and a fast break from Morgan Steele to make it 17-12.
Coach Ryan Davis tried to work the ball into Farnan, but she could only manage an inside shot off an inbounds play with 5:03 left in the fourth to make it 17-14 before fouling out with seven points as she gave up several inches to the Wilkerson twins. "When she fouled out, that really hurt us," said Coach Davis. "We just have to do a better job playing as a team when that happens." Rylee Wilkerson countered with a fast break as Northeast overextended on the press trying to get the ball back and Timberlee banked in a free throw with 3:07 to round out the scoring for Union Star as it was that kind of night for them.
Union Star opened the game by scoring the first seven points of the game in the first three minutes of the game; Davis said that his charges were not contesting the outside shots, meaning easy looks for Union Star. Northeast did not even get on the board until 43 seconds left in the first quarter, when Taryn Farnan stepped through a defender to draw a two-shot foul and hit one out of two. In the meantime, Northeast had trouble shooting over the twin post players Rylee and Timberlee Wilkerson and nothing was going in all night.
Rylee Wilkerson's inside shot with 1:53 left in the first half gave Union Star its biggest lead of the night at 13-3 before Northeast started coming back. A pair of steals from Claudia Wiederholt and Taryn Farnan and a pair of free throws from Farnan made it a more manageable 13-9 at the break.
Sarah Bliley hit from the left wing with 3:34 left to make it 13-11 in the third quarter after the first two and a half minutes were scoreless. Besides that, Northeast continued to have trouble shooting over the taller Trojan squad. Union Star countered with a baseline shot from Timberlee Wilkerson and a fast break from Morgan Steele to make it 17-12.
Coach Ryan Davis tried to work the ball into Farnan, but she could only manage an inside shot off an inbounds play with 5:03 left in the fourth to make it 17-14 before fouling out with seven points as she gave up several inches to the Wilkerson twins. "When she fouled out, that really hurt us," said Coach Davis. "We just have to do a better job playing as a team when that happens." Rylee Wilkerson countered with a fast break as Northeast overextended on the press trying to get the ball back and Timberlee banked in a free throw with 3:07 to round out the scoring for Union Star as it was that kind of night for them.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Tigers Blank Winless South Nodaway 54-0 in Breather
Worth County's Tigers blanked South Nodaway 54-0 in a breather Friday night as they will now tune up for showdowns with North Nodaway and Stanberry. North Nodaway could play a spoiler; as Coach Chuck Borey observed to his players after the game, they took Worth County to overtime in 1995 despite having some players suspended for disciplinary reasons and took them to overtime again in 2004.
The Longhorns showed a lot more spirit than they normally have in the past in games against the Tigers and it showed on the opening play of the game as Cody Burden went for 24 yards right up the middle behind a line consisting of 285, 268, and 320 pounders. The drive stalled there, however, as Josh Wagner shot through on the next play and dropped Burden for a loss. On third down, Burden went on a play that looked like a sweep but he pulled up and threw a pass; however, that went astray. Wagner shot through again on third and long and dropped Burden for a loss of seven and South Nodaway was forced to punt.
Eli Mullock took a sweep 10 yards up to the 25 after Worth County got the ball at their own 15. Barrett Baker followed with a pitchout for another 13 up to the 37, and a pass interference call gave the Tigers first and 10 at the South Nodaway 27. On the next play, Barrett Baker took a sweep on a play that was designed to go left. He saw nothing was there and reversed his field back to the right, picked up a block from Brian Hall, and made it all the way down to the 8 for a 19-yard gain. Josh Wagner picked up the final eight yards, blowing right by the 268-pounders of the front line and going untouched for a 6-0 lead with 9:18 left in the first quarter.
Burden found a little daylight on the next series for South Nodaway, getting six yards in the first two plays, but a delay of game penalty made it third and 9 at their own 26. Burden tried a draw on third and 9 but was met by a curtain of Tiger defenders led by Brian Hall and Dylan Kinsella to set up fourth down. South Nodaway was setting up what looked like a possible fake punt, but a false start penalty spoiled the play and they were forced to punt to the Tigers, who started on their own 26. On their first play from scrimmage, Worth County emptied the backfield and Zach Harmening aired it out to Eli Mullock for a 54-yard pass to make it 12-0 with 6:44 left in the first quarter.
South Nodaway had some more tricks up their sleeve as one of their upbacks, the 6'7" 285 pound Zach Hilsabeck, returned the ensuing kickoff as the Longhorns were hoping to create some problems with open-field tackling. But Eli Mullock led a swarm of Tigers who brought him down at the 31. The Longhorns got an offsides penalty on first down, but still couldn't get the first down. They went with Tom Fletchall at quarterback this time and his run only netted two yards. His next run lost three as Josh Wagner and Brian Hall met him and dropped him for a loss to set up third and six. Fletchall's next carry could only net one yard and then South Nodaway elected to go for it on fourth and five from deep inside their own territory, but Brian Hall pressured Fletchall into a hurried throw and Barrett Baker was there to break it up.
For the second consecutive play, Worth County only needed one play to get into the end zone. Barrett Baker took a dive play, bounced his way to the outside, and outran everyone for a 36-yard score with 4:27 left. Josh Wagner ran in the extra points as he leveled a defender at the 2 and made it in to make it 20-0.
This time, South Nodaway tried Mitch Hilsabeck at quarterback for a play, but a holding penalty moved them back to the 16. Josh Wagner made a perfect open field tackle on Fletchall on the next play and then Dallas Greenland and Barrett Baker contained Cody Burden perfectly to set up third and 17. But then South Nodaway went to a spread formation with an empty backfield and put Tom Fletchall at quarterback; he ran for 14 to the 33 and for five more to the 38 to pick up the first down. The Longhorns continued to utilize the play and picked up another first down to the Tiger 26, but then Brian Hall and Josh Wagner met him and dropped him for a loss back to the 30 and an incomplete pass made it third and 14. Fletchall went back to pass again but this time, Eli Mullock jumped the route, bounced to the rightside, outran two tacklers, and returned it for the pick-6 with 11:41 left in the second quarter. J.J. Mullock caught the extra point pass on the guard eligible play to make it 28-0.
Zach Hilsabeck tried to return it again, but this time, Josh Wagner met him with a summersault tackle and the Longhorns set up shop at their own 28. Ethan Chesnut caught a short pass for 5 as South Nodaway tried to go to their passing game to get on the board. But Cody Green tipped the next pass and then Chesnut got open for a deep pass, but the Tigers came with a heavy rush and the pass went astray and South Nodaway was forced to punt.
For the third consecutive play, Worth County only needed one play to score. This time, Eli Mullock took a sweep down the right side, picked up blocks from Brian Hall and Josh Wagner, and was off to the races for a 64-yard run. Cody Green ran in the extra points with 10:35 left to make it 36-0.
Tom Fletchall tried a quick pass over the middle this time, but Jordan Harding and Josh Wagner were there to break it up. Two consecutive runs by the Longhorns went nowhere and they were forced to punt. But this time, they held Worth County thanks to two fumbles, a holding penalty, and an incomplete pass. Zach Harmening's spread draw on fourth and five from their own 26 fooled nobody and Harmening was tackled a yard short of the first down to give the Longhorns the ball on downs at the Tiger 31.
Cody Burden caught a short pass and turned it into a nine-yard gain thanks to poor tackling. But the Longhorns threw an incomplete pass and then a holding penalty wiped out a long run and forced third and 16. The Longhorns went back to their spread draw formation but this time, Coach Borey had made some adjustments, going with a four-man line and putting Barrett Baker on Fletchall. Baker met Fletchall for no gain and the Longhorns were forced to punt.
Barrett Baker caught a 10-yard pass to the Longhorn 26 and then took a sweep to the 32 for a six-yard gain. The ref tacked on a 15-yard facemask to the Tiger 33. Worth County seemingly stalled there as three plays only netted them two yards. But this time, Zach Harmening ran the spread draw perfectly for a first down to the Longhorn 20. Two plays later, he threw a strike to Eli Mullock for a score to make it 42-0 with 4:23 left in the half.
J.J. Mullock met Cody Burden for a one-yard gain and then Josh Wagner did a perfect stunt from his tackle position and ran down Burden after a two-yard gain. Wagner did the same thing to the other side and this time put on a heavy rush on Burden who barely got off the throw before being dropped behind the 5. On the ensuing punt, Jordan Harding ran down the right side, put a move on one of South Nodaway's big men, and ran down the tightrope for a touchdown with 2:48 left in the half to put Worth County over the 45-point limit.
South Nodaway went with Fletchall at quarterback this time, but he only picked up one yard on first down. After an incomplete pass, Dylan Kinsella stopped him after a two-yard gain and then Dallas Greenland played South Nodaway's fourth down pass perfectly and broke it up as the Longhorns elected to go for it rather than risk another touchdown return.
Coach Borey began subbing freely and Adam Summers, inserted at quarterback, took a sweep down the right side, leveled a would-be tackler, and bounced back to the middle for Worth County's final score of the evening with 1:10 left in the half to make it 54-0.
The Longhorns showed a lot more spirit than they normally have in the past in games against the Tigers and it showed on the opening play of the game as Cody Burden went for 24 yards right up the middle behind a line consisting of 285, 268, and 320 pounders. The drive stalled there, however, as Josh Wagner shot through on the next play and dropped Burden for a loss. On third down, Burden went on a play that looked like a sweep but he pulled up and threw a pass; however, that went astray. Wagner shot through again on third and long and dropped Burden for a loss of seven and South Nodaway was forced to punt.
Eli Mullock took a sweep 10 yards up to the 25 after Worth County got the ball at their own 15. Barrett Baker followed with a pitchout for another 13 up to the 37, and a pass interference call gave the Tigers first and 10 at the South Nodaway 27. On the next play, Barrett Baker took a sweep on a play that was designed to go left. He saw nothing was there and reversed his field back to the right, picked up a block from Brian Hall, and made it all the way down to the 8 for a 19-yard gain. Josh Wagner picked up the final eight yards, blowing right by the 268-pounders of the front line and going untouched for a 6-0 lead with 9:18 left in the first quarter.
Burden found a little daylight on the next series for South Nodaway, getting six yards in the first two plays, but a delay of game penalty made it third and 9 at their own 26. Burden tried a draw on third and 9 but was met by a curtain of Tiger defenders led by Brian Hall and Dylan Kinsella to set up fourth down. South Nodaway was setting up what looked like a possible fake punt, but a false start penalty spoiled the play and they were forced to punt to the Tigers, who started on their own 26. On their first play from scrimmage, Worth County emptied the backfield and Zach Harmening aired it out to Eli Mullock for a 54-yard pass to make it 12-0 with 6:44 left in the first quarter.
South Nodaway had some more tricks up their sleeve as one of their upbacks, the 6'7" 285 pound Zach Hilsabeck, returned the ensuing kickoff as the Longhorns were hoping to create some problems with open-field tackling. But Eli Mullock led a swarm of Tigers who brought him down at the 31. The Longhorns got an offsides penalty on first down, but still couldn't get the first down. They went with Tom Fletchall at quarterback this time and his run only netted two yards. His next run lost three as Josh Wagner and Brian Hall met him and dropped him for a loss to set up third and six. Fletchall's next carry could only net one yard and then South Nodaway elected to go for it on fourth and five from deep inside their own territory, but Brian Hall pressured Fletchall into a hurried throw and Barrett Baker was there to break it up.
For the second consecutive play, Worth County only needed one play to get into the end zone. Barrett Baker took a dive play, bounced his way to the outside, and outran everyone for a 36-yard score with 4:27 left. Josh Wagner ran in the extra points as he leveled a defender at the 2 and made it in to make it 20-0.
This time, South Nodaway tried Mitch Hilsabeck at quarterback for a play, but a holding penalty moved them back to the 16. Josh Wagner made a perfect open field tackle on Fletchall on the next play and then Dallas Greenland and Barrett Baker contained Cody Burden perfectly to set up third and 17. But then South Nodaway went to a spread formation with an empty backfield and put Tom Fletchall at quarterback; he ran for 14 to the 33 and for five more to the 38 to pick up the first down. The Longhorns continued to utilize the play and picked up another first down to the Tiger 26, but then Brian Hall and Josh Wagner met him and dropped him for a loss back to the 30 and an incomplete pass made it third and 14. Fletchall went back to pass again but this time, Eli Mullock jumped the route, bounced to the rightside, outran two tacklers, and returned it for the pick-6 with 11:41 left in the second quarter. J.J. Mullock caught the extra point pass on the guard eligible play to make it 28-0.
Zach Hilsabeck tried to return it again, but this time, Josh Wagner met him with a summersault tackle and the Longhorns set up shop at their own 28. Ethan Chesnut caught a short pass for 5 as South Nodaway tried to go to their passing game to get on the board. But Cody Green tipped the next pass and then Chesnut got open for a deep pass, but the Tigers came with a heavy rush and the pass went astray and South Nodaway was forced to punt.
For the third consecutive play, Worth County only needed one play to score. This time, Eli Mullock took a sweep down the right side, picked up blocks from Brian Hall and Josh Wagner, and was off to the races for a 64-yard run. Cody Green ran in the extra points with 10:35 left to make it 36-0.
Tom Fletchall tried a quick pass over the middle this time, but Jordan Harding and Josh Wagner were there to break it up. Two consecutive runs by the Longhorns went nowhere and they were forced to punt. But this time, they held Worth County thanks to two fumbles, a holding penalty, and an incomplete pass. Zach Harmening's spread draw on fourth and five from their own 26 fooled nobody and Harmening was tackled a yard short of the first down to give the Longhorns the ball on downs at the Tiger 31.
Cody Burden caught a short pass and turned it into a nine-yard gain thanks to poor tackling. But the Longhorns threw an incomplete pass and then a holding penalty wiped out a long run and forced third and 16. The Longhorns went back to their spread draw formation but this time, Coach Borey had made some adjustments, going with a four-man line and putting Barrett Baker on Fletchall. Baker met Fletchall for no gain and the Longhorns were forced to punt.
Barrett Baker caught a 10-yard pass to the Longhorn 26 and then took a sweep to the 32 for a six-yard gain. The ref tacked on a 15-yard facemask to the Tiger 33. Worth County seemingly stalled there as three plays only netted them two yards. But this time, Zach Harmening ran the spread draw perfectly for a first down to the Longhorn 20. Two plays later, he threw a strike to Eli Mullock for a score to make it 42-0 with 4:23 left in the half.
J.J. Mullock met Cody Burden for a one-yard gain and then Josh Wagner did a perfect stunt from his tackle position and ran down Burden after a two-yard gain. Wagner did the same thing to the other side and this time put on a heavy rush on Burden who barely got off the throw before being dropped behind the 5. On the ensuing punt, Jordan Harding ran down the right side, put a move on one of South Nodaway's big men, and ran down the tightrope for a touchdown with 2:48 left in the half to put Worth County over the 45-point limit.
South Nodaway went with Fletchall at quarterback this time, but he only picked up one yard on first down. After an incomplete pass, Dylan Kinsella stopped him after a two-yard gain and then Dallas Greenland played South Nodaway's fourth down pass perfectly and broke it up as the Longhorns elected to go for it rather than risk another touchdown return.
Coach Borey began subbing freely and Adam Summers, inserted at quarterback, took a sweep down the right side, leveled a would-be tackler, and bounced back to the middle for Worth County's final score of the evening with 1:10 left in the half to make it 54-0.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Senior Squad Plays Most Complete Game of Year; Shuts Out Albany 42-0
Worth County's 'Lil Tiger Senior Squad stood out from the rest of the teams playing Saturday afternoon. Most of the other teams struggled in the cold and it showed on the field as there were a ton of fumbles in the first game. But the Senior Squad thrived in the bitterly cold weather, routing Albany 42-0 in their most complete game of the year. Both teams were smarting from losses to I-35 last week; however, Coach Richard Baker gave credit to his assistants for working on the defense and getting them ready for Saturday's game. The juniors were routed 34-0; however, the seniors, after giving up 20 points in the first half against a squad that Coach Baker said was one of the most fundamentally sound he had ever seen, played up to I-35's level in the second half, losing 20-6.
The improvement was obvious across the board. Truman Moore was all over the field on defense with some major tackles for losses; Wade Rush (4 carries, 59 yards) was running as hard as he had all year; Brevyn Ross (17 carries, 237 yards) was running hard as well. Tristan Miller and Trayton Breit came up with some solid defensive plays, as did Jacob Hardy.
Albany went nowhere on three plays and Worth County took over on their own 32. Brevyn Ross got into Albany territory as he ripped off gains of 10 and 13 yards and then Nathan Pointer took the ball three yards to the 37. On the next play, Brevyn Ross did what his coaches had been exhorting him all year to do as he stiffarmed a defender to spring himself loose for 23 yards down to the 14. Two plays later, Wade Rush was in the end zone for Worth County's first score of the game with 8:31 left.
The Warriors once again could go nowhere as Trayton Breit dropped Maverick Hall for a loss of five and then a double reverse resulted in a loss of eight more yards, forcing the Warriors to punt. Ross took a sweep 34 yards to the Albany 20 but then the Tigers fumbled it right back to Albany. Colton Fountain caught a pass for 12 yards to the 33 for a first down for Albany, their first of the game. The Warriors botched up a fake reverse play for a loss of 6 and then Tristan Miller dropped quarterback Seth Cline for a loss of 2 to set up third and 18. But a pass interference penalty gave the Warriors a first down at the 42 and then Tyler Osmon picked up a first down to the 49. But then Truman Moore pounced on a fumble to give the Tigers the ball back at their own 49.
Brevyn Ross continued his lights-out running, picking up nine yards to the 42. Then he bounced outside and delivered two hits to would-be tacklers on his way for another 16-yard gain to the 26. Rush then ran for nine yards, but then Albany's scorekeeper gave Worth County only three downs as it was third down instead of second. A fumbled snap meant that Worth County would only have three plays to get first down thanks to the error, but Ross made sure that didn't matter, blowing past three defenders into the clear for a touchdown with 9:31 left. Ben Badell caught the extra point pass to make it 14-0.
Albany gave the ball to Tyler Osmon, whose first down run was good for 14 yards to the 49. But two plays later, a botched quick count resulted in a fumble and Worth County recovered the ball. Worth County tried some razzle dazzle as Ross tried a halfback pass, but Albany picked it off. But the defense had his back as Nathan Pointer delivered a big hit on Maverick Hall and then Hall lost nine yards on a fumbled reverse. Brevyn Ross then atoned for his miscue by intercepting the next pass to give the Tigers the ball on the Warrior 28.
Time was running out at that point and the Warrior defense stiffened, holding Ross to five yards on two carries. But then Ross got a block from Wade Rush for 18 yards down to the 5 with 1:06 left. Rush then picked up two yards with 9.7 seconds down to the three. A false start moved it back to the 8, but on the final play of the half, Brevyn Ross took a sweep down the left side and cut it in for the score. Ben Badell caught the extra point pass to make it 22-0.
Worth County only needed two plays to get into the end zone to start the second half. After Nathan Pointer's 15-yard reverse moved the ball to midfield, Brevyn Ross bounced to the outside and outran everyone for another score to make it 28-0 with 14 minutes left in the third quarter. Ross then shot through on defense, dropping Maverick Hall for a loss of one on the next series as Albany went three and out.
Wade Rush got his chance, getting a carry for 15 yards to the 40. After a fumbled snap, Nathan Pointer (6 carries, 62 yards) got his longest run of the year, a 36-yarder to the 23. A fumble made it second and 11 but then quarterback Ben Badell (4 carries, 37 yards) picked up a fumble and reversed his field on his way for a touchdown to make it 34-0 with 5:12 left in the third.
Albany finally got some daylight as Tyler Osmon proved to be tough for the Tigers to bring down, carrying the Warriors into Tiger territory at the 43. But then for some reason, Albany went to the double reverse and fumbled it to kill their momentum. Jacob Hardy then dropped Osmon for a loss and then Truman Moore sacked Maverick Hall as the Warriors tried a reverse pass that fooled nobody and they were forced to punt.
Brevyn Ross picked up 16 to the Warrior 36 and then Wade Rush dragged five would-be tacklers the last 10 yards as he picked up 21 on the play to the Warrior 41. Ben Badell picked up five, Brevyn Ross picked up six more as Rush leveled a defender on the play, and Badell picked up seven. Pointer's cutback run and Jacob Wimer's carry moved it to the 10, but the Tigers fumbled it there. But the Warriors fumbled it right back and Jacob Hardy shot through to pounce on it at the 2. The Tigers needed all four cracks at the goal line to get in but Ben Badell's second touchdown, where he dragged a defender into the end zone, was all effort with 3:54 left in the game. Nathan Pointer ran in the extra points to make it 42-0.
The improvement was obvious across the board. Truman Moore was all over the field on defense with some major tackles for losses; Wade Rush (4 carries, 59 yards) was running as hard as he had all year; Brevyn Ross (17 carries, 237 yards) was running hard as well. Tristan Miller and Trayton Breit came up with some solid defensive plays, as did Jacob Hardy.
Albany went nowhere on three plays and Worth County took over on their own 32. Brevyn Ross got into Albany territory as he ripped off gains of 10 and 13 yards and then Nathan Pointer took the ball three yards to the 37. On the next play, Brevyn Ross did what his coaches had been exhorting him all year to do as he stiffarmed a defender to spring himself loose for 23 yards down to the 14. Two plays later, Wade Rush was in the end zone for Worth County's first score of the game with 8:31 left.
The Warriors once again could go nowhere as Trayton Breit dropped Maverick Hall for a loss of five and then a double reverse resulted in a loss of eight more yards, forcing the Warriors to punt. Ross took a sweep 34 yards to the Albany 20 but then the Tigers fumbled it right back to Albany. Colton Fountain caught a pass for 12 yards to the 33 for a first down for Albany, their first of the game. The Warriors botched up a fake reverse play for a loss of 6 and then Tristan Miller dropped quarterback Seth Cline for a loss of 2 to set up third and 18. But a pass interference penalty gave the Warriors a first down at the 42 and then Tyler Osmon picked up a first down to the 49. But then Truman Moore pounced on a fumble to give the Tigers the ball back at their own 49.
Brevyn Ross continued his lights-out running, picking up nine yards to the 42. Then he bounced outside and delivered two hits to would-be tacklers on his way for another 16-yard gain to the 26. Rush then ran for nine yards, but then Albany's scorekeeper gave Worth County only three downs as it was third down instead of second. A fumbled snap meant that Worth County would only have three plays to get first down thanks to the error, but Ross made sure that didn't matter, blowing past three defenders into the clear for a touchdown with 9:31 left. Ben Badell caught the extra point pass to make it 14-0.
Albany gave the ball to Tyler Osmon, whose first down run was good for 14 yards to the 49. But two plays later, a botched quick count resulted in a fumble and Worth County recovered the ball. Worth County tried some razzle dazzle as Ross tried a halfback pass, but Albany picked it off. But the defense had his back as Nathan Pointer delivered a big hit on Maverick Hall and then Hall lost nine yards on a fumbled reverse. Brevyn Ross then atoned for his miscue by intercepting the next pass to give the Tigers the ball on the Warrior 28.
Time was running out at that point and the Warrior defense stiffened, holding Ross to five yards on two carries. But then Ross got a block from Wade Rush for 18 yards down to the 5 with 1:06 left. Rush then picked up two yards with 9.7 seconds down to the three. A false start moved it back to the 8, but on the final play of the half, Brevyn Ross took a sweep down the left side and cut it in for the score. Ben Badell caught the extra point pass to make it 22-0.
Worth County only needed two plays to get into the end zone to start the second half. After Nathan Pointer's 15-yard reverse moved the ball to midfield, Brevyn Ross bounced to the outside and outran everyone for another score to make it 28-0 with 14 minutes left in the third quarter. Ross then shot through on defense, dropping Maverick Hall for a loss of one on the next series as Albany went three and out.
Wade Rush got his chance, getting a carry for 15 yards to the 40. After a fumbled snap, Nathan Pointer (6 carries, 62 yards) got his longest run of the year, a 36-yarder to the 23. A fumble made it second and 11 but then quarterback Ben Badell (4 carries, 37 yards) picked up a fumble and reversed his field on his way for a touchdown to make it 34-0 with 5:12 left in the third.
Albany finally got some daylight as Tyler Osmon proved to be tough for the Tigers to bring down, carrying the Warriors into Tiger territory at the 43. But then for some reason, Albany went to the double reverse and fumbled it to kill their momentum. Jacob Hardy then dropped Osmon for a loss and then Truman Moore sacked Maverick Hall as the Warriors tried a reverse pass that fooled nobody and they were forced to punt.
Brevyn Ross picked up 16 to the Warrior 36 and then Wade Rush dragged five would-be tacklers the last 10 yards as he picked up 21 on the play to the Warrior 41. Ben Badell picked up five, Brevyn Ross picked up six more as Rush leveled a defender on the play, and Badell picked up seven. Pointer's cutback run and Jacob Wimer's carry moved it to the 10, but the Tigers fumbled it there. But the Warriors fumbled it right back and Jacob Hardy shot through to pounce on it at the 2. The Tigers needed all four cracks at the goal line to get in but Ben Badell's second touchdown, where he dragged a defender into the end zone, was all effort with 3:54 left in the game. Nathan Pointer ran in the extra points to make it 42-0.
'Lil Tiger Junior Squad Shuts Out Albany 18-0
Worth County's 'Lil Tigers Junior Squad overcame a rash of fumbles Saturday afternoon and beat the Albany Warriors 18-0 when they scored all three of their touchdowns in the second half. The Tigers took the opening drive of the game, but then fumbled it away for the first time just past midfield. But Albany could do nothing with it as they had fumble problems of their own, fumbling a snap for a loss of 9. Drake Kinsella snuffed out an option to force the Warriors to punt.
The Tigers started on their own 31 and Tevin Cameron (20 carries, 218 yards) got a first down just past the 41, but then a pair of fumbles in the cold weather set them back to the 35 and they were forced to punt. Albany started off on their own 21 but fumbled the ball away, giving the Tigers the ball on the Albany 19 with a golden opportunity to score. But they did not take advantage as Ryan McClellan was run down from behind on a reverse, Cameron was thrown for a loss of one, and another snap was fumbled.
The rash of fumbles continued as Albany only ran three plays before they fumbled it to the Tigers on the Warrior 26. But again they could not convert. Two carries by Cameron and one by Michael Burch made it fourth and one on the 17, but a fumbled snap gave the Warriors the ball back on the 16 on downs.
This time, Albany found some daylight as Brett Curtis took an option to the 31. The Warriors were able to rescue a third and eight as it was Curtis again, this time for 12 yards to the 45. From there, Albany mounted their most promising drive of the game as Miles Wildon rescued a third and six with an 11-yard run to the Tiger 40; Curtis would then get 20 yards to the 21. An option run by Curtis for seven, a three-yarder by Wildon, and a one-yard run by Austin Salsman gave the Warriors first and goal at the 11 just before the half. But then the Tigers showed some of the same mental toughness that characterized their first two wins of the season as Wildon was stopped for no gain on first and goal. Cameron then defended an option perfectly as he fought off a block and threw Curtis for a loss of two. Wildon could only get one yard on third and goal and then Albany fumbled on a botched reverse play and Worth County took over on downs to end the scoreless first half.
At that point, it looked like the game would be decided by overtime or a single score. Worth County started off with the ball, but fumbled it again right off the bat. There was a lot of confusion on the field as first the officials signaled that Worth County had recovered it and then signaled that Albany had recovered it. But finally, they ruled that the whistle had blown before the Warriors recovered and that the Tigers should get the ball back. Given the new life, the Tigers finally started clicking as Tevin Cameron took a pitchout seven yards to the 41 and then shot through the middle on the next play and bounced to the outside for 27 yards down to the Warrior 32. Cameron then took a sweep to the Warrior 19 for a 13-yarder. Disaster almost struck again as the Tigers fumbled the ball away to the Warriors, but Albany fumbled the ball right back to the Tigers on their first play. Consecutive fumbles by the Tigers and a false start made it second and 18 at the 25, which looked like an eternity at that point.
But then quarterback Michael Burch (5 carries, 37 yards) came up with the same kind of play that CFX used on the Tigers when Kevin Dodson picked up a fumble and ran it a long ways for a touchdown to make a game of it in last year's high school game before Worth County righted themselves in the second half to win it. Burch did the same thing as he had more trouble with the center-quarterback exchange but then the Albany defenders overran him and he was able to get a first down run to the Albany 6. Burch then took a keeper down to the 2 and then his sneak got the Tigers into the end zone with 7:35 left in the third to make it 6-0.
Tevin Cameron then dropped Curtis for a loss of seven on first down to force a three and out. Three plays later, on third and five from the Tiger 40, Cameron took a handoff on a long-developing play that fooled everyone as he burst past the initial line and into the clear. He outran everyone into the end zone for the 60-yard score to make it 12-0 with 1:17 left in the third.
Albany could get nowhere on their next series as Will Engel had a big hit on Wildon for a loss of one. The Tigers took over on their own 28 and then Tevin Cameron, finding more daylight as the game progressed, took a sweep 20 yards to the 48. The next play was a busted play but Michael Burch, with a defender about to drop him for a big loss, managed to pitch it off to Cameron who ran it for 10 yards to the Albany 42. On the next play, Cameron's 22 yarder took it to the 20. A fumbled handoff made it second and 13 but then Cameron got carries of 7 and 12 down to the Albany 4. A block in the back pushed it back to the 14, but runs by Cameron of 4 and 10 made up the distance and Worth County led 18-0 with 5:15 left in the game for the final score.
The Tigers started on their own 31 and Tevin Cameron (20 carries, 218 yards) got a first down just past the 41, but then a pair of fumbles in the cold weather set them back to the 35 and they were forced to punt. Albany started off on their own 21 but fumbled the ball away, giving the Tigers the ball on the Albany 19 with a golden opportunity to score. But they did not take advantage as Ryan McClellan was run down from behind on a reverse, Cameron was thrown for a loss of one, and another snap was fumbled.
The rash of fumbles continued as Albany only ran three plays before they fumbled it to the Tigers on the Warrior 26. But again they could not convert. Two carries by Cameron and one by Michael Burch made it fourth and one on the 17, but a fumbled snap gave the Warriors the ball back on the 16 on downs.
This time, Albany found some daylight as Brett Curtis took an option to the 31. The Warriors were able to rescue a third and eight as it was Curtis again, this time for 12 yards to the 45. From there, Albany mounted their most promising drive of the game as Miles Wildon rescued a third and six with an 11-yard run to the Tiger 40; Curtis would then get 20 yards to the 21. An option run by Curtis for seven, a three-yarder by Wildon, and a one-yard run by Austin Salsman gave the Warriors first and goal at the 11 just before the half. But then the Tigers showed some of the same mental toughness that characterized their first two wins of the season as Wildon was stopped for no gain on first and goal. Cameron then defended an option perfectly as he fought off a block and threw Curtis for a loss of two. Wildon could only get one yard on third and goal and then Albany fumbled on a botched reverse play and Worth County took over on downs to end the scoreless first half.
At that point, it looked like the game would be decided by overtime or a single score. Worth County started off with the ball, but fumbled it again right off the bat. There was a lot of confusion on the field as first the officials signaled that Worth County had recovered it and then signaled that Albany had recovered it. But finally, they ruled that the whistle had blown before the Warriors recovered and that the Tigers should get the ball back. Given the new life, the Tigers finally started clicking as Tevin Cameron took a pitchout seven yards to the 41 and then shot through the middle on the next play and bounced to the outside for 27 yards down to the Warrior 32. Cameron then took a sweep to the Warrior 19 for a 13-yarder. Disaster almost struck again as the Tigers fumbled the ball away to the Warriors, but Albany fumbled the ball right back to the Tigers on their first play. Consecutive fumbles by the Tigers and a false start made it second and 18 at the 25, which looked like an eternity at that point.
But then quarterback Michael Burch (5 carries, 37 yards) came up with the same kind of play that CFX used on the Tigers when Kevin Dodson picked up a fumble and ran it a long ways for a touchdown to make a game of it in last year's high school game before Worth County righted themselves in the second half to win it. Burch did the same thing as he had more trouble with the center-quarterback exchange but then the Albany defenders overran him and he was able to get a first down run to the Albany 6. Burch then took a keeper down to the 2 and then his sneak got the Tigers into the end zone with 7:35 left in the third to make it 6-0.
Tevin Cameron then dropped Curtis for a loss of seven on first down to force a three and out. Three plays later, on third and five from the Tiger 40, Cameron took a handoff on a long-developing play that fooled everyone as he burst past the initial line and into the clear. He outran everyone into the end zone for the 60-yard score to make it 12-0 with 1:17 left in the third.
Albany could get nowhere on their next series as Will Engel had a big hit on Wildon for a loss of one. The Tigers took over on their own 28 and then Tevin Cameron, finding more daylight as the game progressed, took a sweep 20 yards to the 48. The next play was a busted play but Michael Burch, with a defender about to drop him for a big loss, managed to pitch it off to Cameron who ran it for 10 yards to the Albany 42. On the next play, Cameron's 22 yarder took it to the 20. A fumbled handoff made it second and 13 but then Cameron got carries of 7 and 12 down to the Albany 4. A block in the back pushed it back to the 14, but runs by Cameron of 4 and 10 made up the distance and Worth County led 18-0 with 5:15 left in the game for the final score.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Tigers Match School Record in 84-26 Rout of North Andrew
Worth County routed North Andrew 84-26 and put its naysayers to shame once again as pundits had been predicting that the Cardinals would be too quick for "the power teams of the 275." North Andrew had beaten Worth County the year before and they were coming into the same situation Friday night -- they had to win, or they would be out of the playoffs. But the result was totally different this time as Worth County matched a school record by scoring 84 points. The last time they scored 84 in a game was when Jared Findley, Bart Hardy, Brandon Hunter, Joel Terry, and company hung 84 on South Nodaway when they won Worth County's second state title and Coach Chuck Borey's first.
The Tigers struck right off the bat as Barrett Baker's (10 carries, 76 yards) first down run went for 12 yards up to the 37. An offsides penalty put the ball on the North Andrew 38 and then Zach Harmening (9 completions, 202 yards in one half) threw to Eli Mullock for a 38-yard touchdown to open up the scoring. Barrett Baker would barrel over two defenders for the extra point to make it 8-0 with 11:34 left. With that play, the Tigers showed just how much they had improved over last year as they were befuddled by North Andrew's team speed in their 32-24 overtime loss at North Andrew. But this year, the Tigers not only showed power, they showed that they had gotten so quick since the year that they played last that they left the Cardinal defenders in the dust time and time again. North Andrew had their prize runningback Alex Kier back -- he did all he could, getting 170 yards for the Cardinals. But he was the one person who could match Worth County's team speed, and he could only do so much.
Coach Chuck Borey said after the game that he had reminded his players of the situation last year in which North Andrew had to win. "We had to stay away from stupid penalties and turnovers and we did," he said. Worth County only fumbled the ball away once and they were penalized a lot less than they were earlier in the year. Last year, the Tigers collected a ton of penalties against the Cardinals to kill numerous potential scoring drives.
Clayton Townsend ran back a short kick into Tiger territory at the 37. But Anthony Gabriel was hammered by four Tiger defenders for a loss and then two carries by Kier only netted four years as Alex Harmening led a swarm of Tigers on third and six to throw him for a loss of one. The fourth down pass was tipped and Worth County took over on downs at their own 34.
Barrett Baker caught a pass in the flat for eight yards and then got seven more on a dive play. A botched screen pass was incomplete and Baker went for no gain on his next play to set up third and 10. Baker then took a short pass and went down the left side for nine of the ten yards and set up fourth and one on the 22. A false start moved it back to the 27, but Eli Mullock caught another pass in the flat and put a move on his defender for 16 yards down to the 11. But that was as far as the Tigers would get as they fumbled the ball on their next play.
But that did not matter. Josh Pittman's first down pass was almost intercepted and Kier was stuffed for no gain. Barrett Baker then broke up a pass for fourth and 10. On the ensuing punt, Josh Wagner came straight up the middle with a heavy rush and a botched kick gave the Tigers first and 10 at the Cardinal 18. On the ensuing series, Barrett Baker got 15 yards on a sweep as he got blocks from Eli Mullock and Dylan Kinsella and then scored with 5:55 left in the first quarter as J.J. Mullock threw a perfect chop block of his man to open up the hole. Alex Harmening caught the two-point converson pass to make it 16-0.
At that point, North Andrew changed their strategy, going to Pittman on their runs instead of Kier. Alex Kier got eight yards for them on first down into Tiger territory at the 37 and then Kier ran a quarterback sneak four yards to the 32 to convert third and one. But then a screen pass intended for Kier was too far, Kier's sweep only netted five yards, and Kier's run only got one yard. Pittman aired it out to Clayton Townsend, who was open; however, Pittman's pass was too far and the Tigers took over on downs at their own 26. Worth County only needed one play to get into the end zone as Zach Harmening aired it out to Eli Mullock for 54 yards to make it 22-0 with 3:34 left in the first quarter.
Worth County, trying to keep the ball out of the hands of Kier, tried an onsides kick and apparently recovered it, but it did not go the necessary 10 yards and the Cardinals had it first and 10 at the Tiger 36. Kier bounced outside for 13 yards down to the 21 and then Anthony Gabriel caught a fourth and six pass for 14 yards down to the 3. Two sneaks by Pittman got them into the end zone; the touchdown was thanks to a questionable call by the officials, who were the same crew who made bad calls against the Tigers in the CFX game. The official on the side that the play was being run did not signal the touchdown, but the official on the far side, who was in no position to see the play, signaled touchdown even though it was clear that Pittman did not break the plane. The gift by the officials handed North Andrew their first six points to make it 22-6 with 14 seconds left in the first.
Already in catchup mode, North Andrew tried an onsides kick of their own, but Worth County covered it at their own 33. They seemingly stalled at their own 31 and and were seemingly forced to punt, but Coach Borey, making a concerted effort to keep the ball out of the hands of Kier, gambled on fourth and 12 with the same sort of play that Texas used to beat Nebraska one year; the Longhorns had the lead and the ball late in the game and aired out a touchdown on fourth and one. The occasion was not as dramatic for Worth County, but for the Tigers, it was a matter of keeping the Cardinals from getting back into the game and establishing Kier as a threat. Zach Harmening aired it out to Eli Mullock who dove for it and bobbled it. Even the Tiger players afterwords thought the pass might have hit the ground at one point, but Mullock's play was ruled a catch and Worth County had new life at the Cardinal 14. Barrett Baker then took a sweep, got a block from Josh Wagner, and broke some tackles to the two. An offsides penalty put it on the one and then Baker followed another Wagner block into the end zone with 11 minutes left in the half to make it 28-6.
Coach Borey said that it was important for the team to force North Andrew out of their game plan, calling the two interceptions the Tigers had "huge." The Cardinals followed the lead of teams like Nebraska and UNO and Pitt State and have established a power running game during their recent return to the top tier of eight-man football. However, the Tigers proved that once they got them behind, they were unable to play catch-up. In the meantime, the Tigers were able to run and pass effectively. "People don't lock in on Zach Harmening, but he is one of the better quarterbacks in eight-man football," said Coach Borey. He said that the difference between this year and last year was that the Tigers were mixing things up better. "We have Barrett, Alex, Eli, Josh, and Zach, who are all able to make big plays. Other teams can't focus on one guy this year," he said.
At that point, North Andrew was in catch-up mode and they changed their plan again. This time, they put Anthony Gabriel at quarterback in the shotgun formation. The move initially paid off as Gabriel ripped off a 19-yarder down to the Tiger 23. But on their next play, Gabriel attempted to throw a pass to Kier, but Alex Harmening read the play, jumped the pass, and was gone the other way for six points to make it 34-6 with 10:35 left. North Andrew then put Kier at quarterback and ran the sweep with him every single time and finally found some success as he used runs of 10, 15, and 34 yards to score with 9:09 left to make it 34-12. Worth County answered by going tit for tat as they put Eli Mullock (11 carries, 67 yards) at quarterback and he took a spread draw for five yards to the 31 and then took a sweep into North Andrew territory at the 39. He was stopped for no gain the next play but then took a sweep for 15 yards down to the Cardinal 24. At that point, Zach Harmening came back in and aired it out to Alex Harmening for the final 15 yards to make it 40-12 with 7:20 left.
For some reason, North Andrew did not stick with the end around plays that had gotten them their last score and instead put Gabriel at quarterback and tried to establish their option game. But they could only net six yards in three plays to midfield and then their fourth down attempt to air it out was broken up by Eli Mullock. Worth County took advantage of the short field as Barrett Baker ripped off a gain of 7 yards and Eli Mullock took a pitch 10 yards down to the North Andrew 23. Eli was stopped for no gain on the next play, but then caught a 10-yard pass down to the Cardinal 13 with 3:57 left. Barrett Baker then picked up a block from Mullock and pushed a defender the last few yards into the end zone with 3:57 left in the half. Baker's run on the extra point was successful as nobody was home to defend against the sweep.
On their very first play from scrimmage, North Andrew tried to air it out to get back in the game, but Barrett Baker jumped the route and picked it off, running down the right side and getting all the way to the Cardinal 21. A false start moved it back to the 26 but then Eli Mullock got runs of 6 and 3 yards down to the 14. A play action pass was incomplete, but a long count on fourth and three drew the Cardinals offsides and gave the Tigers first and goal at the 9. Zach Harmening then threaded the needle and Barrett Baker caught a pass towards the front pylon of the end zone with 2:16 for the score. Baker ran in the extra points to make it 56-12.
North Andrew put Kier at quarterback, but lost their will to fight at that point, letting the clock run out. Three consecutive carries by Kier got them to the 35 with 34 seconds left; on his third carry, Cody Green made a perfect open field tackle of Kier to hold him to three yards. Then, Gabriel came in at quarterback to throw a pass, but Clayton Townsend heard footsteps and dropped a short pass as Dylan Kinsella hit Gabriel on the play. Finally, Eli Mullock and Josh Wagner ganged up on Kier and held him to no gain on the final play of the half.
The Cardinals got the ball on their own 17 and were promptly pushed back to their 9 thanks to an equipment penalty and a delay of game penalty. Kier tried to sweep to the right side, but then Dylan Kinsella made a perfect open field tackle on him, dropping him for a loss of two back to the 7. A horsecollar penalty gave the Cardinals new life on the 25, and Kier's first down run moved it to the 37. But then Barrett Baker shot through and dropped Kier for a nine yard loss back to the 28. Josh Wagner then shot through and dropped Pittman for a loss on a keeper and then Barrett Baker and Cody Green combined on a sack to set up fourth and 29 on their own 18. But the Cardinals wanted no part of the Tiger punt rush and elected to go for it; however, the pass to Dallas George was short of the first down and the Tigers took over on the North Andrew 34.
Eli Mullock picked up a pair of sweeps to the 22 and then Josh Wagner got a counter and Barrett Baker held his block perfectly to spring Wagner for an 18-yard gain down to the Tiger 4. Two plays later, Mitch Andrews took a pitch in for a touchdown. Wagner hurdled over a defender for the two points to make it 64-12. At that point, Coach Borey began putting in his JV as North Andrew elected to play on; Kier ripped off a 58-yard touchdown run with 2:28 left in the third quarter to make it 64-18. But Worth County ran the kickoff right back for a touchdown as Barrett Baker ran straight up the middle and then bounced out to the left side. Adam Summers ran in the extra points to make it 72-18.
Clayton Townsend ran off 21 yards to the Tiger 33 to keep their drive going and then Josh Pittman aired it out to Cody Edwards for a 30 yard score with 10:44 left in the game. Tyler Smith ran in the extra points to make it 72-26. But North Andrew, unlike two years ago when they left in their starters against Worth County's JV and ran off three straight scores to turn a 46-6 score into 46-30, began subbing freely at that point.
Worth County's JV got a nice sustained drive going in response, going 9 plays and 56 yards to score. Mitch Andrews started the drive by moving a pile eight yards to the 32; an offsides penalty gave the Tigers first down at their own 38. Dallas Greenland then took a pitchout 11 yards to the 31. Jordan Harding then rescued a third and long as he caught a 21-yard pass in which Wyatt McClain leveled a defender to clear the way. That put the ball on the Cardinal 12 and then Adam Summers broke a bunch of tackles and jumped to the outside to score to make it 78-26 with 5:44 left. Wyatt McClain was not done as he recovered a fumble to give the Tigers the ball on the Cardinal 20; Jordan Harding ran it in for the final score on Worth County's first play from scrimmage with 4:03 left.
The Tigers struck right off the bat as Barrett Baker's (10 carries, 76 yards) first down run went for 12 yards up to the 37. An offsides penalty put the ball on the North Andrew 38 and then Zach Harmening (9 completions, 202 yards in one half) threw to Eli Mullock for a 38-yard touchdown to open up the scoring. Barrett Baker would barrel over two defenders for the extra point to make it 8-0 with 11:34 left. With that play, the Tigers showed just how much they had improved over last year as they were befuddled by North Andrew's team speed in their 32-24 overtime loss at North Andrew. But this year, the Tigers not only showed power, they showed that they had gotten so quick since the year that they played last that they left the Cardinal defenders in the dust time and time again. North Andrew had their prize runningback Alex Kier back -- he did all he could, getting 170 yards for the Cardinals. But he was the one person who could match Worth County's team speed, and he could only do so much.
Coach Chuck Borey said after the game that he had reminded his players of the situation last year in which North Andrew had to win. "We had to stay away from stupid penalties and turnovers and we did," he said. Worth County only fumbled the ball away once and they were penalized a lot less than they were earlier in the year. Last year, the Tigers collected a ton of penalties against the Cardinals to kill numerous potential scoring drives.
Clayton Townsend ran back a short kick into Tiger territory at the 37. But Anthony Gabriel was hammered by four Tiger defenders for a loss and then two carries by Kier only netted four years as Alex Harmening led a swarm of Tigers on third and six to throw him for a loss of one. The fourth down pass was tipped and Worth County took over on downs at their own 34.
Barrett Baker caught a pass in the flat for eight yards and then got seven more on a dive play. A botched screen pass was incomplete and Baker went for no gain on his next play to set up third and 10. Baker then took a short pass and went down the left side for nine of the ten yards and set up fourth and one on the 22. A false start moved it back to the 27, but Eli Mullock caught another pass in the flat and put a move on his defender for 16 yards down to the 11. But that was as far as the Tigers would get as they fumbled the ball on their next play.
But that did not matter. Josh Pittman's first down pass was almost intercepted and Kier was stuffed for no gain. Barrett Baker then broke up a pass for fourth and 10. On the ensuing punt, Josh Wagner came straight up the middle with a heavy rush and a botched kick gave the Tigers first and 10 at the Cardinal 18. On the ensuing series, Barrett Baker got 15 yards on a sweep as he got blocks from Eli Mullock and Dylan Kinsella and then scored with 5:55 left in the first quarter as J.J. Mullock threw a perfect chop block of his man to open up the hole. Alex Harmening caught the two-point converson pass to make it 16-0.
At that point, North Andrew changed their strategy, going to Pittman on their runs instead of Kier. Alex Kier got eight yards for them on first down into Tiger territory at the 37 and then Kier ran a quarterback sneak four yards to the 32 to convert third and one. But then a screen pass intended for Kier was too far, Kier's sweep only netted five yards, and Kier's run only got one yard. Pittman aired it out to Clayton Townsend, who was open; however, Pittman's pass was too far and the Tigers took over on downs at their own 26. Worth County only needed one play to get into the end zone as Zach Harmening aired it out to Eli Mullock for 54 yards to make it 22-0 with 3:34 left in the first quarter.
Worth County, trying to keep the ball out of the hands of Kier, tried an onsides kick and apparently recovered it, but it did not go the necessary 10 yards and the Cardinals had it first and 10 at the Tiger 36. Kier bounced outside for 13 yards down to the 21 and then Anthony Gabriel caught a fourth and six pass for 14 yards down to the 3. Two sneaks by Pittman got them into the end zone; the touchdown was thanks to a questionable call by the officials, who were the same crew who made bad calls against the Tigers in the CFX game. The official on the side that the play was being run did not signal the touchdown, but the official on the far side, who was in no position to see the play, signaled touchdown even though it was clear that Pittman did not break the plane. The gift by the officials handed North Andrew their first six points to make it 22-6 with 14 seconds left in the first.
Already in catchup mode, North Andrew tried an onsides kick of their own, but Worth County covered it at their own 33. They seemingly stalled at their own 31 and and were seemingly forced to punt, but Coach Borey, making a concerted effort to keep the ball out of the hands of Kier, gambled on fourth and 12 with the same sort of play that Texas used to beat Nebraska one year; the Longhorns had the lead and the ball late in the game and aired out a touchdown on fourth and one. The occasion was not as dramatic for Worth County, but for the Tigers, it was a matter of keeping the Cardinals from getting back into the game and establishing Kier as a threat. Zach Harmening aired it out to Eli Mullock who dove for it and bobbled it. Even the Tiger players afterwords thought the pass might have hit the ground at one point, but Mullock's play was ruled a catch and Worth County had new life at the Cardinal 14. Barrett Baker then took a sweep, got a block from Josh Wagner, and broke some tackles to the two. An offsides penalty put it on the one and then Baker followed another Wagner block into the end zone with 11 minutes left in the half to make it 28-6.
Coach Borey said that it was important for the team to force North Andrew out of their game plan, calling the two interceptions the Tigers had "huge." The Cardinals followed the lead of teams like Nebraska and UNO and Pitt State and have established a power running game during their recent return to the top tier of eight-man football. However, the Tigers proved that once they got them behind, they were unable to play catch-up. In the meantime, the Tigers were able to run and pass effectively. "People don't lock in on Zach Harmening, but he is one of the better quarterbacks in eight-man football," said Coach Borey. He said that the difference between this year and last year was that the Tigers were mixing things up better. "We have Barrett, Alex, Eli, Josh, and Zach, who are all able to make big plays. Other teams can't focus on one guy this year," he said.
At that point, North Andrew was in catch-up mode and they changed their plan again. This time, they put Anthony Gabriel at quarterback in the shotgun formation. The move initially paid off as Gabriel ripped off a 19-yarder down to the Tiger 23. But on their next play, Gabriel attempted to throw a pass to Kier, but Alex Harmening read the play, jumped the pass, and was gone the other way for six points to make it 34-6 with 10:35 left. North Andrew then put Kier at quarterback and ran the sweep with him every single time and finally found some success as he used runs of 10, 15, and 34 yards to score with 9:09 left to make it 34-12. Worth County answered by going tit for tat as they put Eli Mullock (11 carries, 67 yards) at quarterback and he took a spread draw for five yards to the 31 and then took a sweep into North Andrew territory at the 39. He was stopped for no gain the next play but then took a sweep for 15 yards down to the Cardinal 24. At that point, Zach Harmening came back in and aired it out to Alex Harmening for the final 15 yards to make it 40-12 with 7:20 left.
For some reason, North Andrew did not stick with the end around plays that had gotten them their last score and instead put Gabriel at quarterback and tried to establish their option game. But they could only net six yards in three plays to midfield and then their fourth down attempt to air it out was broken up by Eli Mullock. Worth County took advantage of the short field as Barrett Baker ripped off a gain of 7 yards and Eli Mullock took a pitch 10 yards down to the North Andrew 23. Eli was stopped for no gain on the next play, but then caught a 10-yard pass down to the Cardinal 13 with 3:57 left. Barrett Baker then picked up a block from Mullock and pushed a defender the last few yards into the end zone with 3:57 left in the half. Baker's run on the extra point was successful as nobody was home to defend against the sweep.
On their very first play from scrimmage, North Andrew tried to air it out to get back in the game, but Barrett Baker jumped the route and picked it off, running down the right side and getting all the way to the Cardinal 21. A false start moved it back to the 26 but then Eli Mullock got runs of 6 and 3 yards down to the 14. A play action pass was incomplete, but a long count on fourth and three drew the Cardinals offsides and gave the Tigers first and goal at the 9. Zach Harmening then threaded the needle and Barrett Baker caught a pass towards the front pylon of the end zone with 2:16 for the score. Baker ran in the extra points to make it 56-12.
North Andrew put Kier at quarterback, but lost their will to fight at that point, letting the clock run out. Three consecutive carries by Kier got them to the 35 with 34 seconds left; on his third carry, Cody Green made a perfect open field tackle of Kier to hold him to three yards. Then, Gabriel came in at quarterback to throw a pass, but Clayton Townsend heard footsteps and dropped a short pass as Dylan Kinsella hit Gabriel on the play. Finally, Eli Mullock and Josh Wagner ganged up on Kier and held him to no gain on the final play of the half.
The Cardinals got the ball on their own 17 and were promptly pushed back to their 9 thanks to an equipment penalty and a delay of game penalty. Kier tried to sweep to the right side, but then Dylan Kinsella made a perfect open field tackle on him, dropping him for a loss of two back to the 7. A horsecollar penalty gave the Cardinals new life on the 25, and Kier's first down run moved it to the 37. But then Barrett Baker shot through and dropped Kier for a nine yard loss back to the 28. Josh Wagner then shot through and dropped Pittman for a loss on a keeper and then Barrett Baker and Cody Green combined on a sack to set up fourth and 29 on their own 18. But the Cardinals wanted no part of the Tiger punt rush and elected to go for it; however, the pass to Dallas George was short of the first down and the Tigers took over on the North Andrew 34.
Eli Mullock picked up a pair of sweeps to the 22 and then Josh Wagner got a counter and Barrett Baker held his block perfectly to spring Wagner for an 18-yard gain down to the Tiger 4. Two plays later, Mitch Andrews took a pitch in for a touchdown. Wagner hurdled over a defender for the two points to make it 64-12. At that point, Coach Borey began putting in his JV as North Andrew elected to play on; Kier ripped off a 58-yard touchdown run with 2:28 left in the third quarter to make it 64-18. But Worth County ran the kickoff right back for a touchdown as Barrett Baker ran straight up the middle and then bounced out to the left side. Adam Summers ran in the extra points to make it 72-18.
Clayton Townsend ran off 21 yards to the Tiger 33 to keep their drive going and then Josh Pittman aired it out to Cody Edwards for a 30 yard score with 10:44 left in the game. Tyler Smith ran in the extra points to make it 72-26. But North Andrew, unlike two years ago when they left in their starters against Worth County's JV and ran off three straight scores to turn a 46-6 score into 46-30, began subbing freely at that point.
Worth County's JV got a nice sustained drive going in response, going 9 plays and 56 yards to score. Mitch Andrews started the drive by moving a pile eight yards to the 32; an offsides penalty gave the Tigers first down at their own 38. Dallas Greenland then took a pitchout 11 yards to the 31. Jordan Harding then rescued a third and long as he caught a 21-yard pass in which Wyatt McClain leveled a defender to clear the way. That put the ball on the Cardinal 12 and then Adam Summers broke a bunch of tackles and jumped to the outside to score to make it 78-26 with 5:44 left. Wyatt McClain was not done as he recovered a fumble to give the Tigers the ball on the Cardinal 20; Jordan Harding ran it in for the final score on Worth County's first play from scrimmage with 4:03 left.
Tigers Give Up Nine in Districts; Lose 13-0 to Stanberry
Worth County could not take advantage of their good fortune in the opening round of districts, falling to the Stanberry Bulldogs 13-0 in five innings in a game that was played in the cold and rain. KAAN Announcer Stuart Johnson said it perfectly when he said that on the eighth day of creation, God created a ball field in Stanberry that would stand all types of weather and that it was going to be put to the test. Worth County did receive good news on another front as they will host their first-ever sectional tonight as Jefferson, the winners of their district, will play the winner of District 16.
The Tigers did not get a single hit against the top-seeded Bulldogs, who had beaten the Tigers 19-4 in their GRC matchup. Brooke Adams got a walk in the first inning with one out; however, Worth County could not score as Amanda Downing and Ashley Reynolds both struck out. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Megan Durbin tripled with two outs to bring home two runs for Stanberry and came home herself on a wild pitch to make it 3-0
Delaney Davidson walked to lead off the second, but the next three batters all struck out for Worth County. Stanberry went in order in the second but would score nine in the third to put it out of reach. Tiger centerfielder Brooke Adams had one of the few highlights for Worth County in the inning as she made a running catch in the right-center gap. Four of Stanberry's runs came with two outs. In the fourth, Davidson drew her second walk for Worth County with two outs, but was stranded. In the fifth, Kacey Smyser hit the hardest shot off the Stanberry pitcher, a sharp foul past first, but then struck out to end the game.
Coach Todd Simmons said that the Tigers got off to a good start, but then struggled against the tougher part of their schedule during the middle part of the season. But he said that they had improved greatly towards the end of the year, including a 7-2 win over Princeton and their first district win in two years, a 6-4 win over Albany. He said that Paige McPike in right field had really come on strong towards the end of the year; she made a heads-up play for the final out of the Albany game when she made a 9-3 putout to end a late Albany rally. Brooke Adams had also shown a lot of improvement when she was moved back to center field as she made two catches in the right-center gap during districts, a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
The Tigers did not get a single hit against the top-seeded Bulldogs, who had beaten the Tigers 19-4 in their GRC matchup. Brooke Adams got a walk in the first inning with one out; however, Worth County could not score as Amanda Downing and Ashley Reynolds both struck out. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Megan Durbin tripled with two outs to bring home two runs for Stanberry and came home herself on a wild pitch to make it 3-0
Delaney Davidson walked to lead off the second, but the next three batters all struck out for Worth County. Stanberry went in order in the second but would score nine in the third to put it out of reach. Tiger centerfielder Brooke Adams had one of the few highlights for Worth County in the inning as she made a running catch in the right-center gap. Four of Stanberry's runs came with two outs. In the fourth, Davidson drew her second walk for Worth County with two outs, but was stranded. In the fifth, Kacey Smyser hit the hardest shot off the Stanberry pitcher, a sharp foul past first, but then struck out to end the game.
Coach Todd Simmons said that the Tigers got off to a good start, but then struggled against the tougher part of their schedule during the middle part of the season. But he said that they had improved greatly towards the end of the year, including a 7-2 win over Princeton and their first district win in two years, a 6-4 win over Albany. He said that Paige McPike in right field had really come on strong towards the end of the year; she made a heads-up play for the final out of the Albany game when she made a 9-3 putout to end a late Albany rally. Brooke Adams had also shown a lot of improvement when she was moved back to center field as she made two catches in the right-center gap during districts, a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
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