Varsity Football Wins in Home Opener

On September 22, the Varsity football team played York Suburban under the lights for the first home football game of the year. Coming into the game, the Varsity team was 2-1, beating Pequea Valley and York Tech, and losing to Hanover. And after it was all said and done, the Rams came out on top 13-12 in a nail biter.

Going into the game, linebacker Jonathan “Tanner” Kirkpatrick said, “I thought that it would be close, but we could pull through.” Quarterback Noah Hulslander and free safety Guy Shrewsbury also said that they thought it was going to be a close battle.

Preparing for a game is always one of the most critical parts of the week. “We prepared for Suburban like every normal week for us. We broke down film and analyzed what their tendencies were and what plays they liked to run. We then created a game plan around that,” Head Coach Christopher Grube said.

It was a tightly contested game through the first half with no points on the board. Grube said, “We had to make some adjustments offensively. Suburban shut down our normal running game, and we had to expand our playbook into more passing due to what they were giving us defensively.”

Then, with 7:23 left in the third quarter, York Suburban ran the ball in for the first score of the game. After the missed extra point, the score was 6-0, Suburban lead.

York Suburban had the ball late in the third quarter, until running back Dalton Stike intercepted the ball and took it to the end zone. Suburban blocked the extra point leaving the score tied at 6-6.

Just when it looked like Suburban wasn’t going to be stopped, the Rams made a critical stop on fourth down to get the ball back with 4:02 left in the game.

After the ball switched hands a few more times, Suburban had the ball again and scored a touchdown with 57 seconds left in the game. Again, Suburban failed to convert the extra point, making the score 12-6.

The Rams had limited timeouts in the last minute of the game. Junior Noah Hulslander spiked the ball to stop the clock so that Grube didn’t have to use the last timeout. However, the referees failed to properly stop the clock, and ten seconds ran off the clock before the clock stopped.

Not much later, the referees threw the flag for a false start; however, they didn’t blow the play dead. By rule, when a referee throws a flag for a false start, the play has to be blown dead, and since that didn’t happen, about another six to ten seconds came off the clock.

“We prepare our offense at practice for situations like that. Our players kept their composure, and we were able to take advantage of Suburbans mistakes defensively,” said Grube.

Then, the Rams got the ball down the field to the one yard line where Hulslander threw two incomplete passes. With under ten seconds left in the game, Hulslander did complete a pass to Stike for the game winning touchdown with one second remaining on the clock.

However, the Rams didn’t actually win the game until kicker Craig Potts kicked the extra point to win the game 13-12.

Grube said, “I was at a loss for words. With 55 seconds on the clock, I knew we had a chance but we had to execute. Wyatt Cairns had some amazing catches to get us down near the goaline and then Dalton Stike catches the game winning touchdown. I was really worried about the XP kick due to the first one being blocked.”

Hulslander also knew that the extra point was really important.“The first I said and yelled to everybody ‘Praise God’, but I knew that we had one more job to do; we had to kick the extra point to win the game, so I was encouraging the offensive line to give everything they have on this last play, and they got the job done. Craig Potts did an outstanding job; I gave him a big hug and said thank you. We were all happy as a team after the game, and it was an amazing feeling,” he said.

Looking back at the game, Grube said, “This game is definitely a contender. Our Gettysburg OT win in the 2015 season was very special for me, but this one definitely takes the icing on the cake. We battled adversity and never crumbled.”

Defensive end Jaylen Kennedy said, “We played very well I felt like, but we still have more potential. The second touchdown when Dalton scored, I felt blessed and that we’re going to win the game. We are still growing and getting better each day.” Kennedy also added that the Rams are leading the division.

Hulslander felt like the Rams played very well, and he said, “The defense had an absolutely amazing game. This offense played well; the offensive line had an amazing game. The pass protection was awesome; they bust their butts and do an outstanding job for us. We didn’t play to our full potential; we have a lot of room to grow. But when it came down to it, we got the job done and we kept our composure very well, and I’m proud of the guys and how they handled everything at the end.”

Junior Kirsten Lane said, “I thought the game was amazing! I had faith in the boys the entire time. It was crazy! But it was one of the best and most intense games I’ve seen in awhile.” Most of the crowd had faith in the Rams for the entirety of the game, not leaving until the game was over.

In record attendance of 1,224 people, the crowd showed up to root on the team.

It was awesome to see so many people come support our football team, and it was even better to watch our team deliver on the last drive. The way the game ended was amazing, and with so many people being there, it was a great environment and atmosphere to be a part of. It was, by far, the best high school football game I’ve ever seen or been apart of,” said senior Joey Thomas said.

The student section, also known as “The Goat Pen” was packed on Friday night for the first home game of the season.

“I thought the game was interesting the whole time. The boys really gave it their all and really surprised the fans with their intensity. I think when they got excited, we all did, and it made for a really good experience,” junior Cole Sinnott said.

Fans and players are inspired and excited about the start of fall sports.

“Well that was one of the greatest experiences of my life honestly. Kennard-Dale hasn’t had a good team in years and for us to be coming around during our high school careers is special. It’s also super cool seeing all these teams succeed the way we are. Softball, Girls Lax, Baseball, and Basketball all had great seasons last year and now football and cross country and girls soccer are all off to great starts. It’s amazing to finally see just about ALL KD sports being themselves, and that was extremely visible in the way the game on Friday went,” Junior Timothy “T.J.” Grimsley said.

This show of support does not go unnoticed or unappreciated.

There is a new vibe this year at KD in terms of school spirit. I hope that we can continue to bring in big crowds to help us with home field advantage,” Grube said.

Shrewsbury really liked the fact that so many students came out to support the

Rams, and he said “The student section was hands down one of the best parts of that football game. They stuck with us the whole game and had faith in us. The amount of people that came and supported us was such a great feeling knowing that they came to support our football team.”

Hulslander felt that the crowd’s energy really gives them an advantage. Hulslander said: “It was absolutely awesome. We love getting to play in front of the home crowd. They really get our blood pumping, and they were behind us the whole game. It really is a privilege to be able to play in front of an amazing crowd; their energy really helps us on the field it helps us make plays.”

With the start that the Rams are off to, the playoff are not out of the question for them. “I feel that if we stay healthy and continue to do the rights things on and off the football field, we will have a very successful season. It would be great to see KD Football in the playoffs at the end of the season,” said Grube.