Bulldogs picked by FSHS

By Scott Nuzum

Herald-Tribune

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Just to show you how little statistics can mean sometimes, Fort Scott High's football team pounded Independence, 56-14, at Frary Field Friday night, even though the Tigers produced just 191 yards of total offense.

It may seem a bit odd to read, but it was Fort Scott's defense that caused this wide margin of victory. Thanks to three defensive scores and seven Independence turnovers, the offense's five scoring drives covered a grand total of 142 yards. The longest one was 48 yards.

"Our defense gave us some great opportunities," Fort Scott head coach Don Epps said. "We were able to cause turnovers. Tonight was a really positive experience for us because were able to put points on the board through our defense. If we can do that, we're going to be a tough team to beat."

Fort Scott improved to 4-1 in the SEK and 5-1 overall. Independence, after losing its 33rd consecutive game, fell to 0-4, 0-6.

To Independence's credit, it's running game allowed it to control the game most of the first quarter. The Bulldogs' first drive lasted five minutes. Their second ate up another three minutes.

"They have a good sized offensive and defensive line," Epps said. "I felt going into the game that they could run the ball consistently, knock out two, three, four yards each down and get themselves into third down and short. They have a very large fullback and tailback. (Goins) played hard the whole game."

Fort Scott's first two drives ended after three plays with a fumble and six plays with a punt. The Tigers had only one first down and 28 total yards after one period of play. Independence had three first downs but not much more yardage, totaling only 31.

Things changed quickly in the second quarter. The Tigers recovered a fumbled snap at the Independence 31-yard line early in the period. It was the first of seven Indy fumbles, six of which the Tigers would recover.

Chris Banks scored an apparent touchdown on the first play of the drive but a holding call reduced that to a net gain of nine yards. It turned out not to matter as Banks got the score on a five-yard run three plays later.

The Tigers sacked Independence sophomore quarterback Grant Webster for 26 yards in losses on the last two plays of the next drive and forced a punt, which went only 20 yards.

With the ball at the Indy 35, Dakotah Gettler hit Jared Cosens for 20 yards, then scored from 15 yards out on the next play as Jake Lattimer made a key block in the backfield which allowed the senior quarterback to break free.

Lattimer picked up a bad pitch and returned it 32 yards for the score just moments later. A penalty after the score forced the PAT to be tried from 18 yards out and it was no good, which left the score at 20-0 with 4:12 left in the half.

Indy had the ball just one player after the kickoff, fumbled away to defensive lineman Cody Kramer at the six. Gettler scored his second touchdown from four yards out two plays later.

Cosens returned an interception 35 yards for the second defensive score with 1:42 to go. The PAT kick by Lucas Halsey made it 34-0.

Chad Durbin forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, which Andre Davis recovered at the Independence 22. Four plays later, Banks scored on a five-yard run and the PAT made it 41-0, which ended up being the halftime score.

With the defense sacking the quarterback, forcing fumbles and giving the Tigers great field position, Fort Scott held its halftime lead even though it had only four first downs and 133 total yards. Independence had 21 total yards. Because of the sacks and losses on bad plays, Indy had minus-four yards rushing on 29 carries. Webster was saddled with a total of minus-52 yards.

Banks took the second-half opening kickoff 35 yards to the Indy 48 and also gained 11 yards on the first play of the drive. Lattimer took a handoff on a play from the 17 and carried it 16 yards, fumbles, the fell on it in the end zone for a touchdown with barely two minutes off the clock. A bad snap on the extra point was rushed into the end zone by Cosens to make it 48-0.

Fort Scott's final score came on defense as linemen Dakota Hall intercepted a pitch on a Bulldog option play in mid-air at the Indy 48 and ran it into the end zone.

That would be it for the Tiger varsity. The JV defense went in while Independence, wanting to avoid a shutout, kept the varsity in. Trent Goins scored on a one-yard run with 1:44 left in the third. The fourth quarter was played with a running clock under Kansas rules as the lead was greater than 35 points. Goins scored on a two-yard run with 20 seconds left and by the time the extra point was through the uprights, time had expired.

Banks led Tiger rushers with 61 yards on eight carries while Lattimer had 48 on 10 totes. Gettler ran for 32 yards on four carries, completed both his passes for 34 yards and also sacked Webster twice.

Goins gained 141 yards for Independence on 32 carries but 102 of those yards came after Fort Scott's final score.

Kansas district play begins next week with the Tigers going to the renovated Riverside Park in Iola to take on the Mustangs in a game that counts in both the league and the district. Iola defeated Labette County, 17-14, Friday night.

Notes: Injured linemen Heath Maycumber and Jeff Johnson are expected to return next week. Nick Wallace, who has been filling in on the line, took a helmet to his hip on one play but was expected to be okay. Also, Jared Harris was just "rattled a little bit," according to Epps after a hard hit on a kickoff return but no signs of a concussion. ... This was Fort Scott's 11th consecutive win over Independence, tied for the second-longest streak over any one opponent in known school history (since 1911). ... This was the highest point total for the Tigers over Indy in a game at Fort Scott, according to the records of the Independence Daily Reporter. ... The league record for consecutive losses is 36. Independence will tie that mark, set by Labette County from 1971 to 1975, if it finishes this season without a victory. It's already the second-longest streak in SEK history.