Staudt’s late TD lifts Rams to road win

Cole Staudt’s touchdown scamper with just over four minutes to go in the game capped a comeback win for Glenwood in a 20-17 victory over Dallas Center-Grimes in Class 4A, District 8 football Friday in Grimes.

The Rams (2-5) trailed 17-13 heading into the final frame before rallying.

“We debated what we wanted to run because we’d been struggling to run the ball, but he ran it in,” said Glenwood coach Cory Faust of his quarterback’s game winning run. “It was blocked up well by our line and Cole was able to get in there.”

The Rams did struggle with their ground game against the Mustangs (1-6), finishing with 54 yards on 30 carries – 1.8 yards per carry – but Staudt provided the punch on offense. His 45-yard pitch and catch to Pauley Simonetti set Glenwood up inside the Mustangs’ 20-yard line. Four plays later, Staudt raced in from nine yards out.

For the game Staudt completed 15-of-26 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown.

Dallas Center-Grimes had a little more success running the ball – 16 carries for 53 yards – but had trouble sustaining drives while punting six times in the game.

“Our defense played well, especially on the defensive line,” Faust said. “Mason Koehler played more on the D-line and that was to our advantage. He was hard to block. Mason Lunning also had a great game, forcing a fumble we were able to recover.”

Offensively, Mustang quarterback Chase Engel completed 26-of-40 passes for 280 yards and two TD. Those throwing numbers surprised Faust but how his defense held up did not.

“We played a little different style of defense we normally do, we blitzed more than we typically do,” Faust said. “They throw a lot of short passes so we game planned to play more man coverage and bring pressure to both stop the run and combat that short passing game. We gave up a few more big plays than I wanted but for the most part our guys did a great job in coverage and limiting their running game.”

Dylan Powles led the Ram defense with 7.5 tackles. Trey Darden added seven stops and Koehler and Viginio Rangel Gonzales added five tackles each.

The win snaps a two-game losing skid for the Rams and gives them their first win in the district with Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson waiting this week and Norwalk the following week in the regular season finale.

“Overall, I was really happy with the effort and the composure of our players,” Faust said. “When you go on a long trip and you haven’t had the success you wanted as far as outcomes of games, you worry about guys giving up or not playing well and I really felt like it was the opposite.
“Our guys were really locked in, even guys on the sideline. And that’s what you want to see, guys buying into the little things and the winning behaviors and habits. Our guys continue to do that.”