Week 4 Football: Let the good times continue to roll
By BRANDON HURLEY
Sports Editor
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A string of first half good fortune may have finally changed the Rams’ luck for the better.
Don’t mind the cliche, but it seems as though the ball really is starting to bounce Greene County’s way.
Back-to-back Gilbert fumbles led to a pair of tone-setting Greene County touchdowns Sept. 14, breaking a scoreless tie and setting off a string of 26 unanswered points en route to a 46-7 win.
Just like that, the Rams had secured a stunning 4-0 start while avenging one of last year’s most gut wrenching losses. They’ll enter Class 2A, district 9 play this week with a confidence that hasn’t been seen in nearly a decade, sparked by a pair of wins over 3A programs and a margin of victory that’s bordering on ridiculous.
Dennhardt punctuated the first half scoring with an 80-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter as the Rams entered the break leading 19-0. The brief timeout allowed the Rams to recuperate as they realized Gilbert still had a shot. The offense didn’t want to rely on the defense to hold Gilbert off. One of 2A’s most potent 11-man units wanted to make sure the victory was well beyond the Tigers’ reach.
The Rams proceeded to put 27 points on the board over the final two quarters, sealing their fourth straight win. The snowball effect of victory after victory is starting to take shape, Greene County head coach Mitch Moore said. He’s starting to get a feel for how good this team really can be.
“The energy and the passion that we continue to play (with) and our strength and conditioning is really starting to show through,” the coach said. “We were tired at halftime. But we hit a second level of consistency. Our ability to just fly to the football on defense is really good. We play with speed.
We’ve got a football team that’s hungry. We’ve worked nine months to put ourselves in this position and it’s starting to show.”
The week four triumph felt a little different for the Ram senior class. They had gotten used to losing. Just 10 wins in a little over a decade of organized football will demoralize even the greatest of athletes.
So excuse the sixth-rated Greene County Rams if they take a few extra moments to bathe in the glory of an undefeated non-district slate.
“It feels great,” senior safety Austin Delp said among a throng of excited fans and players. “We’re just on a whole other level as a team. We’re working together more often, we’re communicating and everything we’ve worked for is coming together right now.
it feels amazing. It just feels great to be winning.”
That confidence is perhaps what set into motion one of the most defining sequences of the young season.
With the score dead-locked at zero late in the first quarter, Greene County defensive lineman Cole Betts snatched up a Gilbert fumble on a botched fake punt and rumbled 46-yards to the Tiger six-yard line.
Four plays later and quarterback Brent Riley found Clint Dennhardt in the end zone on fourth down to break the tie. Gilbert then fumbled the ensuing kick-off, which Greene County took advantage of, connecting on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Carter Morton on the very next play.
Just like that, in a span of seven plays, the Rams had taken a commanding 13-0 lead. Coach Moore, after a mostly stagnant first quarter in which a handful of Greene County drives had stalled, was in search of something more from his guys. That seven-play sequence was exactly what the second-year coach had envisioned.
“In high school football, momentum is huge. When you can grasp momentum like that early in a football game, it kind of takes the wind out of the other team’s sails,” Moore said. “We’ve got so many guys who just play with unbelievable effort. That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing right now. The guys are playing with relentless effort because they’ve got the ability because of the shape they are in.”
Dominance is becoming a common theme around the Greene County football program. The week four win was the Rams’ third straight victory by at least 28 points, while they’ve outscored their last two opponents by a combined 107 points.
They’ve been doing it with defense and offense, as well as with a captivating confidence.
The Rams piled up 494 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns. Riley threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns while Greene County’s backfield duo of Clint Dennhardt and Colby Kafer combined for 266 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries, an 8.9 yards per carry average. Breakout wide receiver Carter Morton produced his third 100-yard receiving game of the fall, hauling in a season-high 10 catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns. The junior wideout has score in four straight games and is now tied for first in 2A with five touchdown catches.
The Greene County defense held Gilbert to just seven points and 161 total yards, including 39 yards rushing while forcing two turnovers. They’ve held their last two opponents below 50 yards rushing and have only given up 200 or more total yards once.
Even the fans have taken notice. One of the biggest road crowds in years trickled its way onto the Gilbert track following the Rams’ fourth straight win, congratulating the group by singing the school fight song as they athletes cherished another victory.
The Rams pulled off yet another convincing win despite earning the program’s first top 10 ranking in several years a few days prior. Greene County entered the week four road matchup against a 3A school ranked number seven in 2A. If there were any jitters before – or during – the game, they certainly didn’t show as the whole team rose to the occasion. Staying calm in big moments has become a calling card of this team as of late. Yes, the Rams did pile up nearly a dozen penalties throughout the night, but they have yet to trail in 16 quarters of action this fall. That’s a testament to their mental fortitude, Moore said.
“Our guys have done a really good job of living in the moment,” the coach said. “Living on a Monday, living on a Tuesday and getting better every day. Our guys enjoy getting pushed, they enjoy trying to break down that next barrier or that next goal.
So when you do that, you’ve really got to live in the moment, you have to win every day. We’ve been able to do that and I think that’s how we are staying grounded. We aren’t looking ahead. I think the sky is the limit for this team.”
Greene County opens Class 2A, District 9 play Friday at home against winless Shenandoah. The Mustangs have lost to several A and 1A teams during their losing streak and are only averaging 8.75 points per game. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. at Linduska Field in Jefferson.
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