SHELBYVILLE, IL. —
Finally, the Shelbyville Rams played the way they are capable of on Friday and the Ram offense and the defense both took it to Tuscola, 28-6.
Ram coach Stan Wienke said two weeks ago that the biggest improvement is from week 1 (loss to Argenta) to week 2 (loss to Warrensburg). The Rams biggest improvement was week 2 to week 3 (win over Tuscola).
Tucker Schwengel ran for 163 yards and threw for 166. Luke Hatfield scored three touchdowns, receiving, returning, and rushing. Nate Standerfer caught six balls for 77 yards. Jordan Brown was back on the field and was the difference-maker in the game. His gutsy play a team-high 15 tackles as a linebacker sparked the Rams in the middle. Josh Hicks had 13 tackles, Mike Ulrich eight and Mitch Barna eight. They all had tackles for loss.
“I’m really happy,” said Ram coach Stan Wienke. ‘There weren’t many times you weren’t thinking, weren’t focused. If we take care of Shelbyville, that’s the secret. Now we gotta get our second win. I’m proud of you. We played pretty darn good”
After an hour and 45 delay to start the game, due to a thunderstorm, the Rams came out of the locker room chomping at the bit and Tuscola didn’t know what hit them.
Ram QB Tucker Schwengel called his own number the first two plays. He picked up 36 yards up the middle, then another 9 ½ yards and Tuscola had to call a time-out two plays into the game.
The Rams came up a yard short at the Tuscola 35 and turned the ball over on downs. Then the Ram defense stepped up. A fumble and sack gave Tuscola 2nd
and 13. The Rams then threw Tuscola for a yard loss and they faced 3rd and 14. The QB tried to roll out and pass, but no one was open and they had to punt.
Luke Hatfield returned it to the Shelby 43. Schwengel then hit Jake Keown on a 9-yard crossing pattern. Keown caught an out pattern for a 1st down. On 3rd and 7 Tuscola tried to blitz and Schwengel slipped a tackled and ran 27 yards for a 1st at the Tuscola 20. He ran again for a yard. Then a new play was triple receivers right and Hatfield came out of the backfield on the left and down the sideline, catching a pass at the 5 and running it in for a TD. Dylan Patch split the uprights on the points ater and Shelby was up 7-0 at the 5:39 mark of the 1st.
Tuscola took the ensuing kick-off and moved the ball down the field to the Shelby 25. They ran wide and Mitch Barna caught the runner for a 3 yard loss. The QB looked for a receiver on the next play moving gradually toward the line of scrimmage and when he went to throw the ball either slipped or was deflected and the wounded duck was snatched out of the air by Patch for an interception.
Time-out #2 for Tuscola, Shelby ball at the own 24.
On 3rd and 10 Schwengel broke tackles, but came up short. Hatfield punted and Darin Breeden made a great tackle on the run back. Tuscola picked up just 3 yards on a run, then threw an incompletion. They had to call their third and final time-out of the first half with 22.5 seconds left in the 1st quarter, when the Rams hollered out instructions to the defense, because Coach Wienke knew the play.
Tuscola had to punt. Hatfield had defenders bearing down on him and instead of calling a fair catch, with ice in his veins, he fielded it and took off towards the sideline. He got around the edge and the pursuit couldn’t catch up. Hatfield returned the punt for 72 yards and TD. Patch split the uprights again and Shelby was up 14-0 as the 1st quarter came to a close.
Tuscola took the kick-off and moved the ball to the Shelby 39. Josh Hicks then stuffed a run up the middle. A procedure flag moved Tuscola back five yards. Then Barna had a run sack of 5 yards. Tuscola tried a reverse on 3rd and 30 and only got nine yards. They punted from the Shelby 41 to try to pin Shelby deep, but Hatfield returned it to the Shelby 24.
After a Shelby time-out, Schwengel ran for six yards, then threw to Nate Standerfer for 9 yards and a 1st. A quarterback draw netted 9 more yards. Schwengel converted a 3rd down at the 50 yard line.
Shelby called another time-out and on the first play back on the field, Schwengel connected with Standerfer on a long pass down the sideline. Standerfer went up, caught the ball and came down in bounds for a 38 yard gain to the Tuscola 12.
A couple of dropped passes and a sack gave Tuscola the ball at their own 23. They were flagged for holding and had 1st and 20 at the 13. The Rams caught them behind the line and Tuscola recovered their own fumble.
On 2ns and 16 the QB was chased and Mike Ulrich sacked him for a 6 yard loss. On 4th and 21 at their own 11, Tuscola had to punt.
Hatfield returned it to the Tuscola 38. On34rdand 6, Schwengel ran for 15 yards and a 1st at the Tuscola 20. He completed a pass to Standerfer, but the only Ram penalty of the 1st half, a holding penalty made it 2nd and 23.
Facing 4th and 24 on the Tuscola 39 with 1:06 in the half, Shelby delayed the game on purpose to kill some clock. Hatfield’s punt went into the end zone for a touch back.
With 30 seconds left, they picked up 5 yards, then had a penalty. With 7.6 seconds left Tuscola took a knee and went to the half, down 14-0.
Tuscola took the 2nd half kick-off and marched right down the field for a score on a 26 yard pass play. They botched the hold and couldn’t convert, trailing 14-6 with 7:40 left in the 3rd.
Shelby took the kick-off and moved it to the 50, then Schwengel fumbled the ball away.
On 3rd and 1, Shelbyville stopped the run play cold. On 4th and 1 Jordan Brown got a 5 yard sack. Ram ball at the Shelby 45.
Schwengel threw to Breeden for 7 yards. On 3rd and short Standerfer came back for a catch of 7 yards and a 1st down. Facing 3rd and 11 at the Tuscola 40, Shelby called time-out. The had to call another time-dout, when the players were confused.
On the next play Hatfield ran down and out and then turned up field. Schwengel threw a bullet before Hatfield cleared the defender and it hit Hatfield in stride just as he passed the defender for a 29 yard pass to the Tuscola 11 and a 1st.
On 2nd and 11, Schwengel threw to Standerfer for 7 yards. Hatfield then got the ball on an option and ran over two players near the goal line and scored. The kick was muffed, but with 1:3 left in the 3rd Shelby was up 20-6 on Tuscola.
On the ensuing Tuscola possession, Hicks stopped them for just a 2 yard gain. A long pass was broken up by Jake Keown. On 3r and 8, Hicks pursued the QB and hit him as he passed. The ball fell incomplete and the QB limped off the field.
After the punt return, the Rams went 3 and out. The Tuscola QB was getting pressure , but had a bail out pass that moved the ball to the Shelby 30. The QB ran for 2, but the ram pressure was still after him on pass pays. On 3rd and 7, Breeden broke up a long pass. The 4th down pass was incomplete in the end zone.
The Rams got the ball at the 30 with 8:33 to play in the game. They started to run some clock. Hatfield broke tackles on a short pass and got 8 yards. Schwengel ran for a 1st. On 2nd and 7 the Rams had a delay call. On 3rd and 11 at the Tuscola 48, a play action pass to Keown on a crossing pattern netted 17 yards and a 1st.
On 4th and 7 at the Tuscola 26 with 4:10 remaining, Tuscola called time-out. On the next play, Coach Wienke snuck top JV receiver Wyatt Fox on to the field. He ran a pattern right up the middle of the field and no one covered him. He caught the ball and took it into the end zone untouched for a 26 yard TD. Schwengel ran the conversion in and Shelby was up 28-6 with 4:04 to play.
Tuscola threw in the towel and put in a back-up quarterback. Game over. They stopped him and Hatfield returned another punt to the Shelby 43. With 2;58 left, Schwengel ran clock took a knee three times. They then took another delay penalty to run clock and Hatfield punted wit just 59.1 seconds left in the game.
Tuscola ran some plays and on the final play of the game, Lucas Duckett intercepted a pass.
Friday
Shelbyville 28, Tuscola 6
Tuscola 0-0-6-0--6
Shelby 14-0-6-8--28
Scoring
1st (5:9)-(S) Schwengel to Hatfield 18 yd pass, Patch kick good, 7-0d
1st (0:00)-(S) Hatfield 72 yd punt return, Patch kick good, 14-0
3rd (7:40)-(T) 26 yd pass, pass failed, 14-6
3r (1:31)-(S) Hatfield 3 yd run, run no good, 20-6
4th (4:04)-(S) Schwengel to Fox 26 yd pass, Schwengel run good, 28-6
Ram stats: OFFENSE-364 yards; RUSHING-202 yards; Schwengel 23 for 163 yards; Hatfield 6 for 39 yards, TD; Brown 1 for -1; PASSING-Schwengel 12 for 21, 166 yards, 2 Tds; RECEIVING-Standerfer 6 for 77 yards; Hatfield 1 for 39 yards, TD; Breeden 2 for 13 yards; Fox 1 for 26 yards, TD; KICK RETURNS-Hendryx 1 for 16 yards; Hatfield 1 for 9 yards; PUNT RETURNS-Hatfield 6 for 114 yard, TD; TACKLES- Brown 15 (11 solo/4 assist); Hicks 13 (9/4); Barna 9 (8/1) Ulrich 8 (4/4); Patch 7 (2/6); Hatfield 7 (3/4); Keown 5 (5/0); #55 4 (2/2); #79 3 92/1); Breeden 2 (2/0); Standerfer 3 (2/1); Duckett 1 (0/1); #58 1 (1/0); Fox 1 (1/0); INTs-Patch 1; 1st DOWNS 14 (8 Run/6 Pass).
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