Rams hold on in 14-13 win over Kuemper Catholic

COUNCIL BLUFFS - Glenwood’s final drive netted them minus-13 yards and no points.

And it was perhaps the Rams’ most important on an uneven offensive night.

Nursing a 14-11 lead with 2:45 to go in the game, Glenwood ran six plays from its own 14, gained 12 yards and then lost them all when quarterback Zach Carr intentionally scrambled through the Rams’ own end zone for a safety to run out clock on Kuemper Catholic in a 14-13 victory in a game played at Council Bluffs Lewis Central Friday.

“We were up by three so we knew we could give up the safety,” said Glenwood coach Cory Faust after the game. “We were a little worried that we were too far away and we wouldn’t be able to get in the end zone but we did it. It’s not something we’ve really been able to practice so its probably something we need to work on.”

The Rams’ struggled offensively much of the first half as the Knights dominated time-of-possession but trailed just 3-0 at intermission. In 14 first half snaps, Glenwood gained 52 total yards compared to Kuemper’s 165 yards.

On its third snap of the third quarter, Glenwood eclipsed its first half total offense when Ryan Blum snagged a Carr pass and raced 57 yards in the end zone. The point-after gave the Rams a 7-3 lead.

After holding on a fourth-and-seven inside their own 23-yard line, the Rams got the ball back and went right to work with seven play, 77 yard drive capped by Carr’s one-yard plunge. His 47-yard scamper on an option keeper early in the drive set up the Rams’ inside the Kuemper three-yard line.

Glenwood appeared poised to take over the game when Eli Bales picked off a Cole Collison pass but four plays later the Rams turned the ball back over and the Knights’ took advantage.

Three plays later, Collison hooked up with Justin Schaefer for a 43-yard TD toss. A two-point conversion put the Knights within a field goal at 14-11 at the end of the third quarter.

The Rams would turn it over once again on their ensuing possession and the Knights would again march into Glenwood territory. But another field goal attempt by Wagner from 25 yards out would go wide right to leave the score at 14-11 with just over nine minutes to go.

The score would remain that way until the Rams’ final drive.

On that final drive, Glenwood quickly picked up a first down on back-to-back runs by Dominic Robertson before the possession stalled and Kuemper use its last timeout with 1:31 to go. Robertson was stopped three yards short of another first down on a third-and-six from their own 26 with just under 10 seconds to go.

Faust said he briefly considered punting on the final play, mostly because of the Rams’ field position. But the coach thought better of it and put the final play – and the game – in his junior quarterback’s hands.

Carr took the snap and ran directly into the Rams’ end zone and scrambled before the Kuemper defense tackled him as the clock ran out.

“We made up our mind we wanted to do it and then it just came down to who we wanted out there,” Faust said. “Zach ate up those last few seconds just eluding people in the end zone.”

Other than it’s two drives to open the second half, the Rams offense never seemed to find its rhythm. After gaining 52 yards in the first half, they picked up 181 after halftime but finished with a season low 233 total yards.

Injuries and a reshuffled lineup have taken a toll on the Glenwood offense, Faust said.

“We got the injury but a little bit right now and we had some new guys step in but we found a way to get it done,” he said. “Defensively Kuemper did a lot of things they hadn’t done their previous games so that kept us off balance. It seemed like they had the ball a long time and our offense couldn’t get in a groove. But our guys hung together and made plays when we needed them. I’m proud of them.”

The Ram defense was stout all night, especially inside the red zone where they held Kuemper scoreless on three of four trips.

“Eli Bales and Brett Mower are two great linebackers for us, they’re so good at making adjustments,” Faust said of two senior linebackers who combined for 10 tackles, including four tackles for loss, on the night. “We’re running a very non-traditional defense this year to highlight what those guys can do and really put pressure on blocking schemes and they did a great job.”

Glenwood (2-1) heads out on the road to face Dallas Center-Grimes Friday. Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m. in Grimes.

Scoring Summary
G – 00  00  14  00  14
K -  03  00  08  02  13

Game Summary
K – Simon Wagner, 28 field goal.
G – Ryan Blum from Zach Carr, 57 pass (kick good).

G – Carr, 1 run (kick good).

K – Justin Schaefer from Collison, 43 pass (two-point conversion good).

K – Safety.