Turnovers doom Rams in playoffs

SERGEANT BLUFF - Not all touchdowns are created equal.

For instance, take Sergeant Bluff-Luton’s touchdown just before halftime.

The 18-yard scamper by Britton Delperdang made the score 14-9 at the half, to be sure, but in what was then a tight game between two ranked Class 3A opponents clashing in the opening round of the playoffs, that touchdown was a momentum grabber.

The Warriors came out after halftime, scored on their opening drive, and then twice more in the third quarter, to take a commanding 33-9 lead over a stunned Glenwood squad en route to a 47-25 win in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs in Sergeant Bluff.

Coach Cory Faust said no game is decided by one play, but that Delperdang TD and the drive leading to it, helped by two 15-yard penalties on the Rams, was a major blow when it had appeared his team would take a 9-7 lead into halftime.

“It was big,” Faust said. “We had had the ball coming back to us and we had the roughing the kicker and then it seemed like they hit several plays a in a row they needed. It wasn’t just the one play but there but it definitely changed the momentum for them right into the second half.”

The first half turned into an unlikely defensive battle between two teams who entered averaging more than 35 points per game.

While Warriors scored on a 63-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Wright to Ty Boekelman on their second play from scrimmage, Glenwood turned the ball over on downs, punted twice and turned the ball over on its first four possessions. Yet, the Rams found themselves down just 7-2 – thanks to a safety when a Warrior punt snap sailed through the endzone – with just over five minutes to go in the half.

Taking over at their own 42, the Rams marched 53 yards in seven running plays to set up a first and goal at the 5-yard line. On the next play, Cooper Silvius punched his way in for a touchdown. The extra-point gave Glenwood a 9-7 lead with 1:36 to go in the half.

The Warriors appeared ready to go into halftime after three plays gained two yards but a flag on a Glenwood for roughing the punter breathed new life into the SB-L offense. Back-to-back runs of 11 and 12 yards by Delperdang – the latter of which saw 15 yards tacked on the end of the run following a late hit by the Rams – set the Warriors up at the Ram 18. On the ensuing play, Delperdang raced in for the TD and the 14-9 halftime lead.

Sergeant Bluff-Luton would pick up right where they left on to open the second half. Going to a more spread-passing look, Wright completed 6-of-6 passes on a nearly five minute drive, including a four yard scoring strike to Boekelman. The point-after made it 20-9.

The Rams never seemed to recover. They turned the ball over on their next tree possessions. Sergeant Bluff-Luton turned two of those takeaways into points and a 33-9 lead in the waning seconds of the third quarter.
The Rams had turned the ball over more than twice just once in their five game winning streak heading into Friday’s playoffs.

“We’d been hanging onto the ball pretty good,” Faust said. “It’s hard to beat a good team when you do that but I wouldn’t trade these guys for anybody in the world. They left it all on the field tonight. I’m proud of how they played.”
The Rams did manage to find the endzone twice in the final frame on TD runs by Silvius and Noah Carter, but each time the Warriors responded with big play scores of their own.  

The speedy Warrior defense, which featured a five man front and all 11 defenders within four yards of the line of scrimmage, held the Rams run game in check for much of the first three quarters. Time and again the SB-L defense contained the Rams’ edge running game. The Rams powerful rushing attack, which entered averaging 402 yards in its last five games, was held to 295 yards.

“They played a different  front (than they’d shown this season) and we didn’t adjust to it. We have to credit them. They’re probably the fastest team we’ve played this year and they’re physical enough to stop us.”

Quarterback Andrew Blum ran for 131 yards on 29 carries and completed 2-of-14 passes for 40 yards. Silvius added 114 on the ground on 17 carries.

The Warriors finished with 337 total yards. Delperdang ran for 171 yards and three TDs on his 17 carries. Quarterback Daniel Wright completed 9-of-17 passes for 146 yards and three scores.

Faust and his staff spent 15 minutes after the game consoling and hugging his players after a brief post-game huddle where the coach didn’t hold back talking about just how bad this lost hurt.

“I told them it sucks when its over,” Faust said. “It hurts. But I’m thankful for all the memories and the pride they’ve brought me and the program and the town. They have nothing to hang their heads about.”

Faust said his group of 23 seniors is the winningest in Glenwood football history that has gone 25-7 over the last three seasons.

“We had a lot of great kids. A lot of talent obviously and a lot of guys who bought into the day to day process; not just the winning on the scoreboard. They put in so much hard work to get here and I appreciate that.”

Scoring Summary
G         02  07  00  15 - 24
SB-L    07  07  19  14 - 47

Game Summary
SB-L – Daniel Wright to Ty Boekelman, 63 pass (kick good).
G – Safety (snap through endzone).
G – Cooper Silvius, 5 run (kick good).
SB-L – Britton Delperdang, 18 run (kick good).
SB-L – Wright to Boekelman, 4 pass (kick blocked).
SB-L – Wright to Sam DeMoss, 11 pass (kick no good).
SB-L – Zach Schultz, 32 run (kick good).
G – Silvius, 1 run (two-point conversion good).
SB-L – Delperdang, 63 run (kick good).
G – Noah Carter, 2 run (kick good).
SB-L – Delperdang, 43 run (kick good).