RACELAND —
Last year Raceland coach T.J. Maynard could only watch as Sciotoville Community ran all over the Rams. This year the Rams got their revenge.
Raceland held Sciotoville Community quarterback Justin Crager to only 60 yards rushing as the Rams dismantled the Tartans 60-8 on Friday night at Raceland-Worthington High School.
Coming into the game, Crager had rushed for more than 1,000 yards in just three games this season. On Friday, every time he touched the ball he ran into a pile of Raceland players.
“Our goal in the game was to keep him under 100 yards rushing,” Maynard said. “We came up with a nice scheme, but what makes you happy is to see your kids go out and execute the scheme you put in that week. Our kids did a great job of executing and obviously we schemed to stop him.
“The main thing is we got a lot of guys to the football.”
A year after Sciotoville (3-1) got off to the fast start (in a 66-44 Sciotoville win), it was the Rams who started quickly on Friday.
After a kick return put Raceland at the 35-yard line, receiver Connor Messer took a reverse on the first play from scrimmage, then stopped and fired a ball downfield to running back Daylin Beach for a touchdown.
“We worked on it the whole week,” Messer said. “I was pretty pumped for it, because I figured it would work because the corner would come up when they see me get the ball. And Daylin finished off with a nice catch and run afterwards.”
Rolling high after the first play, Raceland’s special teams had the Rams in good field position all night, with big returns from Messer and John Valencourt.
Valencourt scored the second touchdown of the night on a 55-yard punt return that was set up by excellent special teams blocking.
It seemed like every time Raceland (4-1) took over on offense, it was in great field position to score.
“Our guys are doing a great job on special teams,” Maynard said. “Both Connor and John have big play ability. But the thing that’s great about those guys is their vision and their ability to let their blocks set up and develop.
Messer pulled off a big return by himself seemingly out of nowhere. After taking the ball from the 20-yard line, Messer ran into a group of Tartans around the 50-yard line and appeared to be tackled or shoved out of bounds.
He somehow squeezed out of the mess and scampered the rest of the way to complete the 80-yard punt return TD.
“I thought one, he got tackled; then two, they were going to push him out,” Maynard said. “The next thing I know he squirts out of there.”
Messer was surprised himself that he managed to stay inbounds during the play.
“I saw a guy and sort of juked, then I bent down and he just flew over me,” Messer said. “I thought I was out of bounds, I really did. But I didn’t hear the whistle so I kept running.”
Raceland kept running all night, gaining 296 yards on the ground in the game.
Beach led the Rams with 98 yards rushing on just six carries, and capped off the first team’s night with a 61-yard touchdown run in the third quarter in which the junior took the ball up the middle and juked his way to open space.
Zack Litteral added 71 yards on seven carries with one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown. Quarterback Adam Elkins added 65 yards on six carries and ran for a touchdown while throwing for two.
It seems like all cylinders are clicking for the Rams as the season hits the midway point.
“It just goes to show we’re not one-dimensional,” Maynard said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who can make plays. And what we do as a staff is try to put those guys in position to make plays, and what we keep preaching is don’t be selfish.
“We just have to make sure our guys maintain that, and are happy for our other guys and do whatever’s asked of them. If we continue to do that and work in practice we have a shot to be pretty good.”
KYLE HOBSTETTER can be reached at khobstetter@
dailyindependent.com or
(606) 326-2658.
Local Sports
Related Photos
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Raceland wide receiver Daylin Beach brings the Rams first offensive play in for a touchdown against Sciotoville Community High School. Kevin Goldy / The Independent
Discussion
Revenge is sweet for Raceland
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