Dukes Battle To 2-0 Start

Dukes Battle To 2-0 Start
By David Gravely

The Dublin Middle School Dukes football team moved their record to 2-0 last Thursday, as they won a hard fought game against a tough and physical Blacksburg Middle School by a final score of 14-6.

Dublin got on the board first, when Kevin Smith hit Alex Ramsey on a 38 yard pass to put Dublin up 6-0. Ramsey then took the ball in for the two point conversion to put Dublin up 8-0. While Dublin was able to move the ball, neither team was able to score and the half ended with Dublin still in the lead.

Blacksburg Middle got back into the game midway into the third quarter when their back was able to take the ball into the endzone, moving the score to 8-6. Dublin's Bradley Church came up from his defensive end position to tackle the running back for a loss to deny Blacksburg the extra point. With the clock ticking, Dublin continued to move the ball, until finally Kevin Smith took the ball in from five yards out. Blacksburg stopped the extra point attempt, leaving the Dukes ahead 14-6.

Dublin attempted an onside kick in the hopes of ending the game, but Blacksburg was able to recover. With good field position to start with, they began moving the ball down the field, until the Dukes defense finally held on fourth and short from inside their own five yard line with 3:30 left in the contest. Dublin went to their ground game to run the clock out, and were able to move the ball out of the shadow of their own goal post behind strong running from Hunter Thomas. Blacksburg was able to get one final shot at things, however, when a snap went over the quarterbacks head for a fumble. As Blacksburg Middle attempted to pass the ball in the final seconds, their hopes were shot down when Chase Huff picked off the ball to end the game.

"We had a great game defensively, and offensively we were able to move the ball, but we still made too many mistakes" said Dukes Head Coach Ward Angle. "We had 11 snaps go over our quarterbacks heads. That will get us beat. We did well today, but we have to do better."

The Dukes finished the game with 263 yards of total offense, mostly on the ground. Alex Ramsey led the rushing attack with 105 yards on the ground, while also adding his 38 yard touchdown catch. Hunter Thomas finished with 42 yards rushing and 26 yards receiving, while Kevin Smith finished with 27 yards rushing and a touchdown and PAT conversion. Elliot Brewster and Chase Huff rounded out the rushing attack for the Dukes.

"Our offensive line did a great job opening holes for us today" said Angle. "Noah Patterson, Drew Allen, Sam Grissom, Brandon Tickle, Jared Luckado, and Logan Smith are getting better every game. Jake Turpin, Jeffery McDonald, and Caleb Bishop are also showing improvement and providing some depth for us. We also have some multi-position players that are working out well for us, like Brandon Piland, Triston Waddle, Clinton Martin, and Josh Holbrook. Some of these guys have been out injured this week, and we're looking forward to getting them back into the mix."

Defensively, the Dukes allowed only 65 total yards by Blacksburg. "We tell our kids to play lights out, and that's what they do" said Angle. "Mike Seagle had a crucial fumble recovery for us to stop one of Blacksburgs scoring threats late in the game. Huff had the interception. Defensive Coaches Randy Grubb, Trey Angle and Troy Dalton continue to work in new defenses to try to shut down our next weeks opponent. Our goal is to be the most physical team on the field. We want to hit."

The Dukes next game will be a tough one. The Hidden Valley Titans soundly defeated William Byrd last week, and look strong on both sides of the ball. Strong line play, fast and strong running backs, and a stingy defense will test the Dukes in this home contest. Kickoff is set for 5:30 pm on Thursday at Dublin Middle Schools Soldiers Field.