A top 10 Class 2A Round of 16 Iowa high school football playoff game between number 6 West Lyon and number 7 Greene County took place at Linduska Field in Jefferson last night with the Wildcats winning by a 43-7 score. The contest was heard on KG98 and streamed on www.raccoonvalleyradio.com. Coach Caden Duncan’s Rams had a six game winning streak snapped and the season ends with eight wins and two losses. Coach Jay Rozeboom improves his record at WL to 298-59 and his team this season is 8-2 and winners of six straight as they advance to the quarterfinals.
It was a 7-7 game in the first quarter after WL took their first possession 50 yards in six plays to the end zone and the Rams countered with a nine play, 79 yard drive. Senior Richard Daugherty caught a pass from junior quarterback Gabe Ebersole and turned in into a 34 yard touchdown catch and run.
Then, it was 36 straight points for the Wildcats. A 19-7 halftime score became 27-7 at the end of the third quarter and the continuous clock went into effect with 6:09 to play in the game with the Rams backed up to their two yard line. The snap from center sailed out the back of the end zone for a safety. Those two points took the score from 41-7 to 43-7 and the 35-point rule went into effect.
WL had 362 yards of offense to just 203 for the Rams and Greene County turned the ball over four times to just once for the Wildcats. The Rams entered the game having turned the ball over seven times all season, but three pass interceptions and a lost fumble didn’t help Greene County’s cause. The Wildcats ran the ball 44 times for 274 yards and went six for six passing for another 88 yards. Gunner Grems led the WL rushing attack with nine carries for 92 yards including a 59 yard TD run.
Greene County wasn’t able to effectively run the ball and had just 44 yards on 31 carries. The Rams were 11-21-3 passing the ball with Ebersole going 11-19-3 before leaving the game with an apparent injury. Junior Jack Hansen had three catches for 71 yards and Richard Daugherty had three receptions for 60 yards and the one TD.
Richard, his brother Patrick Daugherty, Jesse Miller, Josh Janssen, and foreign exchange student Bork Ersness from Noway are the only seniors on the team.