Local Sports

Short-handed Rebels ousted by Dragons, 21-0

ELLENBORO -- The outcome between No. 7 Ritchie County and No. 10 Cameron in a Class A state playoff football game boiled down to timing.

After suffering a three-game losing streak in the back half of the schedule, Cameron entered the matchup at full strength.

The same could not be said for a Ritchie County outfit which was gaining steam as the postseason approached. The Rebels had just 16 players at their disposal for the regular-season finale against Calhoun County and two of their premier starters were unavailable against Cameron.

The Rebels' coaching staff tried to make do, but the Dragons featured too many weapons and unveiled a passing game in the second half which resulted in a pair of touchdowns to cement a 21-0 win.

"We got unhealthy at the wrong time, and Cameron got their guys back at the right time," Ritchie coach Jared Shipe said.

Cameron, which has advanced to the state championship game and the semifinals the past two seasons, improved to 7-4 and travels to No. 2 Wahama in the quarterfinal round either next Friday or Saturday with a time to be determined.

Even though his defense pitched a shutout and quarterback Soier Reed hooked up with Sterling Reed for a pair of second-half touchdowns, Dragons coach Tim Brown was extremely discontent with his guys in the postgame talk.

"We regressed this game," Brown said. "Ritchie County had a great season and I thought they played well and did a nice jon tonight against us. But we have high expectations and expect our guys to get better every week. They are great kids and work hard, but I don't know why they weren't focused tonight.

"I think of them as my grandchildren. I'm not happy with my grandchildren right now because they didn't do what we practiced all week and what we expected all week. Against Wahama, we can't beat ourselves, and that's what I'm upset about. The things we did tonight, we stepped the wrong way."

The only points turned in prior to halftime occurred when Marshall Holland scored on a 12-yard run at the 7:52 mark of the second quarter. The point after gave the Dragons a 7-0 lead that stood up until the second half.

Ritchie nearly countered on the opening drive of the third quarter. Combined with a healthy kickoff return from Jenner Keen and a personal foul penalty for a late hit on Cameron as Keen went out of bounds, the Rebels began the drive at the Cameron 43

Five consecutive run plays had Ritchie in the red zone facing second-and-9 at the 14. On the very next play, Rebel quarterback Landon Hanlon had trouble securing the snap and Cameron's Cale Winters pounced on the fumble to prevent a possible scoring opportunity.

Cameron then went to work with Talen Brown gaining 40 yards on the first play of the ensuing series. Quarterback Soier Reed followed with an 11-yard run and two plays later the first of two touchdown connections - this one from 29 yards - from Soier Reed to Sterling Reed put the Dragons in front 14-0 with 8:31 still remaining in the third period.

The second TD pass completion - this one covering 14 yards - occurred with 10:42 remaining in regulation.

"Our biggest problem was missing two guys who had been starting (in the defensive secondary) all season," Shipe said. "If we had been at full strength, it might have been more difficult for Cameron to hit maybe some of those deep shots."

Holland led Cameron with 80 on 12 carries, while Brown tacked on another 71 yards on 10 attempts. As for Ritchie, both Isaiah Poole and Jenner Keen eclipsed 1,000 yards on the season. Against Cameron, Poole rushed for a team-high 52 yards on 18 rushes, while Keen gained 35 yards on nine carries.

"We just couldn't get things rolling, and that happens," Ritchie County coach Jared Shipe said. "You kind of have your set plays you like to run and Cameron did a good job taking those away."

Keen also had five receptions for 45 yards, thanks in part to Hanlon who threw for more than 1,000 yards in his senior year.

"This team, the coaching staff got us to believe in us," said Hanlon, who is only one of two seniors on the roster. "Getting the guys to believe, that was the good news. As for my football career, I'll remember a lot about being here."

Class A State State Playoffs

First Round

No. 10 Cameron 21, No. 7 Ritchie County 0

Cameron (7-4) 0 7 7 7 - 21

Ritchie (7-4) 0 0 0 0 - 0

Second Quarter

C: Marshall Holland 12 run (Owen Whisler kick), 7:52

Third Quarter

C: Sterling Reed 29 pass from Soier Reed (Whisler kick), 8:31

Fourth Quarter

C: Reed 14 pass from Reed (Whisler kick), 10:42

Team Stats

Cameron. First down: 14. Rushes-yards: 40-184. Passing yards: 85. Total yards: 269. Passing: 5-8-0. Penalties: 6-55. Fumbles: 2-0

Ritchie.First downs: 11. Rushes-yards: 41-59. Passing yards: 61. Total yards: 120. Passing: 6-13-1. Penalties: 3-25. Fumbles: 1-1

Individual Stats

Cameron. Rushing: Marshall Holland 12-80, Talen Brown 10-71, Soier Reed 17-33. Passing: Soier Reed 5-8-0, 85 yards. Receiving: Talen Brown 3-42, Sterling Reed 2-43.

Ritchie. Rushing: Isaiah Poole 18-52, Jenner Keen 9-35, Reese Edwards 2-11. Passing: Landon Hanlon 6-13-1, 61 yards. Receiving: Jake Waugaman 2-24.

Next game: No. 11 Cameron at No. 2 Wahama, Friday or Saturday, Time TBD.