Red Ravens dominate second half

nference football game at Frary Field Saturday afternoon was a very good contest. The second half was a blowout as Coffeyville scored 35 unanswered points and rolled to a 56-21 victory over Fort Scott Community College.

The Red Ravens (1-0 conference, 2-1 overall) gained 356 yards in total offense in the second half alone, averaging 7.3 yards per play. Fort Scott (0-2, 1-2) was held to 63 second-half yards with an average of just over 2 yards per play. The Greyhounds also managed just 2 first downs in the second half.

Fort Scott held a slight statistical edge in the first half but, although they tied the game three times, never held the lead. Coffeyville scored first and did so fairly quickly on a 32-yard pass from Colby Brown to Alfonso Onunwor just two minutes and 45 seconds into the contest.

The Greyhounds fed the Raven defense a steady diet of its rushing game led by freshman Devin Taylor. But they didn't get into the end zone until their third possession when Taylor went around the left side from 16 yards out with 4:33 left in the first period.

Late in the first, Taylor broke off a long run, getting 36 yards. But he was stripped of the ball on the tackle and Coffeyville recovered at its own 37-yard line. Six plays later, Malik Veal scored on a 12-yard run to put the Ravens up 14-7 with 13:08 left in the second quarter.

Fort Scott tied it a second time on Taylor's 3-yard run over the right side of the line with 7:07 remaining.

Each team score in the final minute of the half. Coffeyville drove 57 yards in a minute and six seconds, scoring on a handoff to wide receiver Onunwor, who cut back into a gap and scored from one yard out with 39 seconds to go.

James Gray returned the ensuing kickoff 31 yards to the Fort Scott 45. Then the Ravens were called for unnecessary roughness after one of their defensive backs hit a Greyhound receiver late after an incomplete pass. Fort Scott faced fourth-and-5 from the Coffeyville 40 but quarterback Marc Walbridge found Ke'Von Love for a leaping catch down the left sideline to the 3-yard line. Taylor tied the score on the next play, a 3-yard run with three seconds to go.

Taylor, who came into the game as the nation's leading rusher, had 110 yards on 26 carries at the half. But he was held in check by the Coffeyville defense in the second half, managing only 30 yards on 11 carries. Part of that was because the Greyhounds had to pass more as the game went on and the deficit grew. But the Ravens also did a better job of getting through the line and hitting him low.

The Coffeyville offense also kept Taylor off the field by going on longer drives. The Ravens' three first-half scoring drives combined had a total of 15 plays. But their first score of the second half, a 4-yard run by Onunwor on a receiver reverse to the opposite side of the line as his first score, came at the end of a 12-play, 77-yard drive with 7:27 on the clock. And Brown hit Cedric Wilson on a 14-yard scoring pass with 13 seconds left in the third at the end of a 14-play, 83-yard drive to make it 35-21.

Cody Busby scored on a one-yard run for Coffeyville with 8:21 left in the game. Mikal Cromartie returned an interception 44 yards with 6:37 to go to make it 49-21. And Veal scored on a 57-yard run with 3:16 to go, putting the finishing touch on a drive that began at the Ravens' own 2-yard line.

Coffeyville finished the day with 29 first downs, 237 yards rushing on 51 carries and 560 yards of total offense. Fort Scott was held to 11 first downs, 137 yards on 43 rushes and 288 total yards.

Brown completed 18 of 33 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns. Veal was the leading rusher with 107 yards on 7 carries.

Walbridge, a sophomore getting his first college start, showed flashes of brilliance at times but was just 10 of 28 overall for 151 yards and 2 interceptions.

The Greyhounds will travel to El Dorado Saturday for a conference encounter with No. 6-ranked Butler. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m.

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NOTES -- Butler fell to 1-1 in the conference and 1-2 overall after No. 6 Hutchinson beat the Grizzlies, 35-26, in El Dorado Saturday night. It was the first time the Blue Dragons (2-0, 3-0) had beaten Butler since 1997....

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COFFEYVILLE......... 7 14 14 21 -- 56

FORT SCOTT............ 7 14 0 0 -- 21

Scoring plays

First quarter

C -- Onunwor 32 pass from Brown (Pursley kick), 12:15 [4, 63, 1:16]

FS -- Taylor 16 run (Lindenman kick), 4:33 [7, 53, 2:48]

Second quarter

C -- Veal 12 run (Pursley kick), 13:08 [6, 63, 2:14]

FS -- Taylor 3 run (Lindenman kick), 7:07 [7, 65, 2:46]

C -- Onunwor 1 run (Pursley kick) :39 [5, 57, 1:06]

FS -- Taylor 3 run (Lindenman kick), :03 [5, 55, :30]

Third quarter

C -- Onunwor 4 run (Pursley kick), 7:27 [12, 77, 4:21]

C -- Wilson 14 pass from Brown (Pursley kick), :13 [14, 83, 5:50]

Fourth quarter

C -- Busby 1 run (Pursley kick), 8:21 [5, 52, 1:32]

C -- Cromartie 44 interception return (Pursley kick), 6:37

C -- Veal 57 run (Pursley kick), 3:16 [6, 98, 2:32]

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Coffeyville -- Veal 7-107, Busby 24-55, Barnwell 8-46, Brown 7-28, Onunwor 2-5, Wilson 1-minus 1, Gilmore 2-minus 3. Fort Scott -- Taylor 37-140, Metcalf 1-2, Hammond 2-0, Walbridge 3-minus 5.

PASSING: Coffeyville -- Brown 18-33-0-323. Fort Scott -- Walbridge 10-28-2-151.

RECEIVING: Coffeyville -- Onunwor 4-73, Wilson 4-58, Normore 4-58, Reed 2-74, Kagy 2-22, Busby 1-32, Turner 1-6. Fort Scott -- Love 3-75, Green 3-15, Harvey 2-33, Gougler 1-20, Thomas 1-8.

MISSED FIELD GOALS: None