Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
A first win continued to elude the NDSS Junior Football Golden Hawks on Tuesday as they dropped a 38-6 decision to the visiting Regi Panthers.
After allowing 10 points on their opponent’s first two drives, the Hawks settled down and were able to make a game of it. They relied heavily on the ground game, utilizing the speed and strength of Ethan Courneyea and Matt Ruttan to gain offensive yards.
Down 31-0 at the half, the Hawks played a much cleaner game in the second half. Their efforts were rewarded when late in the fourth Keegan Frost rolled a lateral pass to Ruttan who broke through a Regi tackle to score a 10 yard touchdown.
NDSS opted to go for two but was unsuccessful.
Matt Ruttan goes airborne to avoid a Regi defender. Adam Prudhomme photo.
“We just had to clear some of the stuff up with the coaches and put it together on the field,” Ruttan said of the team’s slow start and strong finish. “That was the biggest thing.”
Failing to finish their plays cost them early on defense but towards the middle of the game they began to tighten up and cause some turnovers, such as when Preston Dickson delivered a huge stop on the Hawks’ 15-yard line. His jarring hit induced a fumble.
After experimenting with the long game early, Ruttan says they were able to adjust in the second and use their speed, which yielded better results. In the end they combined the two with a short pass and a burst of speed for their lone touchdown.
The loss drops Napanee to 0-4 on the year and eliminates any hope of qualifying for KASSAA’s playoffs. That doesn’t mean they won’t have anything to play for over their final two games.
“On offense we need a little more blocking and to come together a little more as a team,” said Ruttan. “Defense is playing great, they just need to keep it up, they’re doing awesome.”
The NDSS senior team had a similar game against Regi, although they had a much tougher time containing their opponents once the game got out of hand, losing 51-0. They are now 1-3 on the season. Both NDSS teams will also face Holy Cross on the road Friday.