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Improve to 4-2, Cards shut out Russell County 31-0 Shannon Hutchinson Sports Writer The Wayne County Cardinals met Russell County last Friday night at Laker Field, in the district opener for both teams. Wayne County was coming off an open week and owned a 3-2 record, while the Lakers defeated Metcalfe County 7-0 a week earlier to improve to 2-4 on the season. The matchup marked the 28th meeting between the two rivals, with the Cards winning the previous two games in the series, including a 34-19 decision last year at Jewell Field. Wayne County’s defense forced five turnovers and limited Russell County to just 139 total yards of offense, en route to a 31-0 road win. The Cards scored 21 of their 24 first half points off of Laker miscues, highlighted by junior linebacker Ryan Steele’s 40 yard interception return for a touchdown. “Defensively we made a lot of good things happen and played our best game of the year. All three of our touchdowns in the first half were set up by the defense, so I was proud of the way we made the most of our opportunities. We had a bunch of guys step up and swarm the football. The Triple-Option is always tough to prepare for, but I felt like our guys stepped up to the challenge,” said Cards’ head coach Shawn Thompson. The Cards’ offense tallied 244 total yards and 13 first downs, paced by quarterback Ryan Steele. Steele completed 4 of 10 passes for 87 yards and scrambled 5 times for 41 yards, as the Lakers were able to slow Wayne County’s potent ground game. Senior running back Matt Goff entered the game as one of the top five rushers in the state, averaging nearly 197 yards per game, but was limited to a season-low 72 yards in 20 attempts. “Russell County had a very sound defensive game plan, they weren’t going to let Matt beat them. They had several guys committed to him on every play and really clogged the line of scrimmage. They also changed their defensive fronts well, but to our credit we managed to do what we needed to do to win the game,” said Thompson. Four different Cards scored a touchdown each, plus Joe Coffey added a field goal, as the visitors used a balanced attack to improve to 4-2 on the season and 1-0 in district play. “This was a huge win to get our district schedule started. Any road wins in district play are big. We didn’t play our best football on the offensive side of the ball, but coming off an open week sometimes you lose that rhythm. We just have to regain our focus and go back to work in practice,” said Thompson. Russell County, which dropped to 2-5, couldn’t get anything going on offense. The Lakers rushed 43 times for just 114 yards and finished a dismal 1 of 7 passing for 25 yards with three interceptions. Running back Scott George led the attack with 84 rushing yards on 17 attempts, as the hosts totaled six of their 8 first downs after halftime. Joe Coffey’s interception, on the third play of the game, set up the game’s first score. Coffey returned the pass to the Laker’s 16 yard line and Wayne County’s offense needed just two plays to reach the end zone. Ryan Steele rushed 12 yards and Josh Bell followed that with a 4 yard touchdown run. Joe Coffey added the extra-point to give the Cards a 7-0 lead, less than two minutes into the game. Russell County threatened to tie the score two possessions later, after Josh Bell’s punt was partially blocked. The Lakers started the drive on Wayne County’s 30 yard line, but four plays totaled just 8 yards and the hosts turned the ball over on downs. “A big series by our defense to stop them after we gave them such good field position. If they score there, I’m sure their confidence level soars, but defensively we stepped up and gave the ball back to the offense,” said Thompson. The Wayne County offense responded with their longest drive of the first half. The Cards marched 64 yards, on 16-plays, highlighted by Ryan Steele’s 39 yard pass to Josh Bell. Penalties stalled the drive, but Joe Coffey booted a 33 yard field goal, to give Wayne County a 10-0 lead with 10:36 left in the second quarter. The defense pushed the lead to 17-0 on the next series, as Ryan Steele intercepted the Laker attempt and raced 40 yards for a touchdown. Joe Coffey improved to 22 for 22 on extra-points for the season with 8:40 left in the first half, as the lead pushed to 17-0. The Lakers fumbled away the ensuing kickoff and Wayne County’s offense was quickly back in business. Wayne County used 7 plays to travel 27 yards and scored on junior running back Tyler King’s 5 yard touchdown run. The extra-point pushed the Cards lead to 24-0 with 6:07 left in the second period. Neither team threatened again the rest of the first half as Wayne County claimed a 24-0 halftime advantage. The Cards opened the second half with the football and marched 75 yards, on 13-plays, capped off by Matt Goff’s 1 yard touchdown run. The key play of the drive was a fake punt on the Laker’s 44 yard line, that resulted in a Joe Coffey 17 yard run and first down. “At that point of the game I felt like we needed some momentum and needed to put the game away. We’re trying to win the game and at that point it’s still anyone’s game. It worked and we moved the ball to get the first down,” said Thompson. The extra point, after Goff’s 1 yard score, left the Cards with a 31-0 lead with 7:21 left in the third quarter. Neither team would score again the rest of the way, as Wayne County notched their first shutout of the season with the 31-0 win. The Cards defense had several standout performances led by the senior tandem of Josh Bell and Matt Goff. The duo registered 10 tackles each respectively, while Corey Pyles and Ryan Steele totaled 8 stops each. Ten different players contributed four stops, or more in the win. “I really believe this was our best defensive effort of the season. We made some big plays and had a bunch of different guys in the mix. We have to build on this effort and go back to work. Garrard County brings an offense that mixes the run and the pass, so we’ll have to be at our best,” said Thompson. The win improved the Cards to 11-17 all-time against Russell County and marked their third straight win in the series. The streak is the second longest for Wayne County in the rivalry, trailing only the four straight Cardinal wins from 1987-1990. It appears the rivalry is over for the near future as Russell County is moving up to Class 3A next year and the schools couldn’t find an agreeable date for 2005 and 2006. “They’re moving up to 3A and out of the district, so we’ll have a four team district next year. They have a six or seven game district schedule and we couldn’t find a date we both have open. Hopefully it’s something we can work out the next time, because it’s always been a good game for both teams,” said Thompson. The Cards return home this Friday night for a date with Garrard County. The Golden Lions are 6-1 on the season and ranked #10 in the Associated Press Class 2A poll. “We’ll have to be at our best on both sides of the football and have a focused week of practice. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the area in Spencer Crutchfield, so we’ll have to be ready,” said Thompson. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Jewell Field. Add a comment |
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