Rams: Jitter ridders?

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November 10, 2009

Improvement a must after close call in first round

By MARK MAYNARD — The Independent The Daily Independent Tue Nov 10, 2009, 10:27 PM EST

Last week, Raceland got its playoff blood boiling in time to stave off Lynn Camp in the first round after nearly watching a 19-0 lead melt away.

Now that the jitters are out of the way, Rams coach Randy Vanderhoof says improvement is a must for Friday’s second-round Class A matchup against Campbellsville.

“We had lot of kids who played in playoff games the last couple of years but most of our guys didn’t have to be main-line players,” Vanderhoof said. “We may have been a little tight. They had to reach down in order to win in November.”

Most concerning for the Rams was a lack of running attack and too many dropped passes. Raceland rushed only nine times against Lynn Camp and two of those were kneel-downs at the end of the game.

Raceland quarterback Tyler Farley completed 22 of 39 passes for 208 yards. He has completed 157 of 282 passes for 1,812 yards and nine touchdowns.

Campbellsville, which comes in with an identical 7-4 record, runs a similar style as Raceland.

Quarterback Aaron Schowebel, a pocket passing 6-foot-4 lefty, has thrown for 2,450 yards out of coach Jason Chappell’s spread attack. Wide receiver Bryant Taylor has 66 catches for 1,400 yards receiving.

“Campbellsville is a very talented football team with a lot of speed,” Vanderhoof said. “Defensively they put a lot of pressure on you. They pressure to stop the run game and pressure to stop the pass game.”

Running back Thomas Downs has 591 yards rushing and “is a real load,” Vanderhoof said. “He presents a big problem for us.”

Campbellsville, the district champion, ousted Nicholas County 47-0 in last week’s opener. Campbellsville was the only team from its district to reach the second round with Raceland, Fairview and Lexington Christian Academy advancing.

“I thought our defense played lights out except for maybe two plays,” Vanderhoof said. “I don’t think we got complacent (after building the 19-0 lead). Lynn Camp played with a little more sense of urgency.”

Campbellsville and Raceland have put up similar offensive and defensive numbers this season. The Eagles are home, which means about a four-hour bus trip for the Rams, who will leave around 11 a.m. on Friday.

“This Campbellsville team is explosive,” Vanderhoof said. “They present a lot of challenges for us. We’re focused on us, on us getting better. We’ve got to have better execution and be a more disciplined football team. Hopefully, the defense keeps steadily improving.”

While Farley’s passing led the way, there were too many dropped passes, Vanderhoof said.

“We were not real happy with the offense that we had on the field,” he said. “We need more completions.”

Campbellsville defeated Lynn Camp 12-6 in the regular season.

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@

dailyindependent.com or

(606) 326-2648.

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