Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

RACELAND, Ky. — The Coal Grove Hornets must have forgot and left their first half offense in the locker room.

Coal Grove had 139 yards rushing and built a 26-23 halftime lead. However, the Hornets’ offense bogged down in the second half as the Raceland Rams found their offense in a 48-32 win on Friday.

Coal Grove (2-2) finished with 305 total yards including 219 on the ground.

Austin Ruggles ran 20 times for 90 yards and also returned the opening kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown.

Tanner Murphy added 59 yards on seven carries while Isaiah Gunther had 47yards on 15 attempts and scored three touchdowns, one through the air.

The Rams racked up 341 yards rushing led by Kane Snyder with 15 carries for 125 yards and Carson Christian who had 123 yards on 12 carries and scored four touchdowns.

Quarterback Josh Young was 8 of 13 passing for 134 yards and a touchdown.

After Ruggles started the game with a bang to put the Hornets up 6-0, Raceland answered with a 57-yard, 5-play drive capped by a 5-yard run by Christian. Nathaniel Davidson caught the conversion pass and Raceland led 8-7.

After a Coal Grove punt, the Rams drove 78 yards in 10 plays capped by Christian’s second 5-yard scoring run. A 40-yard pass to Snyder keyed the drive and the lead was 15-7.

But the Hornets responded with a in a time-consuming 65-yard, 13-play drive the culminated on a 5-yard run by Gunther. Ruggles ran for the conversion and it was 15-14.

The Rams were forced to punt and the Hornets drove 64 yards in 12 plays capped by Gunther’s second 5-yard scoring run and they now led 20-15.

Raceland (4-1) started its next drive at the 30-yard line after a nice tackle on the kickoff by the Hornets’ Michael Knuckles.

But Sndyer ran for 30 yards as the Rams moved quickly down the field. Young hit Christian with a 10-yard scoring pass with just 12 seconds left and it was 23-20.

Ah, there was still time on the clock so the Hornets used a 59-yard pass and run from Jesse Rigsby to Gunther for a touchdown as time ran out and the Hornets led 26-23 at the break.

The Rams came out in the second half and immediately went 60 yards to take the lead on a 35-yard keeper by Young and Connor Messer’s kick made it 30-26.

Raceland recovered the onside kickoff at the Hornets’ 43 and — after a holding penalty — scored on a 50-yard pass from Young to Maverick Dixon to lead 36-26 with 8:10 left in the quarter.

Coal Grove got the ball at the Rams’ 48 and drove to the 3-yard line but were stopped for no gain on a fourth and 2.

After exchanging fumbles, the Rams scored on a 30-yard run by Christian on a downfield pitch from Messer who was running the option. The score put the Rams up 42-26 with 7:25 left.

Coal Grove failed to convert on a fourth-and-4 and the Rams had the ball at their own 48.

Eight plays later Christian ran 15 yards for the touchdown with 1:34 left.

Coal Grove kept battling and scored on just two plays. Murphy ran for 28 yards and Daniel “Rudy” Rutherford went 16 yards for the score with 56 seconds left.

Coal Grove 6 20 0 6 = 32

Raceland 15 8 13 12 = 48

First Quarter

CG — Austin Ruggles 79 kickoff return (kick failed) 11:47

Ra — Carson Christian 4 run (Nathaniel Davidson pass from Connor Messer) 10:16

Ra — Bailey Walker 5 run (Connor Messer kick) 3:52

Second Quarter

CG — Isaiah Gunther 5 run (Austin Ruggles run) 9:09

CG — Isaiah Gunther 5 run (run fails) 1:23

Ra — Carson Christian 10 pass from Josh Young (Young pass from Nathaniel Davidson) 0:12

CG — Isaiah Gunther 59 pass from Jesse Rigsby (run failed) 0:00

Third Quarter

Ra — Josh Young 33 run (Connor Messer kick) 9:39

Ra — Maverick Dixon 50 pass from Josh Young (pass failed) 8:40

Fourth Quarter

Ra — Carson Christian 30 run (kick fails) 7:25

Ra — Carson Christian 15 run (pass failed) 1:34

CG — Daniel Rutherford 17 run (run failed) 0:56

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CG Ra

First downs 17 25

Rushes-yards 49-219 41-341

Passing yards 86 134

Total yards 305 475

Cmp-Att-Int 3-10-0 8-13-0

Fumbles-lost 2-1 1-1

Penalties-yards 6-69 13-94

Punts-average 2-36.5 2-35.5

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Individual Leaders

RUSHING —Coal Grove: Austin Ruggles 20-90, Tanner Murphy 7-59, Isaiah Gunther 15-47 2TD, Daniel Rutheford 2-18 TD, Jesse Rigsby 5-5; Raceland: Kane Snyder 15-125, Carson Christian 12-123, Josh Young 7-48, Connor Messer 3-29, Bailey Walker 5-5.

PASSING — Coal Grove: Jesse Rigsby 3-10-0 86 TD; Raceland: Josh Young 8-13-0 134 TD.

RECEIVING — Coal Grove: Isaiah Gunther 1-59 TD, Danile Rutherford 2-27; Raceland: Maverick Dixon 2-58, Kane Snyder 1-40, Carson Christian 4-29, Connor Messer 1-7.