FAIRFIELD – Fort Madison is off to its worst start since 2016 when they went 0-9 and were outscored 96-28 through the first two games.
This season the Bloodhounds are 0-2 and have been outscored 90-22.
But the Bloodhounds still broke the post-game huddle with a count and Head Coach Derek Doherty demanding they all ride the bus back after losing 55-15 to Fairfield on the road in non-district football action Friday night.
Doherty regularly compares the season to a mountain climb and he said when things aren’t going well it’s obviously a tougher climb.
“Sometimes things don’t go your way. When things are going good it’s easy, but show me who you are when things aren’t going great,” he said.
“Tateum Schelich showed that tonight. He will play any position for us. He will play every snap. There’s a lot of growth in Caden Barnes tonight. He could have shut down and he didn’t. Justin Maitner - some growth there, too.
“Even in our seniors we’re very raw and it shows sometimes, and there’s nothing to do but keep climbing.”
Fairfield, much like Burlington last week, set a tone rushing the ball racking up four first downs in an 11-play, 57-yard opening drive, but Fort Madison’s defense held on 4th and 4 at the 23 to force a turnover on downs.
The Hounds looked to be equal to the task on their opening possession with Barnes going off left tackle for 13 yards on second and six. Fort Madison moved the ball to the Trojan 44 before being forced to punt. Henry Graham pinned the Trojans deep in their own territory with a nice 54-yard punt to the left.
The Hounds defense would stifle the Trojans on a 3-and-out and Schelich brought a short kick back to the Trojans’ 8 for a 1st and goal. On the first play, Guzman went on a keeper up the middle and got popped, jarring the ball loose with Fairfield recovering.
A couple of penalties again stalled the Trojans on the next series and then Fort Madison would get things going in their next series. Guzman would hook up with Barnes on a 23-yard catch and run. Barnes would get two on the next carry and Guzman would do the rest on a 1-yard plunge for a 7-0 Hounds lead.
Fairfield would take over from there running three backs out of the backfield, engaging in some misdirection, and hiding the ball well off handoffs. The Trojans would go 11 plays without putting the ball in the air. Sophomore Zandrick Allison rushed six times for 35 yards on the drive that culminated with Ethan Bisgard scoring from 13 out, one of his three touchdowns on the night.
The Trojans would score two more times on their next three plays from scrimmage. Spencer McCready picked off a Guzman pass deep in Fort Madison territory following the kick and return it to the 8-yard line and Bisgard would take it in two plays later for a 15-7 Fairfield lead.
The Bloodhounds' Brody Cashman took a handoff on the kickoff to the left down the sideline to the 48. Fort Madison would put together at 10-play drive that got bottled up at the 31 of Fairfield. Doherty sent in Henry Graham to try a 49-yard field goal and, but for a high snap, Graham came up just five yards short.
Fairfield would score on the very next play when senior Luke Conczal went 69 yards on a run through the middle to the left for a 22-7 Fairfield lead at the half.
The Hounds would go out in four on the first possession of the third period and Fairfield would punch it in again six plays later, again without going to the air for a 29-7 lead.
Guzman would score for Fort Madison on a series that was nothing but the senior taking off with the snap. Tristan Marshall had one carry in the 11-play series for three yards. Guzman would slide in through the center of the Trojans’ defense for Fort Madison’s last score of the night.
It was all Fairfield from there on with Konczal again blowing through the Hounds’ front four, this time for 74-yards two plays after the kickoff for a 35-15 lead. They would get the running clock with about three minutes left in the fourth quarter as both teams started working in reserve players.
Doherty said the Hounds aren’t a bad football team, but they haven’t yet showed that.
“We’re trying to get guys to grow up really fast. Sometimes this happens I guess,” he said.
“We haven’t been on this side of it for a while. It’s just where we’re at. There were some glimmers to prove that we can, but we don’t prove it consistently. I don’t think we’re that bad of a football team, but until we change things, we are that bad of a football team."
Guzman led the Hounds with 72 yards and two touchdowns and was 7 of 13 for 89 yards in the air with a pick. Barnes had a strong showing with four catches for 81 yards and 16 yards on the ground on four carries.
Gavin Callahan had 10 tackles from his defensive back spot, while Marshall Heitman had 9.5 tackles along the line of scrimmage to lead the Hound defense.
Fort Madison (0-2) returns home to take on Centerville (0-2) to wrap up non-district action. Class 3A District four games start the following week on Sept. 20 with a trip to Williamsburg (1-1).
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here