Rams topple Tigers for first win of season

    RED OAK - The Glenwood Rams put a damper on the Red Oak High School’s Homecoming by defeating the Red Oak Tigers in 3A District 1 action, 35-14.

    Both teams were held scoreless for nearly the entire first half, until Glenwood’s Levi Henderson ran in a touchdown from 1-yard out to give Glenwood the first lead of the game.
    “It’s a lot better than losing,” Glenwood’s Head Coach Brian Albert said. The Rams had dropped eight straight games dating back to last season prior to Friday’s win. Glenwood’s last football victory came over the same Tigers last season.
    “I’ve been in Red Oak’s situation, if they had another 10-12 guys; I think this would be a game where we’d be battling back-and-forth,” added Albert.
    Following a Red Oak turnover, Henderson scored on another 1-yard touchdown, giving the Rams a 14-0 lead at halftime.
    “We ran a couple of plays real quick. We were trying to work in two-minute drill if we had to and then the clock never got there,” Albert said. “We were hurrying up as if the kids were going to get into it, but we never did.”
    The Tigers had an opportunity to score on their first drive of the game, but penalties in Glenwood territory kept them from being able to score.
    Glenwood scored again in the third quarter when Grant Stivers completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Sam Jameson, giving the Rams a 21-0 lead.
    Connor Fikes had the next Glenwood touchdown as he ran it in from 21-yards out. The Rams led at the end of three, 28-0.
    “We started blocking people,” Albert said. “A lot of times you run around and you’re not blocking the right guy. You can block the wrong guy, but you block somebody and block them hard, you got a chance. We don’t know if they’ve made a mistake or if they’ve been manhandled.”
    The final touchdown for Glenwood came courtesy of another Stivers touchdown pass, this time to Kyle Kawecki for 22-yards. With Glenwood taking a 35-0 lead, the continuous clock went into effect.
    Red Oak scored both of their touchdowns late in the game. The first score came with two minutes left in the fourth quarter when Seth Esaias scored on a three-yard run. A two-point conversion halted the clock, as Red Oak trailed 35-8, following the two-point conversion by Ryan Leininger.
    “When they’re fresh, they’re good,” Albert said about Red Oak.
    The Tigers next touchdown came with 20 seconds left when Leininger completed a 25-yard pass to Geoff Sellers.
    With the loss, Red Oak is now 0-6 for the season and 0-4 in the district. Glenwood’s win puts them at 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the district.
    The Rams are home this Friday to face the Winterset Huskies. Red Oak hits the road this Friday to take on the Harlan Cyclones.