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Bulldogs battle in
"Jamboree"
08/22/2008
(includes excerpts from Anvil Welch, The Joplin
Globe)
Missouri football “jamborees”,
conducted around the state Friday night, gave
coaches a chance to gauge their teams against other
competition and fans an opportunity to quench their
thirst for football after a long off-season.
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At Carl Junction, the
Bulldogs hosted both Carthage and Monett, a
pair of teams ranked high in many pre-season
polls. Both the Tigers and Cubs return
to Carl Junction later this year for regular
season games.
"Those polls are off last
year," Carthage Coach John Guidie and Monett
Coach Alan Spencer groaned in unison.
The polls are based,
realistically, on the fact that Carthage and
Monett are blessed with several salty
veterans from outstanding teams.
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Senior Jake
Hale catches a Tiger |
The Tigers
of Carthage were on offense first, facing the
Bulldogs.
Carthage needed only a
handful of plays to drive 60 yards and score the
night’s first touchdown.
But touchdowns for the
Tigers were at a premium from there for the rest of
the night, with Carthage scoring only once more
against CJ and adding a single TD when they later
battled Monett.
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The
Tigers continued moving the football during
their limit of 18 plays, driving to the
1-yard line with only three snaps remaining.
The ‘Dogs held
strong on first and second down and then
Coury Ferson recorded a sack on the
scrimmage’s final play.
Carl Junction took over and struggled moving
the football against the Tigers.
Carthage was
strong against the run, holding the Bulldogs
ball carriers for little or no gains.
The Bulldogs had several
players out of uniform due to to injuries,
including junior tailback Zach Waranch,
tight end Russel Richardson and receiver Kai
Ducre.
Waranch is expected to
significantly factor into the Bulldogs'
plans and should be ready for their opener
next week against Lamar. Richardson,
who looked strong in 7-on-7 passing drills
throughout the summer, may be out for the
season with a knee injury.
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Coury Ferson prepares
to lay a hit on a Carthage running back
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Carl Junction was
successful on a single pass play when quarterback Matt
Thompson found receiver Jansen Adams for an 8-yard pickup.
The Bulldogs only first down
came on a pass interference penalty. Carl Junction also put
the ball on the ground too often, fumbling on several plays.
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Carthage
then squared off against Monett, with Carthage
striking quickly on a pass play of over 50 yards
from Trey Derryberry to Clay Kinman.
Monett retaliated with
a score of their own against the Tigers.
The two teams basically
played to a draw as they completed their portion of
the jamboree with primarily their first teams on the
field against one another.
The final
match-up of the night pitted Big 8 rivals Carl
Junction and Monett.
Offensively, the
Bulldogs looked much better, moving the ball about
40 yards on their opening drive before stalling at
the 20-yard line.
Sophomore Dakota Sailor
looked good, picking up nice yardage on several
carries.
Monett’s
offense took the field for the night’s final 18
plays.
The Carl Junction
defense looked much stronger than earlier in the
evening, stuffing several runs at the line of
scrimmage and being credited for several quarterback
sacks.
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Jansen Adams hauls in
a short pass from Matt Thompson
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Monett eventually
scored their only touchdown against the Bulldogs late in the
scrimmage,when both teams' second units were on the field.
"I thought Carl Junction bounced back and
had a strong scrimmage against us," Monett Coach Alan
Spencer told Anvil Welch of The Joplin Globe.
For the evening,
bright spots for the Bulldogs included good offensive line
blocking against Monett and
Sailor running the ball during
the final scrimmage.
The defensive line was
impressive against Monett as well.
Carl
Junction’s defensive backfield kept receivers in front of
them throughout the night, not allowing any long receptions.
"Our inexperience really showed,"
Bulldogs Coach Bret Gosch said. "But we bounced back.
We played very well for some 12 plays against Monett and,
after the younger kids came in, I was proud of them.
We'll improve."
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Other Photos
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Bulldogs defensive
lineman Brandon Ray (64) tackles Carthage's
Jerrick Williams
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 Devin Hance (17) and
Coury Ferson (38) bring down a Carthage runner as
Trent Landes (41) closes in |
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