In the team huddle after his team was routed 50-0 by visiting Scott City on Friday, Grandview head coach Dave Dallas relayed a simple message for his team.
“Believe in the process,” Dallas repeated several times.
After the Eagles’ return to the varsity stage, one thing is certain: Grandview has a way to go before it can shrug off its self-imposed exile last year.
The Rams were paced by three rushing touchdowns by senior running back Sam Elders and an early safety. Scott City, a Class 1 school from southeast Missouri, was playing Grandview, Class 2, that played a junior varsity schedule last season to replenish its roster.
The Rams hit the Eagles twice – once on offense, the next time on defense – to grab control of the game in the first two minutes. Elders scored on a 26-yard run at 10:08 and 16 seconds later, Grandview quarterback Jakob Brand was sacked by junior Landon O’Brien in the end zone for a safety.
Elders and junior Jimmy May scored rushing TDs on Scott City’s next two possessions to give the Rams a 24-0 lead in the first. Senior defensive back Eli Berry intercepted Brand late in the first quarter and returned the ball to the Eagles’ 9-yard line.
On Scott City’s ensuing possession, junior quarterback Spencer Stratman found May for a 9-yard TD pass. May missed the PAT and it was 30-0 with 2:20 left in the first. Elders rumbled into the end zone on a 29-yard run with three seconds to go in the opening quarter.
The Rams scored one more TD in the first half when Berry caught an 8-yard scoring strike from Stratman with 3:35 to play. Scott City was driving for yet another TD in the half, but Grandview senior Bryan Martinez intercepted Stratman with 9 seconds left.
“The second half we made some adjustments and did some things well,” said Dallas, who guided the Eagles through their junior varsity schedule last fall. “We played harder. Offensively Scott City came out in the spread and ran the counter. We hadn’t seen that on their game film. My hats off to them. Are they 50 points better than us? I don’t think so. We can grow from this and make the adjustments emotionally and mentally.”
The Eagles’ defense stiffened in the second half, but they still weren’t able to mount a scoring drive. Brand left the game in the fourth quarter after injuring a toe.
“The doctor put it back in place so I think he’ll be alright,” Dallas said.
The second half was played under the mercy rule, which kicks in once a team gains a 35-point advantage.
May capped the scoring with a 14-yard run with 11:40 to play in the game.
With Brand sidelined, freshman Clayton Riddle took over at QB for the Eagles. Riddle had Grandview inside the Rams’ 20-yard line late in the game but was picked off by freshman Logan Cullum.
“Jakob did some nice things with the offense,” Dallas said. “He missed some reads at times. I saw a young sophomore in his first varsity competition. He’ll be a real special player as the season goes on.”
The Eagles host another Class 1 District 1 school on Friday when Portageville visits. The Bulldogs also had a rough opener, losing 56-13 to Charleston.
Dallas kept insisting in the postgame team huddle that the Eagles would soon benefit from the work they’d put in over the summer. But he knows there’s going to be plenty of growing pains along the way.
“I saw some ups and downs in some aspects,” he said. “Those are times to teach lessons. Are you going to let them get by with that body language, or are you going to challenge them? So the next time something goes bad or good, we respond in a different way.”
Hawks win in Sullivan
The faces have changed, but the results are the same.
Hillsboro’s losses to graduation the last two years looked to have shifted the landscape among the teams in the Mississippi Area Football Conference Red Division, but after Friday night’s 30-17 nonconference win in Sullivan, it appears the Hawks could be in line to win their fourth straight league crown.
“Our defense played extremely well,” Hillsboro head coach Lee Freeman said. “We had some injuries and the young guys got through their trial by fire. We controlled the line on both sides of the ball and that helped us control the clock. It was a good high school football game.”
After a scoreless first quarter, fullback Hayden Voyles scored Hillsboro’s first points of the season on a 2-yard run with 10:27 left in the second quarter. The two-point conversion failed and the Hawks led 6-0. Senior Ethan Eckrich started at quarterback for Hillsboro and increased the lead to 14-0 after a 38-yard scoring run. Voyles converted the two points on a run.
Sullivan kicked a field goal later in the second, and Tyler Sizemore increased the Hawks’ lead to 22-3 on a 5-yard run on the last play of the third quarter. Sizemore replaced Eckrich at QB midway through the third.
“Both were very productive,” said Freeman, who said he made the switch under center for a change of pace.
The Hawks and Eagles traded touchdowns in the first 1:12 of the fourth quarter. Sullivan QB Levi Hurt hit Blaine Blankenship with a 64-yard scoring strike 57 seconds into the fourth and Sizemore tore off a 62-yard TD run 15 seconds later.
“It was an option play and (Sizemore) could have given the ball to the fullback (Voyles),” Freeman said. “Sullivan took (Voyles) away consistently and Tyler got around the corner.”
Hurt found Blankenship with a 34-yard scoring strike with 6:22 to play.
After two seasons of playing virtually injury-free football, the Hawks lost running back Brady Smith to a broken leg during a jamboree Aug. 17 and center Ryan Larkin dislocated his elbow against Sullivan in the third quarter. Luke Garner was moved to center and Zach McNees replaced Garner at guard.
“We’re already starting out behind the eight ball,” Freeman said of the injuries.
Dragons win on soggy field
De Soto’s football players attended the visitation and funeral of assistant coach John Ames last week. Ames, 36, of Bismarck, died on Aug. 18.
The Dragons got back to work four days later, with two days to prepare for their season opener at Perryville, where Ames had been an assistant coach years ago. Just before the game started, De Soto head coach Chris Johnson said something amazing happened.
“This big, old rainbow suddenly appeared. It gave everyone chills,” Johnson said.
In the end, De Soto’s defense stifled Perryville for a 6-3 victory.
The game’s only touchdown was in the third quarter with the Pirates leading 3-0. Quarterback Briar Fischer found receiver Clayton Snudden for a 20-yard touchdown. The Dragons missed the PAT.
“We had gotten (Camren) Krodinger and Snudden the ball in a few different ways,” Johnson said. “We used (Perryville’s) coverage choice against them. They were jumping certain routes so we mixed it up.
“When you threw the ball you had to make sure who you were throwing it to. It wasn’t a night of reading progressions because it was nasty and sloppy. The field was a mud puddle.”
Defensive tackle Wyatt Moser plugged up the middle of the field and allowed linebackers Garrett Hardin (eight tackles) and Dominic DeMarco (seven) to make plays.
“We had a good game plan from (defensive coach Mike Genge),” Johnson said. “He did a good job of narrowing what they like to do. They shook loose on a couple of jet sweeps, but we held them to 1- and 2-yard gains all night long.”
Fischer was very proficient throwing the ball, completing 12 of 15 passes for 133 yards. Running back Cole Watson led the Dragons with 69 rushing yards, but gained fewer than three yards per carry. Snudden finished with four grabs for 59 yards.
De Soto hosts Mehlville (0-1) on Friday.
Blue Jays crush Cavaliers
Multi-faceted senior Andrew Graves scored four touchdowns and registered a safety on defense to lead Jefferson to a 51-6 home win at DuBourg on Friday.
Graves also eclipsed 5,000 career rushing yards after gaining a team-high 55 on six carries against the Cavaliers. He scored two rushing touchdowns, one receiving TD and returned a punt for another score.
The Blue Jays rushed 34 times for 294 yards. Ten different players toted the ball.
Quarterback Brandon Perry, Ben Breeze and Colby Ott scored Jefferson’s other touchdowns. Perry rushed six times for 97 yards and completed three passes for 95 yards. Kicker Lucas Vaughn converted all seven PATs.
Graves had 10 tackles, along with Dawson Jakoubek. Daniel McWhorter had six tackles, a sack and interception.
“I was really pleased with our kids’ overall efforts all night,” Jefferson head coach Alex Rouggly said. “The kids came out with a sense of urgency from the get go. We did some really good things in all three facets of the game.”
The Blue Jays open their home schedule Friday against Roosevelt-Cleveland NJROTC at 7 p.m.
Blackcats win in Cuba
In its first game under head coach Cody Hunter, the Herculaneum football team beat Cuba 18-14 on Friday.
Junior quarterback Jordan Duncan passed for 126 yards and Austin Huson had 90 yards rushing and receiving for the Blackcats. Tyler Ruder and Blake Leathers each scored a touchdown for Herky.
Defensively Huson had 12 solo tackles, Cole Myers had two interceptions and Jason Harden had one pick.