Rams drop third straight close game on grid

Six points.

A touchdown here, a couple of field goals there.

That’s the sum total of the difference between Glenwood being potentially 4-0 and not its current 1-3 following Friday’s third straight close loss of the season in a 12-8 setback at Winterset.

After opening the season with a 41-24 victory over Red Oak, the Rams have dropped three straight by a total of six points.

Against the 2-2 Huskies, Glenwood found history repeating itself once again. The Rams had the ball at the Huskies’ 1-yard line on a fourth down late in the fourth quarter but a fumbled snap recovered by Winterset ended Glenwood’s comeback chances.

The Rams (1-3) struggled to find any consistency on offense all night against the Huskies but still found themselves with the ball and one play away from taking the lead.

“It’s tough to come up one play short of a win for the third week in a row, but I’m proud of the way most of our guys are buying into the process of doing their best for the team and controlling the things they can control,” said Glenwood coach Cory Faust. “We have good kids and assistant coaches, and I am confident we will keep getting better.”

The Rams finished with a season-low 174 yards, 144 coming on the ground. Quarterback Kolten Wilwerding, who was the leading rusher with 25 carries for 67 yards, scored the Rams’ lone touchdown on a two-yard sneak. The sophomore completed 4-of-10 passes for 30 yards.

Winterset’s offense faired slightly better, finishing with 247 yards. Senior tailback Brandon Ryerson scored both touchdowns for the Huskies and finished with 109 yards on 11 carries.

Close losses are tough, especially on a young team like the Rams, but if anything, Faust said, the close losses have proven his team has the ability to compete every Friday night.

“We can play with anybody on any given night if we stay with it,” Faust said.  “We have to continue to focus on small details in our preparation and play.  There are still a lot of correctable mistakes being made.  We’ll get after it this week and look forward to another opportunity to play a good opponent.”

Glenwood is back home this week for its homecoming match up with Creston. Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m.