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'Hounds outlast Ravens in mud
As conditions deteriorated, Fort Scott Community College's football team fared better on a sloppy Frary Field surface in defeating Coffeyville, 15-0, in Jayhawk Conference play Saturday afternoon.
The 12th-ranked Greyhounds prefer to line up against their foes and hit them head on, so the rain and mud didn't change their game plan. However, Coffeyville, which runs every play from the "Pistol" formation where the quarterback takes the snap from about four yards behind the center and plays home games on FieldTurf, surprisingly wasn't bothered all that much by the conditions and actually had better scoring chances in the first half. But the Greyhound defense, probably one of the best in the nation, rose to the occasion each time.
"The weather was not a factor," Sims said. "We want to line up and come straight at people. That's what we did today."
Special teams were key on the day but at first, it appeared they might let the 'Hounds (1-0 Jayhawk Conference, 2-0 overall) down. A bad snap in punt formation deep in Fort Scott territory forced punter Derek Helton to scramble for the ball and try to kick it while running away from defenders. The kick landed two yards behind the line of scrimmage at the Fort Scott 19-yard-line, where the Red Ravens (0-1, 1-2) took over with 11:25 to go in the first quarter.
Coffeyville got the ball to the one and went for it on fourth down. But tailback Kenny Armstrong stopped by Zacahria Bowers and Jason Pierre-Paul, who were not fooled by a direct snap to the back.
"I would say that we gave them a lot of opportunities in the first half," Sims said. "But we tell our players this all time: 'It's not if you fumble or cause a penalty; it's what you do the play after you do that.' And I think our guys really responded. If one guy made a mistake, another guy picked him up the next play."
The special teams straightened things out and Helton was able to influence the game with his kicks. He had boots of 56, 42, 47, 56 and 41 yards on his other six punts in the half.
However, another special teams gaffe gave Coffeyville another chance late in the half. Coryell Judie fumbled a punt return and the Ravens recovered on the Fort Scott 27 with 2:13 to go.
Coffeyville got to the five with five seconds to go. But a pass from quarterback Nick Hardesty bounced off of three players in the end zone before falling incomplete as the half ended.
Fort Scott had only 46 yards of total offense in the first half while Coffeyville had 99. Running the ball was especially difficult for the 'Hounds, who tried 20 rushes and gained only 29 yards.
"Coffeyville has a tremendous defensive line," Sims said. "You get into this type of weather and footing's difficult. And they have big, strong guys who play hard up front. So it's hard to get movement and the holes aren't as big. We like to grind it out. We like to be physical as a football team and this made it difficult at times."
The Ravens made it to Fort Scott's 20 early in the third quarter but fumbled the ball away as Justin Jenkins fell on a bobbled snap. They got to the 32 on the next drive but a direct snap to backup tailback Andrew Joseph on fourth down resulted in a one-yard loss.
Fort Scott's first offensive play on the ensuing series was a 37-yard pass from Zac Dickey to 6' 4" receiver Brandon Kinnie, who hauled it in over a double team and got to the Coffeyville 39. That set up the first score of the game, a 31-yard field goal by Fort Scott High graduate Luke Halsey with 5:06 left in the third.
"During the second half, when (Coffeyville) made mistakes and Luke Halsey banged that field goal through, the momentum was all going our way," Sims said. "That was a huge field goal and I'm really proud of Luke."
The Greyhounds made it to the Coffeyville 11 on their next drive but fumbled the ball away. However, the Ravens turned the ball right back over as a snap in punt formation never got out of the mud and the 'Hounds recovered at the four. Two plays later, Dickey snuck the ball in for the touchdown with 11:43 remaining. Halsey's extra-point kick bounced off the right goal post and out, so it remained 9-0 with 11:58 left in the game.
Coffeyville marched downfield on the ensuing drive, reaching the Fort Scott 19 with just over eight minutes left. But Pierre-Paul pressured Hardesty into throwing an interception that Derrick Stewart returned 93 yards for the clinching score with 7:59 to go.
Pierre-Paul wears the No. 9, a low number for a defensive end. But there may be some people who swear he wears an "S" on his chest instead. He was injured on a play late in the second quarter, was braced and taken from the stadium in an ambulance.
Yes, he not only came back to play, but he also continued to dominate. He was a player Coffeyville was concerned about based on how he played in the season opener at Kilgore (Texas).
The Ravens must have forgotten their kryptonite.
"Jason…was laying on the ground and he told them, 'I'm all right; I can get up'," Sims said. "But the medical staff did a great job because he had tenderness in areas where you want to be (careful). They took him to the hospital. They X-rayed him. They said he was fine. He came back with a note in his hand from the doctor. And he said, 'I can play!' So we put him in and he made some great plays. Then he hurt his hand. We fixed it. And he made more plays. Whatever they gave him at the hospital, we appreciate it."
Coffeyville was stopped on downs on their next drive. The Greyhounds had to punt it back but Pierre-Paul and Jacquain Williams sniffed out a halfback pass on the first play and hit the runner for a loss. A zero-gain play and two incomplete passes gave the ball back to Fort Scott with 4:16 to go and the 'Hounds were able to run out the clock.
Fort Scott has defeated Coffeyville in its last three meetings, outscoring the Ravens 46-9 in those contests. This was FSCC's third shutout in its last 19 games after recording none in 47 games prior.
"We have some very good players on our defense," Sims said. "Our defensive staff -- coach Russ Pickett, our defensive coordinator -- in two years against Coffeyville, they've scored three points. He did a great job of getting them ready for an offense that scored 46 points the week before. And it's very difficult to defend. He teaches very sound defense. He gets them to play very hard to the football."
The Greyhounds -- winners of their last 11 home games -- will play host to No. 14 Garden City at 1 p.m. Saturday at Frary Field, looking to beat the Broncbusters for the fourth straight time. Two of those wins came on consecutive weeks last season -- the last week of the regular season at Garden City and in the first round of the playoffs at Frary Field.