October 10, 2023
Last Friday’s game against Oakland Riverside wasn’t the best defensive performance that the Cardinal defense has had this season. The Bulldogs scored 5 touchdowns and gained 188 yards through air and 213 on the ground. But in this exciting, back-and-forth battle that the Cards won, 49-35, one defensive sequence by the Cardinals may have made all the difference.
The Cards led by 14 early in the 4th quarter when the potent Bulldog offense put together an impressive 6-minute drive that covered over 50 yards. When they pushed the ball deep into Cardinal territory and had a 1st down and goal at the Earlham 3-yard line, it looked to be a sure thing that they would score a touchdown to get within one score of the Cardinals. But the Cards held them out of the end zone, stuffing the Bulldogs on four straight plays.
“It was just a matter of ‘bend don’t break,’” said Ryan Stiles. “They got down to the 1 yard line and we knew if we wanted this game to be over, we just had to shut it down right there.”
Five minutes later, the Cardinals essentially ended the game when they got into the end zone for the 7th time with under two minutes to play.
But give credit where it’s due—the Bulldogs were tough to stop. Their two stars, quarterback Grady Jepperson and running back Jaxon Gordon, are two of the most dangerous players in the district. Gordon leads District 7 in all-purpose yards and Jepperson is 3rd in passing yards. With their quick tempo, deceptive sets, athleticism, and clever fakes, they resembled a basketball team running a fast break.
Riverside scored touchdowns on their first two drives of the game. After that, the Cardinals were able to slow them down just enough.
“We adjusted,” said Jeret Petersen. “We were running a three or a five (linemen) front—an odd front. Then we switched to a four front and that really helped us stop them.”
As in most of the Cardinals’ games this season, their physicality stood out last Friday. The Bulldogs surely rode back on their bus to Riverside knowing they had been in a battle.
“We preach it every game,” said Ty Forcht. “We always want to be the first ones to pop them in the mouth and set the tone for the game. If we don’t, it can be like what happened against Panorama. So we made sure this game that we were the most physical team on the field.”
Riverside recovered the opening onside kick and scored a touchdown in just over 2 minutes. Dallas Canoyer then set the Cards up deep in Riverside territory when he returned the kickoff 42 yards to the 27 yard line. Three plays later, Blake Reynolds scored from 2 yards out. Klayton Wolken’s PAT tied the game at 7 with 9:07 to go in the 1st quarter.
Riverside recovered the onside kick and took over at their own 46. With a mix of runs and short passes, they scored in less than 4 minutes to take a 14-7 lead.
After the Cardinal offense turned the ball over on downs, the Earlham defense got their first stop of the game, stuffing the Bulldogs on a 4th down play, giving the Cards the ball at the Riverside 43. On 2nd down, Caleb Smith followed a wave of blockers around the right end, ran untouched into the Bulldog backfield, cut back to the middle at the 20, and cruised into the end zone for a touchdown. The PAT was no good, so the Cardinals still trailed, 14-13.
The Cards kept the momentum going their way when Brogan Wolfe recovered the ensuing onside kick at the 50. On 4th down, Stiles ran 13 yards to the Bulldog 27. Four plays later, he converted another 4th down with a 4-yard run. Stiles ran for 7 yards to the 11 on the next play. Reynolds then connected with Walker Hale on a receiver screen, the blocking was superb, and Hale made his way through traffic for a touchdown. The Cardinal 2-point try was denied, but they led, 19-14, with just over 9 minutes to play in the half.
After stopping the Bulldogs on another 4th down play about 2 minutes later, the Cards got the ball back at their own 36. Smith ran for 14 yards on 1st down. Two plays later, Forcht ran 26 yards to the Bulldog 22 on a perfectly executed counter play. Reynolds then carried the ball to the 5. On the next play, Smith took a direct snap and ran off tackle. The Riverside defense had him bottled up, but Smith kept churning and dragged a few defenders into the end zone for his 2nd touchdown of the night. He then ran for the 2-point conversion and Earlham led, 27-14, with 5:05 to go in the half.
While the Riverside defense looked to be getting worn down, their offense got rolling again. After recovering the onside kick at their own 44, they scored a touchdown in 7 plays and trailed, 27-21, with just under 2 minutes left in the 2nd quarter.
On their final possession of the half, the Cards moved the ball to the Riverside 13, but turned the ball over on downs.
The Cards opened the 2nd half with the ball on their own 30. On 7 runs, by Smith and Stiles, they moved the ball to the Bulldog 35. Reynolds and Hale hooked up again, this time for a 13-yard gain. The Bulldogs were guilty of a late hit on the play, and that moved the ball to the 10. Three plays later, Smith scored from 5 yards out. After the 2-point conversion—a pass from Reynolds to Jeret Petersen—the Cards led, 35-21, at the 7:18 mark of the 3rd quarter.
But Riverside answered again. After recovering the onside kick, they drove 53 yards in 8 plays for a touchdown, making the score 35-28.
The Cards started their next possession on their own 35. Stiles converted on 4th-and-inches with a 2-yard run to the Cardinal 47. Two plays later, the cardinal o-line sprung Smith again. Smith ran off tackle left through a nice hole and burst across midfield. Blake Reynolds delivered a nice block at the 45, Brogan Wolfe eliminated the last defender at the 30, and Smith ran in for another TD, a 53-yard jaunt. After Wolken’s PAT, the Cards led, 42-28.
The goal line stand by the Cardinal defense followed on the next Riverside drive, and the Cardinal offense took over on their own 6 yard line. A 29-yard run by Smith and a 14-yarder by Stiles helped move the ball to the Cardinal 44. On a 3rd-down play from the 31, Forcht ran left on a counter play, cut right off tackle through a hole into the Riverside backfield, cut back to his left, broke two tackles, and ran into the end zone for the TD that iced the game with 1:41 to play.
Riverside quickly scored a garbage-time touchdown, but their ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Cardinals.
Smith ran for 257 yards on 28 carries. Stiles ran 13 times for 93 yards. Stiles led the defense with 12.5 tackles, 9 solo. The Cards (4-3) travel to Lake City this Friday to take on South Central Calhoun (5-2). Earlham is ranked #19 by BCMoore and the Titans are #12. With the win over Riverside, the Cards solidified a playoff berth. Depending on the result of Friday’s game, they could finish anywhere from 2nd to 4th in the district.
Earlham Echo 
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