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GAME STORYS
SEPTEMBER 04, 2010
SHERWOOD PARK RAMS vs. SHERWOOD PARK WOLVERINES
RAMS WIN EARLY SEASON BRAGGING RIGHTS OVER PARK RIVALS
By Mark Asbell, September 5, 2010
It’s always difficult to play any sport against friends and classmates, but it’s especially so when it’s the first opportunity of the season to make a statement and establish bragging rights. Nerves are on edge; Facebook statuses have been posted. Now all that’s left is game day.
Game day came Saturday, September 4th and the Rams made sure there’s no doubt which team holds bragging rights in the Park with a convincing 43-7 win over the Wolverines.
The Wolverines game plan was apparent from their opening play with Kyle Boyko’s completion for a first down of his first of 24 passing attempts. After two pass incompletions and a punt, it was the Rams turn and they set the tone from their first play from scrimmage. Catching the Wolverines completely off-guard, the Rams coaching staff called multi-positional player Carlton Steinwandt’s number who ran a perfect slot-back reverse for a 77 yard run for his first of two touchdowns. The Rams defense then added an exclamation point to the fact the team meant business as the very next series of downs saw the Wolverines give up a safety touch after big pressure from the Rams front eight. The Rams never looked back, leading 22-0 after the first quarter.
The Wolverines tried to keep the Rams strong defensive corps off balance by attempting pass after pass but the supposedly susceptible defensive framework set up by Rams head coach James Skitsko more than held its ground. The defensive squad stopped Boyko’s passing barrage time and time again, limiting the Wolverines to one passing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter and only allowing one rushing first down for the game. In reply, the Rams offense continued its strong ground attack racking up an impressive 287 total running yards against the Wolverines. In addition to Steinwandt’s two rushing TDs, (and 78 yards of total ground yardage), full back Jacob Swartz banged in another two touchdowns from short yardage and half back Trevor Aiello added one more. Swartz slogged it out ending up with a total of 65 hard-fought inside yards while Aiello continued to display his ‘jukin’ and ‘jivin’ moves adding another 56 yards rushing including an impressive 12 yard third down conversion run. Erik Schell and Marco Hale also added some strong runs to the total offense. Aiello, as kicker, also converted each of the Rams point-after attempts he was able to get his foot on, adding a point to five of the Rams six TDs.
Losing 36-0 after the third quarter the Wolverines made it interesting with some beautiful passing plays leading to their lone touchdown in the fourth quarter. Recovering an on-side kick on their next play from scrimmage, the Wolverines marched back down field before the Rams defense held their ground stopping the Wolverines on the three yard line and then throwing Boyko and his receivers for loses. With the Rams taking over the ball on downs, the offense stepped back on the field at their own 13 yard line, and like their very first play from scrimmage, had another trick up their sleeve. After calling running play after running play, quarterback Reggie Schoeppe tossed a beautiful slant and go to slot back Marco Hale who galloped to the Wolverine end zone untouched for a 92 yard pass and run. Schoeppe ended the day completing four of eight passes for a total of 116 passing yards.
As with the previous week’s game, linebacker Josh Normandeau continued his domination over his opponent’s special team coverage blocking his second punt in as many games (although last week’s block was nullified by a penalty) giving the Rams possession deep in Wolverine territory and leading to a touchdown. He also had a quarterback sack as did defensive lineman Tristan Nyszczuk.
With the league schedule still not out, next week’s opponent and location of game are unknown at the time of writing.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2010
SHERWOOD PARK RAMS vs. ST. ALBERT FURY
RAMS DEFENSE CONTINUES TO SHINE
It’s an old adage that offense gets the glory but defense wins games. Well, the Sherwood Park Rams continued to prove that with an outstanding defensive effort this past Saturday, September 11th against the St. Albert Fury.
In their first regular season meeting of the young season, the Rams followed their exhibition season win of 22-6 against the Fury by again holding their St. Albert counterparts to single digits with a convincing 20-1 win. Led by Carlton Steinwandt, Josh Normandeau, and Erik Madsen with six tackles each, the Rams defensive corps held the Fury to four rushing first downs and three passing first downs. Inside linebackers Chad Bullock and Cole Christianson added another five tackles each while Leo Kennedy chipped in with four and a fumble recovery. Bullock hit hard all day including a hit right at the line of scrimmage that sent the hard charging, and much bigger, Fury full-back straight backwards. The defensive line and linebackers constantly pressured the Fury offense, collecting five sacks including two by outside linebacker Normandeau and one each by Steinwandt, Chris Maloney, and Jett Slemko.
As strong as the Rams were defensively, their special teams struggled. As a harbinger of what was yet to come, the Fury’s first punt was misjudged as it bounced over the Rams punt returner’s outstretched arms and bounced into the end zone giving the Fury their loan single point. By the end of the game, the normally sure-handed and strong contingent of punt returners had fumbled four times, losing three of them. The kicking game was also off, failing to convert on any of the attempted kicks after a major (half-back Trevor Aiello did run one in for a two point conversion after the Rams missed their convert after the first major of the game), and giving the Fury good field position on the kick-offs and punts.
Aiello off-set some of the struggles on special teams with yet another outstanding running game. The shifty half-back at times outran and at other times ran-over his opponents, collecting 117 yards and a major on top of his two point convert. Full-back Jacob Swartz added 78 yards, most of them straight up the middle with one or more Fury players on his back. Swartz is proving to be the “go-to” guy in close as he added another major to his two touchdown total from the previous week. Marco Hale continued to be the favorite target of quarterback Reggie Schoeppe hauling in three passes including his second major in two games. Making the biggest impression on the day, however, was 14 year old Alex Carefoot catching his first pass of his bantam career for a 26 yard gain. Schoeppe ended the day completing 6 of 12 passes with one interception and one passing major to his totals.
The Rams, now 2-0, play another home game next Sunday, September 19th at 12:30 pm against the Edmonton Chargers.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2010
SHERWOOD PARK RAMS vs. SPRUCE GROVE COUGARS
RAMS BEAT DEFENDING PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONS TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED
By Mark Asbell, September 25, 2010
“Wow, that was intense and really nerve wracking!” exclaimed first year bantam Sam Clayton after his Rams hung on to a narrow 14-13 three quarter lead before finally adding some much needed points in the fourth quarter to seal their 23-13 victory over the Spruce Grove Cougars, the defending city and provincial champions.
Right from the Cougars opening touch of the ball, everyone knew this was going to be a wild one. Catching a Leo Kennedy punt two yards deep in his own end zone, Cougar’s star punt returner, kicker and quarter back Brandon Thiessen outran the Ram’s outside containment before cutting back inside and sprinting his way to a 112 yard opening major. Missed assignments, blocked kicks, and taking advantage of opportunities remained the story of the day as the Rams ended up fumbling once and losing two interceptions while the Cougars fumbled seven times with another two interceptions. The Cougar turnovers proved to be their undoing as the Rams scored all their points as a direct result of getting the ball deep in Cougar territory.
After the Cougar’s opening major, both teams stalled on their next couple of possessions. Then turnovers started to become a factor. After intercepting Ram’s quarter back Reggie Schoeppe’s throw on their own 15 yard line, the Cougar’s tried a lateral to their running back but it went behind him and was ruled a fumble. Rams cornerback Nathanial Martin recovered it and the Rams took over on the Cougars nine yard line. Three running plays later, half back Trevor Aiello punched it in from one yard out to tie the score at one major apiece.
The second quarter remained a back-and-forth nail biter as the Cougars roared back scoring their second major of the day after a lengthy drive. In what proved to be a critical missed point, Rams linebacker Erik Madsen barged through the line and blocked the convert keeping the score 13-7 early in the second quarter. After the Rams stalled out on their next offensive possession the Cougars were pushed back deep into their own end by an excellent punt by Leo Kennedy who kicked well all day. The Rams defensive front hit hard forcing another fumble, this one recovered by Tristan Nyszczuk. Unbelievably this was one of four he recovered in the game. Five plays later, full back Jacob Swartz scored the Rams second major, again from one yard out, and the Rams took the lead for the first time in the game.
With just a couple of minutes left in the second quarter, the Rams defense came up strong, stalling the Cougars drive in Rams territory with the Cougars turning over the ball on downs. The Rams turned it right back over to the Cougars, however, fumbling the ball on their very next play. Pressing for the go-ahead touchdown, Thiessen, the versatile Cougar’s star, was forced into a bad throw and the Ram’s Cole Christianson picked it off with just 9 seconds left in the first half, preserving the Ram’s 14-13 going into the break.
Christianson’s hot hand continued in the third quarter as he recovered yet another Cougar’s fumble after a big hit on the Cougar’s Thiessen. Defense remained the operative word for the remainder of the third quarter as each club’s defensive unit held their own and forced their opponent to either kick or turn it over on downs.
At the end of the third quarter, the Rams defense forced another turnover and the Rams offense took over deep in the Cougars zone to start the last quarter. Using a two tight end formation, the Rams caught the Cougars completely by surprise and Josh Normandeau, normally one of the Rams stars on defense but lining up as one of the tight ends, stepped into the end zone completely uncovered to catch 13 year old quarter back Schoeppe’s six yard toss. The touchdown was Normandeau’s first in his outstanding bantam football career.
After a booming kickoff following the major, the Cougars started deep in their own end, and yet again, the Rams defense pummeled the Cougars running backs forcing another fumble recovery by Nyszczuk. Trevor Aiello added to his scoring tally kicking a 10 yard field goal to end the scoring for the day.
In addition to Nyszczuk’s outstanding four fumble recoveries, Nathanial Martin’s one, and Christianson’s one fumble recovery and one interception, Leo Kennedy also snagged a fumble and James Ens intercepted one of Thiessen’s throws. Offensively, the Rams were led again by Aiello and Swartz with Aiello banging away for 106 yards and Swartz adding 43. Swartz’s touchdown run extended his streak of scoring a major in every game this season. Chris Maloney, with his first catch of the season, added 38 yards to the offense’s 200 yard total.
The Rams put their undefeated record on the line next Saturday versus the Raiders at SAP.
OCTOBER 02, 2010
SHERWOOD PARK RAMS vs. EDMONTON RAIDERS
RAMS SHAKE OFF SLOW START TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED
By Mike Normandeau, October 2, 2010
The Sherwood Park Rams shook off a slow start to eventually edge the Edmonton Raiders 28-19 in a hard fought battle at SAP on Saturday Oct 2. The victory moves the Rams record to 5-0 in league play.
The Edmonton Raiders game plan was apparent early in the game- run the ball with their 2 workhorses- running backs Dallin Mclean and Troy Hansen. Raiders running back Hansen broke a 40 yard run early in the game for the first score of the game. Later in the 1st quarter, Hansen galloped another 57 yards for his second score of the quarter. The Raiders second convert attempt was low and short and the Raiders held a commanding 13-0 lead over the hometown Rams before PA announcer Hal Souster had time to enlighten the crowd with his little known Earth facts.
The Rams received the ball and marched down the field deep into the Raiders end with Jacob Swartz eventually pounding it into the end zone with a 7 yard run. This was to be the first of 3 touchdowns for Swartz on the afternoon.
The Rams defense then started to claw its way back into the game with inside middle linebackers Erik Madsen leading the team with 13 tackles on the day followed by Chad Bullock with 10 tackles.
The Rams special teams, an area of concern for the coaches over the past few weeks, had a strong outing. Punter Leo Kennedy had a 38 yard average for the day on 6 punts. His punts were well placed in areas that made it impossible for the dynamic duo of the Raiders to return them. Placekicker Trevor Aiello was also a perfect 4-4 on convert attempts. Sure handed Darian Weekes also had a strong day, returning 2 kick offs back for 30 yards.
Quarterback Reggie Schoeppe completed a 20 pass reception to receiver Marco Hale in the second quarter. Schoeppe took a nasty lick on the play and left the game for the remainder of the first half. Schoeppe would return for the second half and wound up with 6 completions on the day including a brilliant catch by first year receiver Keaton Souster. The Rams trailed the Raiders 13-7 at half time.
The 3rd quarter remained a back-and-forth nail biter as the Rams drove the ball into Raiders territory and capped off the drive with a 4 yard plunge by Trevor Aiello. The swarming Rams defense held the Raiders running back Hansen to 9 yards in the second half after he had amassed 117 yards in the first half.
With the Rams leading 21-13early in the 4th quarter, Rams running back Jacob Swartz scored another major after plowing 36 yards into the end zone. He ended the day with 131 yards on 12 carries. Rams Assistant coach Russ Schoeppe commented that “this was Jacob’s best game as a Ram. He was dominant out there on both sides of the ball. The yards he gained were tough yards in the heart of a good defense”. With the Raiders trying to get back into the game and throwing the ball deep, defensive Back Keshone Clement intercepted a Raiders pass and scooted back 55 yards to seal the victory for the Rams squad.
The Rams now travel to Fort McMurray on Sat Oct 9th to take on the Ravens.
OCTOBER 09, 2010
SHERWOOD PARK RAMS vs. FORT MCMURRAY RAVENS
RAMS SPREAD BALL AROUND TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED
By Mark Asbell, October 10, 2010
Neither an early morning departure nor a lengthy bus ride deterred the Sherwood Park Rams from their goal of maintaining an undefeated streak and holding their opponents to single digits as the Rams beat the host Fort McMurray Ravens 58-6 at Father Merc Field in Fort McMurray on Saturday, October 9th.
Utilizing an impressive eight running backs and several new receivers, the Rams racked up 488 total offensive yards including 462 yards on the ground as the Rams pounded away at an undermanned, but game, Ravens squad. The ability to rely on so many players running and catching the ball is what really impressed Rams Assistant Coach Russ Schoeppe on the day: "It was great to see 12 different players get touches in the game, not many teams at this level have the ability or depth to do that”. Wave after wave of Rams running backs bulled and danced their way through the Ravens’ defenders, bruising and bashing their opponents in the process. In spite of the battering, however, the Ravens remained tough, refusing to quit and with the exception of one minor injury, never went down.
The running attack started from the first series with half-back Trevor Aiello and full-back Jacob Swartz taking turns carrying the ball down the field before ultimately leaving it up to quarter back Reggie Schoeppe to slide it across the line for the first of his two and the first of eight Ram majors on the day.
The Ravens answered quickly, as Kolby Plamondon, the Ravens star running back and kick returner, ran a draw 70 yards straight up the middle on the Ravens very next play from scrimmage. Although the Ravens missed the convert, it looked like it was going to be a real give and take game. Unfortunately for the Ravens, the Rams ended up being the only team giving and taking as they gave out plenty of hits and ended up taking the game handily.
After Plamondon’s run, it was all Rams as their strong running attack kept the Ravens’ defense on the field for extended periods, tiring out the Ravens players. When it came time for the Ravens to go on offense they had nothing left in the tank as many of their players played both defense and offense and were simply too tired and bruised to mount an effective attack.
Offensively, the Rams were lead – as always – by their two work horses, Aiello and Swartz, and each ended the game with 123 yards rushing and one major. Swartz also added a two point conversion while Aiello kicked all but one of his convert attempts successfully. As good as Aiello and Swartz were on the day, however, another one of many game stars on the day was Carlton Steinwandt who did everything but score including two lengthy bootleg runs of 34 and 23 yards when he went in as back-up quarterback. After the game, assistant coach Schoeppe was waxing poetic about Carlton’s game: “I was extremely impressed with Carlton Stienwandt today. He is asked to do many things for the Rams, linebacker on D, slot on O, contain on special teams and the extremely difficult task of stepping in at QB. He does every task at 100% and gives his all for the team."
Although Steinwandt didn’t score, he had plenty of help on the day. Middle linebacker and part-time running back Chad Bullock scored his first major of the year on a hard fought 10 yard bull-run up the middle. Tevin McCarty and Erik Schell then really took over the running duties in the second half as McCarty banged his way for 54 yards and a TD while the smaller but shifty Schell scampered for 67 more yards while also getting a major. Receiver Darian Weekes, with his first major in bantam, caught the lone Rams strike through the air. Sky Haspeck and 12 year-old Tanner Gettman with their first receptions in bantam and Keaton Souster also caught passes on the day.
Although not on the field nearly as much as the offense, the defensive unit acquitted themselves well holding the Ravens to almost no first downs. Erik Madsen lead the way with 6 recorded tackles and one fumble recovery on the Ravens very first play from scrimmage leading to the Rams opening touchdown. Bullock had four tackles and Josh Normandeau, Tristan Nyszczuk, and Leo Kennedy had three each. Normandeau and Jett Slemko recovered one fumble each and Josh Pilidis made one interception to round out the turn-over count.
The Rams wish to thank the wonderful fans of Fort McMurray who made this game very memorable for the teams, but especially the Rams. Their Northern hospitality came through in their cheering for each team and their graciousness in the stands.
The Rams next game on Sunday, October 17th at 12:30 pm at SAP is against the Millwoods Grizzlies who beat the Rams handily in the first exhibition game of the season. After suffering their first loss of the season this past weekend, the Grizzlies will be out for redemption and the Rams will try for an undefeated regular season. It looks like a barn burner is in store!
OCTOBER 17, 2010
SHERWOOD PARK RAMS vs. MILLWOODS GRIZZLIES
RAMS GET REDEMTION OVER MILLWOODS GRIZZLIES; GO UNDEFEATED IN REGULAR SEASON
By Mark Asbell
Sometimes the best thing that can happen to a good team is a loss to get them focused. Back in August, in the first game of the season for both teams (in what ended up being an exhibition game), the Millwoods Grizzlies mauled the Sherwood Park Rams to really bring that point home. At the time, Rams head coach Jim Skitsko was less than thrilled with the result, citing an inability to get the kinks out of his team in time for the early season game, but he saw lots of potential in his young squad. Well, that potential was realized this past Sunday when the Rams rolled over those same Grizzlies 42-15 to go into the play-offs undefeated.
The catch phrase all week in practice for the Sherwood Park squad was “redemption” and the coaching staff put in long hours devising a game plan to do just that. Like the Rams, the Grizzlies are a superbly coached team and they no doubt spent hours pouring over the game films of the Rams in preparation. Knowing this, Coach Skitsko and staff worked the Rams players hard in preparation and put in several wrinkles into their game plan to keep the Grizzlies in the proverbial woods and provide the necessary edge to put the Rams on top.
Trevor Aiello, the Rams kicker and outstanding half-back, put the game plan into play on his opening kick-off when Skitsko’s unit called an on-side kick which they recovered. Unfortunately game plans don’t anticipate turn-over’s, but that’s exactly what happened on the very next play from scrimmage when the Rams fumbled the ball. The Grizzlies’ Fabian Johnson shoved it immediately down the Rams throats with a brilliant run from scrimmage on the Grizzlies very first play for a 65 yard major capped off by a two point conversion. Deflated but not down, the Rams started again, this time with the Rams strong running game really kicking into high gear. After marching down field on a long sustained drive, Aiello scored his first of four majors, this one on a 21 yard scamper to the outside. A fumbled snap resulting in an unsuccessful convert made it 8-6 for the Grizzlies. Back came the Grizzlies but linebacker Erik Schell stepped in front of the Grizzlies’ receiver and ran it back 35 yards before being brought down. Unfortunately the Rams couldn’t quite convert a 3rd down gamble on a fake punt, ending up a ½ yard short, and the Grizzlies took over on downs before suffering the same fate themselves on their next series.
The back and forth nature of the game continued into the second quarter with the Rams marching down field on several good runs by Aiello and their hard charging full-back, Jacob Swartz. Both were prominent on their first series of the second quarter when Aiello converted another Rams’ 3rd down gamble, this one from the Grizzlies’ 4 yard line to score the Rams’ (and Aiello’s) second major of the day. Swartz scored on the 2 point convert to lead the Grizzlies 14-8 early in the 2nd quarter.
Back come the Grizzlies, however, with quarterback Matthew Stanford scrambling out of the pocket before completing a great pass to Sheldon Shaw for an 85 yard catch and run TD. The 2 point convert attempt was no good leaving the teams deadlocked at 14 part way through the second quarter. Like two heavy weight boxers going toe to toe, the Rams answered back with a series of devastating runs by their dynamic duo of Aiello and Swartz with a 13 yard throw to tight-end/line-backer Josh Normandeau thrown into the mix. Aiello scored his third major on the day with a 19 yard sprint again on an outside run with 6:45 left in the half making it 21-14 Rams. Not to be outdone again, the Grizzlies attempt to claw their way back when they hand the ball off to Jeremiah Varghese who cuts hard to his left before appearing to stumble on the play and going down after gaining 10 yards. Unfortunately for Varghese, he couldn’t get up after the play and the game was halted until an ambulance came to take him to a hospital. (Unfortunately, at the time of writing, we don’t know what happened with Jeremiah but everyone hopes he’s okay and good to go).
Whether it was Jeremiah’s injury or the time spent waiting for the ambulance, both offenses cooled for the rest of the first half and the defenses took over with hard hits on each team’s quarterback including a couple of quarterback sacks and a couple of fumbles.
The third quarter started off with a bang for the Grizzlies as kicker Himmat Judge absolutely boomed his kick-off into the end zone giving the Grizzlies a single point. The Rams running game marched them down field but the Grizzlies responded deep in their zone by intercepting a Reggie Schoeppe’s pass intended for Normandeau after Schoeppe got crushed by the Grizzlies’ much bigger Jonathan Muamba. The Rams defense responded to the hit on Schoeppe by flattening the Grizzlies offense themselves, holding the Grizzlies and forcing them into a punting situation. Lineman Tristan Nyszczuk then over-powered the Grizzlies’ blockers, and blocked the punt with the Rams recovering the ball on the Grizzlies’ one yard line. Despite the earlier squashing from the Grizzlies, Schoeppe stepped back onto the field and slid into the end zone with a quarterback keeper to make the score 28-15.
Not necessarily known for his gambling proclivities, coach Skitsko reached back into his bag of tricks and called another on-side kick, yet again proving successful when the Aiello kick was recovered by Rams defensive back Cole Christianson. With the Rams failing to convert the on-side kick into momentum, the Rams turned over the ball to the Grizzlies on downs. Back come the Grizzlies with a beautiful catch and run to Sheldon Shaw who had earlier ran 85 yards for a TD. This time, however, Christianson caught him after Shaw went 65 yards, stripping the ball from his hands in the process of tackling him. The fumble was recovered by the Rams’ Nathaniel Martin deep in the Rams end.
Not to be outdone by his Grizzlies’ counterpart, Rams quarterback Reggie Schoeppe starts their next drive with a 41 yard catch and run play to slot back Marco Hale taking the Rams down to the Grizzlies’ 32 yard line. Aiello and Swartz again take over the ball with Aiello running a 10 yard sweep for his fourth major of the day and Swartz bulling his way in for another 2 point convert. The score at the end of three quarters is 36-15 in favor of the Rams.
Two consecutive quarterback sacks by the Rams started off the 4th quarter forcing the Grizzlies into an unsuccessful 3rd down gamble. Unable to punch it in for another major, the Rams’ Aiello settled for kicking a field goal and later added one more to finish off the scoring.
Although the score may suggest otherwise, this back and forth game was a tough one for both teams with some great play calling offensively on both sides of the ball. The Rams had a good mix of inside running by Swartz (108 yards rushing) and outside running by Aiello (212 yards) together with a sprinkling of passes to keep Grizzlies’ defense off balance. In total, the Rams ended the day with 23 first downs, the most on the year for the club. Although Aiello scored four majors, full back Jacob Swartz was held without a major for the first time this year.
Defensively, both team’s units played well but the Rams especially had excellent outside containment and punished the Grizzlies on the inside. In addition to his offensive output, Josh Normandeau lead the way defensively for the Rams with six tackles, two quarterback sacks, and one fumble recovery.
The Rams start the play-offs next Sunday against the Fort McMurray Ravens.
October 24, 2010
SHERWOOD PARK RAMS vs. FORT MCMURRAY RAVENS
*NO GAME STORY SUBMITTED*
October 31, 2010
SHERWOOD PARK RAMS vs. EDMONTON RAIDERS
RAMS WIN HALLOWEEN THRILLER; LAST TWO MINUTES OF FIRST HALF SEES "SPOOKTACULAR" PERFORMANCE BY RAMS
The Sherwood Rams weren’t afraid of any ghosts on All Hallow’s Eve as they “carved” up the Edmonton Raiders and sent them home early to start trick or treating in a foul mood after the Rams beat the Raiders 48-25 on Sunday, October 31, at Clarke Stadium. After give and take for much of the first half, the Rams totally took the fright out of the Raiders with a momentum changing sack by linebacker Josh Normandeau leading to an unbelievable three majors in the span of just over two minutes left in the first half.
Before the momentum shift it was anyone’s game as quarterbacks Reggie Schoeppe for the Rams, and Patrick O’Neal for the Raiders were both on their games with Schoeppe hitting a 21 yard strike to Marco Hale for the first major of the game followed on the very next play from scrimmage with O’Neal hitting his own home run with a beautiful 69 yard pass and run to wide out Jacob Rumball for his first of two majors on the day.
The Rams answered back with their outstanding running game of Jacob Swartz and Trevor Aiello. With their front line opening up big holes, the Rams’ running backs chipped away at the Raiders front seven with gains of four or five yards per carry. The drive appeared to stall at about the Raiders 45 yard line and the Rams lined up to punt. Instead of punting, Coach Skitsko called a direct snap to running back Chad Bullock who bulled his way forward for a first down to keep the drive alive. After a couple more hard runs by Aiello, Bullock and Swartz, full back Swartz finally sprung loose with the first big run of the game as he capped off the lengthy drive with a 26 yard touchdown run to end the first quarter.
Back came the Raiders, however, with their own answer to the run game as big number 8, Troy Hansen, pounded over the Rams defense from 16 yards out for the Raiders second major. The convert was blocked by Rams standouts Carlton Steinwandt and Tristan Nyszczuk. With the score now 14-13, the Rams pushed back deep into Raiders territory. Driving hard to convert a third down gamble, full-back Swartz kept his legs pumping and looked like had the first down when a gang of Raiders literally ripped the ball out of his hands. The Raiders recovered the ball and started their own drive deep in their own zone.
It looked like the game was going to continue in this back and forth manner until Josh Normandeau literally changed the whole flow of the game with a momentum shifting play of the game. With 2:22 left to play in the first half, O’Neal went back to pass and was hammered on the blind side by the hard charging linebacker Normandeau, causing the ball to pop loose. Although the ball was recovered by the Raiders, the Rams took over the ball on downs just shy of the mid-field stripe. The Rams quickly capitalized on the sack with big runs by running backs Bullock and Steinwandt with Bullock punching it in for the major. After big defensive plays by Nyszczuk and Steinwandt, and some excellent coverage by defensive half-back Cole Christianson, the Raiders were forced to punt and Christianson, in as a punt returner, returned the ball 34 yards to the Raiders 6 yard line. From there, half-back Trevor Aiello made quick work of the excellent return as he took a lateral from Schoeppe and sprinted across the goal line unmolested for the Rams second major in under a minute.
With under a minute left in the half, the Rams coaching staff decided to keep the ball out of the hands of the Raiders two excellent returners, opting instead to kick the ball short and away from them into the hands of the Raiders blockers, hoping for no return on the kick-off. The Rams got a much better result, however, as the Raider lineman mishandled the ball and first year Ram Jett Slemko jumped on the loose ball at the Raiders 49 yard line with 16 seconds left on the clock. Rather than run out the clock, slot back Carlton Steinwandt had other plans. After getting the ball on a slot back sweep, Steinwandt broke through at least three sure tackles as he spun, powered, and then sprinted his way into the end zone from 49 yards out to end the first half. Three majors in two minutes proved to be the difference in the game. The Rams lead 34-13 after the first half and never looked back.
Fright night continued for the Raiders to start the second half when Carlton Steinwandt continued his heroics, this time on defense, when he stepped in front of an O’Neal pass on the first play from scrimmage. After a 12 yard run by Aiello, full-back Swartz got his second major on the day with a 10 yard barge following the big men Nyszczuk and Tyler Beaudoin up the left side of the line of scrimmage. Proving they’re not quitters, the Raiders answered right back with another beautiful catch and run play from O’Neal, this time to #81, Brandon Mellen, for 45 yards.
With the Rams eating up yards and time on the clock and their defense stopping the Raiders time and time again forcing them into bad plays or punts, it looked like the game was over at the start of the fourth quarter. Leading 41-19 after three quarters, quarterback Reggie Schoeppe was nimbly maneuvering the Ram offense from side to side with an occasional pass to off-set the pounding running game. Throwing a swing pass outside to the intended receiver Marco Hale, the Raiders Jacob Rumball showed he still had spunk left as he stepped in front of Hale and saw nothing but daylight between him and the goal line as he hammered back an answer to the Rams with a stunning 90 yard interception return for his second big yardage major on the day. The Rams didn’t let this deter them; however, as they continued to bull the ball down the field, this time eating up more than 4 minutes of play before Swartz got his third and last scoring play on the day, this time from one yard out.
With the rushing game dominating the Rams offense, the Rams running backs ruled the day compiling 394 total rushing yards with Swartz gaining 149 yards and Steinwandt with 70 yards, leading the way. Erik Schell with 57 yards and Aiello with 56 also chipped in. Schoeppe had an impressive outing going nine for 13 with one major and one interception on the day. Cole Christianson returned 5 punts for 87 return yards in addition to bagging a team leading 10 tackles on the day. Erik Madsen added another seven tackles and Josh Normandeau got five.
Having achieved goal one (making the City championships) the Rams now play for gold against the Spruce Grove Cougars next Sunday at 3 pm at Clarke Stadium.
