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Boy, how quickly the tides can turn.
Just one week after allowing a season high in rushing yards, the Dodge City High School football team quickly put the clamps on a Goddard team with outstanding speed.
The Demons jumped on the Lions early and put the game away with tough, physical running in the second half to defeat Goddard 33-14 and move to 1-0 in district play.
One area of concern going into this game was the defense, but they stepped up tonight as a cohesive unit to shut down any momentum Goddard had on their side.
Case and point, with the Lions driving in the first quarter, they reached into their bag of tricks and utilized a halfback pass, only to have it intercepted by Jonathan Taylor and kill the drive for Goddard.
Dodge City capitalized on the home team’s mistake as Taylor Murphy would rumble 33 yards into the endzone to give the Demons an early 6-0 lead.
After trading blows for the next quarter, DCHS took advantage of a -1 yard punt by the Lions as they drove down and Parker Davis powered his way in on fourth and goal from the two to extend that lead at halftime to 13-0.
Despite fumbling the ball on the opponent’s two early in the third quarter, the Mad Hatters on defense refused to give any ground to a Goddard team known for their misdirection and trickery.
After another stop gave the ball back to Dodge at around midfield, Murphy and Davis once again used the zone read beautifully, as Davis burst through a crease in the defense and bolted past the Lion defense for a 38-yard touchdown.
Another fantastic stop on defense allowed the Demon offense to set up shop with good field position. Isaiah Bradshaw made his biggest catch of the night on this drive, a 15 yard pitch and catch which moved the ball down to the Goddard 35. That set up Murphy, running the zone read once again, who gashed the Lions for a 35-yard touchdown scamper.
At the end of three, Dodge City could breathe a sigh of relief as they could set the rest of the game on cruise control being up 25-0.
Davis would add on his third touchdown of the night in the fourth quarter on a 41-yard explosion, as the junior would finish with 24 carries for 159 yards and three scores.
Demon head coach Dave Foster said Davis hit another gear in the second half after challenging him at halftime.
“I told Parker (Davis) during halftime, ‘I’d appreciate it if you can give me more than five yards, because that’s what the offensive line is giving you,” Foster said during his radio interview. “He took it and turned it up a notch and ran the way we know he can run.”
If one is nice, two is better, as Murphy became the second Demon rusher to eclipse the century mark, carrying the ball 13 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He would also be 8-for-14 through the air for 109 yards and no interception.
As the calendar approaches Halloween, the biggest treat on this night was the performance of the defense.
As a unit they allowed only 216 total yards, most of which came during garbage time in the fourth quarter, on 136 rushing yards and 80 passing yards.
The Demon defenders came out and pounced on the Lions from the beginning of the game, showing great intensity and penetration, not allowing the specialty players on Goddard to break free for big gains.
For Foster and the coaches, it was a new defensive scheme, and much better results.
“We tried to bring in a new defense that features crashing ends,” Foster said. “This was a system we ran at Fort Hays State and it worked well. This was the best defensive performance of the year.”
With the victory the Demons move to 4-3 overall, but most importantly, they are 1-0 in district play.
Next week they take on Maize at home for senior night and they will come in looking to salvage their playoff hopes after losing to Garden City on Friday night, 27-0.
To the fans who experience last week’s game against Hays, Foster apologized and said his team needs your support as the season winds down.
“We’ve let the fans down over the past couple of weeks and we’re sorry,” Foster said. “We need you out there at Memorial Stadium and the following week in Garden. Once we click on all cylinders, I believe we can still make a magical run like last year, we need to play every game like it’s our last 48 minutes of football.”
Boy, how quickly the tides can turn.
Just one week after allowing a season high in rushing yards, the Dodge City High School football team quickly put the clamps on a Goddard team with outstanding speed.
The Demons jumped on the Lions early and put the game away with tough, physical running in the second half to defeat Goddard 33-14 and move to 1-0 in district play.
One area of concern going into this game was the defense, but they stepped up tonight as a cohesive unit to shut down any momentum Goddard had on their side.
Case and point, with the Lions driving in the first quarter, they reached into their bag of tricks and utilized a halfback pass, only to have it intercepted by Jonathan Taylor and kill the drive for Goddard.
Dodge City capitalized on the home team’s mistake as Taylor Murphy would rumble 33 yards into the endzone to give the Demons an early 6-0 lead.
After trading blows for the next quarter, DCHS took advantage of a -1 yard punt by the Lions as they drove down and Parker Davis powered his way in on fourth and goal from the two to extend that lead at halftime to 13-0.
Despite fumbling the ball on the opponent’s two early in the third quarter, the Mad Hatters on defense refused to give any ground to a Goddard team known for their misdirection and trickery.
After another stop gave the ball back to Dodge at around midfield, Murphy and Davis once again used the zone read beautifully, as Davis burst through a crease in the defense and bolted past the Lion defense for a 38-yard touchdown.
Another fantastic stop on defense allowed the Demon offense to set up shop with good field position. Isaiah Bradshaw made his biggest catch of the night on this drive, a 15 yard pitch and catch which moved the ball down to the Goddard 35. That set up Murphy, running the zone read once again, who gashed the Lions for a 35-yard touchdown scamper.
At the end of three, Dodge City could breathe a sigh of relief as they could set the rest of the game on cruise control being up 25-0.
Davis would add on his third touchdown of the night in the fourth quarter on a 41-yard explosion, as the junior would finish with 24 carries for 159 yards and three scores.
Demon head coach Dave Foster said Davis hit another gear in the second half after challenging him at halftime.
“I told Parker (Davis) during halftime, ‘I’d appreciate it if you can give me more than five yards, because that’s what the offensive line is giving you,” Foster said during his radio interview. “He took it and turned it up a notch and ran the way we know he can run.”
If one is nice, two is better, as Murphy became the second Demon rusher to eclipse the century mark, carrying the ball 13 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He would also be 8-for-14 through the air for 109 yards and no interception.
As the calendar approaches Halloween, the biggest treat on this night was the performance of the defense.
As a unit they allowed only 216 total yards, most of which came during garbage time in the fourth quarter, on 136 rushing yards and 80 passing yards.
The Demon defenders came out and pounced on the Lions from the beginning of the game, showing great intensity and penetration, not allowing the specialty players on Goddard to break free for big gains.
For Foster and the coaches, it was a new defensive scheme, and much better results.
“We tried to bring in a new defense that features crashing ends,” Foster said. “This was a system we ran at Fort Hays State and it worked well. This was the best defensive performance of the year.”
With the victory the Demons move to 4-3 overall, but most importantly, they are 1-0 in district play.
Next week they take on Maize at home for senior night and they will come in looking to salvage their playoff hopes after losing to Garden City on Friday night, 27-0.
To the fans who experience last week’s game against Hays, Foster apologized and said his team needs your support as the season winds down.
“We’ve let the fans down over the past couple of weeks and we’re sorry,” Foster said. “We need you out there at Memorial Stadium and the following week in Garden. Once we click on all cylinders, I believe we can still make a magical run like last year, we need to play every game like it’s our last 48 minutes of football.”
