Dakota Ridge 30, Green Mountain 6
LAKEWOOD – The Dakota Ridge Eagles allowed Green Mountain’s Ragin’ Rams a brief moment to believe they might have a shot at Thursday night’s game.
With little more than a minute gone off the clock, Eagles’ quarterback Bolton Howes scrambled trying to pick up the first down on third-and-10 from the 10. He was hit hard and fumbled. The loose ball was snagged by senior Carl Barley, Jr. and Green Mountain was in business at the Eagle 10.
Two plays later senior Keegan Deignan split the seam between right guard and tackle and broke into the open for a 10-yard TD.
“(He’s) our best player,” first year coach Van Davis said. “So we decided to move him around a little to see if we could make things happen.”
The Rams missed the extra point and that set the stage for the rest of the game, as Dakota Ridge waltzed to a 30-6 victory.
On its first drive after the fumble, the Eagles marched 61 yards in 11 plays, with Brent Terrell scoring on a pitch around the left end. The Eagles got a 26-yard field goal just as time expired in the first quarter to make it 10-6.
“Defensively we played great,” Davis said. “We didn’t let them do a lot of things they like to do. (Defensively) it was a great effort.”
With just over 4 minutes to play in the first half, Dakota Ridge took possession on their own 47. They used nine plays to march the distance, with Howes passing to junior Derek Vander Velde for the 22-yard touchdown. The PAT made it 17-6.
On its first play from scrimmage following the kickoff, Green Mountain gave its fans another reason to cheer on a night when those were few and far between. Senior Brock Hayward took the misdirection handoff and scooted past the left guard and down the left sideline for a 56-yard gain. Unfortunately, that’s as far as the Rams got, as the drive went backward 16 yards from the Eagle 20 to the 36.
“We might have scored had (Hayward) cut up the middle. That might have changed the game right there,” Davis said. “Offensively, we have a long way to go. We have got to figure out how to move the ball.”
The second half was almost a carbon copy of the first for the Rams, without the generosity of the Eagles fumble. The Rams had just one drive longer than five plays during the third and fourth quarters.
“They (Dakota Ridge) are just a good team. Well disciplined, well coached,” Davis said. “(Dakota Ridge’s) front five are as good as we’ll see all season.”
With the loss the Rams fall to 0-2.
