Ramsey 35 Westwood 20
Ramsey rushed for over 300 yards behind an imposing line and three good ball carriers and beat Westwood, 35-30. After falling behind early, they controlled the game and took advantage of their opportunities.
First Quarter: Westwood struck on the game’s opening drive when Rob Carcich picked a fumbled ball out of the air and ran 32 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Ramsey came right back on the following drive, grinding it out on the ground for seven minutes and tying the game on a 4-yard run by Joey Lis.
Second Quarter: The Rams went ahead on their next drive when Justin Martone ran for an 8-yard touchdown. Their drive started when a Westwood punt gave them the ball on the 50 and followed by a 35-yard run by Lis on the drive’s first play. Ramsey began their next drive on its 41 and featured Martone, who scored on a 1-yard run after his 36-yard run gave the Rams first-and-goal on the 8-year line.
Third Quarter: Westwood came out with the ball and a long run by Joey Giordano brought the ball to the 24. Silvio Piccinich found Jon Ruff for 11 yards to the 13, but the Cardinals turned the ball over on downs. Ramsey’s next drive was turned over on downs, but they consumed the clock on their next drive and quarterback Danny Veenstra plunged in from one yard out for a score and a 28-7 lead less than one minute into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter: Westwood got moving when Piccinich found Tom Bussanich for 20 yards and a 15-yard Ramsey penalty brought the ball to the Ramsey 24. The Cardinals shortened Ramsey’s lead when Colby Laughton scored a 3-yard touchdown. The extra point failed, making it 28-13. Lis scored his second touchdown from two yards out and Piccinich found Laughton for a 12-yard score with 52 seconds left to close out the scoring.
Summary: Ramsey had their running game going and were only one yard away from having three players hit the 100-yard mark. Martone had 129 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, Lis 107 and two touchdowns on 16 carries, while Veenstra rushed for 99 and a touchdown (stats courtesy of Preston Lawyer). The Rams threw only eight passes the entire game. Their line was very good and controlled the game: left tackle Tyler Larson, left guard Jonathan Martinez, center Tim Smilon, right guard Nicky Ferrara, right tackle Robby Mandel, and sixth man Logan Bahn. In addition, their ball carriers run both hard and decisively. Although he didn’t pass much, Veenstra was in command and hurt Westwood running between the tackles; a strong showing as the new signal caller.
Westwood is a markedly improved team from last year. They had some opportunities for points, but fell short. Piccinich showed toughness both in the pocket and when he ran with the ball. Giordano also ran hard. Ramsey kept Laughton in check for much of the game, but he is a very good football player. The Cardinals also hurt themselves with penalties in the first half. Their defenders were willing tacklers, but Ramsey’s runners were able to bleed extra yards much of the time. That being said, they showed what they are capable of doing with a little improvement. They will be heard from this year and especially next year with four juniors starting on the line and seven underclassmen starting tonight’s game on defense.
Comments:
Ramsey Head Coach Adam Baeira – “We have to get better and we can’t start with a fumble. Hats off to our guys, though, they came back and worked things out. That was huge and I’m proud of them.”