Cardinals stay undefeated with huge win over Bulldogs

(Above) GHV’s Tucker Datema (63) forced a fumble in Friday night’s game against Hampton-Dumont.  Ready to pounce is Jack VanDusseldorp (36).  Jace Pringnitz (20) also had a hand in causing the fumble.  -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

In a tale of two halves, the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Cardinals (5-0, 3-0) proved they were the tougher team, outlasting the Hampton-Dumont Bulldogs (0-5, 0-3) to the tune of 42-14, Friday night, Sept. 23, in Garner.

After 158-yards of Bulldog offense and a tie ball game at half, adjustments were made, leaving the Bulldogs unable to tally another point or yard in the second half. But it wasn’t until the Cardinals laid it on thick in the fourth quarter that the game got out of reach.

The Cardinals wasted no time putting points on the board. After a series of fumbles from both teams, GHV found themselves at midfield with the ball. Dylan Mahlstedt soon found a seam and collected the game’s first points on a 35-yard touchdown run. Connor Burke’s PAT kick was good.

Not to be outdone, the Bulldogs put together a successful drive that went the length of the field before ending in a one-yard Johnny Guerrero touchdown run. The PAT try was no good, making the score 7-6, Cardinals.

GHV retaliated with a long touchdown drive of their own. This one, showing a continuation of last week’s passing success, culminating in a Ryan Meyers to Nick Joynt 30-yard touchdown pass.

Burke’s PAT kick was good, ending the first quarter at 14-6.

After punts from both teams, Hampton-Dumont got it going again, scoring after a long drive punctuated by a Guerrero run. The conversion play was good to tie the game midway through the second quarter.

Moving the chains with newfound rigor, the Cardinals pushed all the way to the Bulldogs’ five-yard line before the defense got salty. Two stalled plays and an interception later, the Bulldogs successfully kept the game tied going into the locker room, 14-14.

It was all downhill for the Bulldogs from there, as locker room adjustments and athlete willpower commanded the rest of the game, causing the wheels to slowly fall off the Hampton-Dumont team.

Starting with the ball on the 50, the Cardinals worked their way into the end zone on a Conner Shaw run and Connor Burke PAT kick for the third quarter’s only score, 21-14.

The Cardinals ran through the sieve-like Bulldog defense the entire fourth quarter. Finding the end zone was Burke on a nine-yard touchdown run; Shaw on a 22-yard pass from Meyers; and Joynt on a four-yard run. All three of Burke’s PAT kicks were good for a final score of 42-14.

“We started off a little slow in the first half, but were able to make some adjustments at half time that worked out pretty well,” said GHV Head Coach Scott VanDusseldorp. “I am very proud of how they took the adjustments and ran with them.”

GHV recorded 353-yards of offense, 268 on the ground and 85 in the air. Meanwhile, Hampton-Dumont tallied 158-yards, 117 on the ground and 41 in the air.

Leading the Cardinal offense on the ground was Shaw, with 82-yards rushing on 22 attempts and one rushing touchdown. Other leading rushers were Burke, with 76-yards on seven carries and a TD; Joynt with 59-yards on 12 carries and a touchdown; and Mahlstedt with 46-yards on five carries and a touchdown.

Meyers did the passing for the Cards, going 5/12 for 85-yards and two touchdowns. Primary targets included Shaw, with one catch for 22-yards and another touchdown. Joynt also tallied a second touchdown with one catch for 30-yards.

Leading the Bulldogs were rushers Hunter Sutter, with 54-yards on 10 carries, and Guerrero, with 43-yards on 12 carries for touchdowns. Sutter also did the passing for the Bulldogs and went 2/8 for 41-yards.

The Cardinal defense was led by Tucker Datema with four tackles, one sack and one block. Joynt had four tackles, while Anthony Sherwood had three tackles and a sack.  Collecting three tackles apiece were Jack VanDusseldorp, Burke, Shaw and Jace Pringnitz.

The Cardinals return to the gridiron Friday night for their homecoming football game against Clarion-Goldfield-Dows (3-2, 1-2).

“We need to be able to focus to prepare for a very tough and physical Clarion-Goldfield-Dows football team,” said VanDuesseldorp.