Fort Scott, (KS) – Fort Scott Football took to the road again this week as the Hounds traveled to play the defending National Champion Hutchinson Blue Dragons. The tell-of-the-tape was obvious going in as one of the youngest teams in the country took the field against a veteran Blue Dragon Squad. Despite the odds, Coach Carson Hunter had the Hounds ready to compete and show signs of continued improvement. The young Hounds battled through all four quarters. And, despite a few key mistakes, there were marked signs of progress and a few outstanding performances.
Despite being overmatched up front, the Hounds core gave a glimpse of the future and proved they belonged on the field. Local LB Dylan Ward of Lansing High School continued making his name and presence felt once again. Ward again led the Defense with 11 tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss. Ward’s efforts and physical play were matched by fellow Kansan - De Soto High School’s Aabiyas Wakes. The scrappy Defensive Back helped keep the Hounds with a season high 10 tackles including 5 solos. LB Ethan Hix totaled 9 tackles, 5 solo, a sack and three tackles for loss. Meanwhile, the budding JPP-esque Jayden Clarke continued his season-long backfield disruption with a sack, a tackle for loss, and four tackles. Among other accolade, the Defense had 12 players with four or more tackles and had over 25 players make a tackle.
As the Offense continued to improve, the Greyhound spread attack continued to showcase the ability of all the young talent as QB Reagan Davenport completed passes to eight different receivers. Davenport, recently back from injury, completed a season high 21 passes to eight different receivers. Despite playing against arguably the best Defensive front in the nation, Davenport displayed his continued improvement within the system. One of the conference leading receivers, Mystikal Mcghee, captured a season high seven catches while continuing his streak with two or more catches in each of the four games so far this season. Speedy Flanker Semaj James had another three receptions and a touchdown. Big Jay Taylor flashed a peek at his potential taking two short passes for 11 and 16 yards respectively - shrugging off defenders to gain extra yards.
As the game went on, while the Hounds continued to battle, the defending National Champions size, experience, and depth proved too much for Fort Scott.
Never deterred, Coach Hunter could not ignore the marked improvement,
“All due respect to Coach Dallas and Hutch. They do a great job and are the class of the NJCAA. But, five months removed from not even getting to play these guys, we are a couple of immature turnovers away from being up at the half. … Our guys are as competitive and driven as any out there. But, they are also smart enough to recognize all the progress we are making. … We came out and competed the Fort Scott way against a great opponent. We played tough and fast. We just have to do a few more things the right way, and we will find ourselves playing our best. … We can hate the result and still be proud”.
“Matthew 6:9 says ‘In time, we will reap a great harvest if we do not give up.’ These guys could not give up if we tried to make them. It’s not a matter of if but when - the Harvest is coming.”
Fort Scott will be back home Saturday as they take on the Dodge City Conquistadors. Dodge skipper Ricky Coon is no stranger to Coach Hunter as the two spent years facing off as assistant coaches in the Ohio Valley Conference. Kick-Off is set for 1:00pm at Frary Field.