Irish defeat Indians, 35-6

By Joey Marchant
The undefeated and fourth ranked Dublin Irish rolled into Dodge County where they defeated the Indians by a score of 35-6. Dodge had a great defensive game plan and was able to contain the strong Irish rushing game for nearly two quarters. In the end, Dodge’s inability to produce on offense resulted in the wearing down of the defense. Dublin ran 73 offensive plays to Dodge’s 31 offensive plays.
Dublin got the ball to start the game at its own 33 yard line after Mason Mangham intentionally squibbed the kickoff. On the first play, Dodge lost containment on a 36 yard run before Mikhail Carr could make a tackle at the Dodge 31 yard line. On first down, Javon McNeal dropped the running back for a three yard loss. On second down, a host of Indians led by Elijah Williams dropped the running back for a loss of five yards. This brought up a long third down on which Noah Cummings sacked the Dublin quarterback for a four yard loss. On fourth down, Dublin snapped the ball far over the head of the punter. Running back Jaquez Evans also handles punting and kickoff duties for the Irish, so he picked the ball up and tried to get back what yards he could breaking three tackles. However, McNeal brought him down at the Irish 36 yard line.
Dodge had an excellent opportunity to take an early lead. Daylon Gordon rushed for three yards on first down. Kade Harpe completed a wide receiver screen to Tyrese Johnson on second down, but a block was missed, and the play failed to gain. On third down, Harpe tried to change the play at the line of scrimmage, but there was some confusion and Harpe was sacked on the play. Timmy Johnson got off a 38 yard punt, which rolled into the end zone for a touchback.
Dublin drove down the field entirely on the ground, but the Dodge Defense stiffened around its own 20 yard line. On fourth and three from the Dodge 19 yard line, Dublin sent Evans into the left flat. Dodge was focused on the run, and no one covered Evans who caught a short pass and ran into the end zone for a touchdown. Dublin added the extra point and led 7-0.
The Dublin kickoff went out of bounds, and Dodge started at its own 35 yard line. Nathan Coley rushed for one yard to the 36 yard line. From there, Harpe hit Keldrick Beck on a short curl route between three defenders. Beck quickly turned and showcased his speed going 64 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked, and Dublin led 7-6. Beck’s catch and run was Dodge’s only big offensive play of the night and accounted for two-thirds of Dodge’s 97 yards of total offense.
The Dodge defense would continue to stand strong forcing Dublin to punt on its next two possessions. Then late in the half, coach Roger Holmes dialed up a play Dublin had not shown on film. The quarterback dropped back as if to pass with Evans blocking before he slipped the ball to Evans from behind on a draw play. Evans headed up field, and then he cut to the outside picking up some key blocks on his way to a 45 yard touchdown run. Evans was tackled by Carr as he crossed the goal line and fell out of bounds into a piece of band equipment cutting his arm. However, he refused to leave the game. Paramedics bandaged him up at halftime until he could get further attention after the game. The extra point gave Dublin a 14-6 lead, and the half ended that way.
The Dodge offense self-destructed on the first play of the second half when Tyrese Johnson attempted to take a handoff from Harpe on the jet sweep. The ball fell to the turf, and Dublin pounced on it at the Dodge 10 yard line. Two plays later Dublin scored. The extra point gave Dublin a 21-6 lead.