GHV Cardinals defeat the Eagles in debut game, 23-20

Nearly nine months after ending the 2015 season in a three-way tie for the District 2 title and bowing out early in post-season play, the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura football team was out to prove something Friday night by putting up a win against non-district area rival, West Hancock.

With four of seven All-District honor recipients back on the field, it was grit and leadership that helped the Cardinals hold on and claim a close 23-20 victory.

On offense, the Cards moved the ball effectively, but were unable to score.

With time expiring in the first quarter, Josh Chizek popped the ball loose from an Eagles ball carrier.  It was recovered by Conner Shaw, returning possession to GHV just inside Eagle territory.

The Cardinals rolled into the end zone in seven plays, scoring on a Shaw two-yard run. The PAT was good to give the Cards a 7-0 edge, barely two minutes into the second quarter.

The Eagles again struggled to penetrate the Cardinal wall, punting in three.

With the offensive unit firing on all cylinders once again, GHV had no problem rumbling more than 50-yards into the red zone, one carry at a time.

Ryan Meyers’ pass was intercepted the next play by West Hancock’s Glen Smith, ending the drive. Meyers returned the favor, claiming an interception of his own to give GHV the ball back.

With almost three and one-half minutes left in the half, the Cardinals were careful to drain as much of the clock as possible before moving into a hurry up offense. The Cards ran the drill well, running seven plays in :44 seconds scoring on an eight-yard Meyers to Shaw pass with two seconds on the clock.

Connor Burke’s PAT kick was good, sending the Cards into the locker room with a 14-0 lead.

The Eagles came out flat, losing seven yards before Burke recovered a fumble, giving the Cards possession. But possession was short lived as West Hancock’s Jordan Weiland forced Burke to fumble. The ball was recovered by the Eagles’ Ben Eisenman. The Eagles offense caught the Cards sleeping as Weiland took it to the house on a 63-yard dash. The PAT pass was no good, making the score 14-6.

Undeterred, the Cardinals put together a strong drive before Burke showed off his boot, kicking a 42-yard field goal – one yard short of a 26-year-old school record.

GHV buttoned up its defense once again, forcing another three and out from the Eagles. The Cardinals were unable to sustain a drive, forcing them to punt, ending the third quarter 17-6.

Another defensive breakdown led to a 56-yard touchdown sprint from Weiland to open the third quarter. The PAT missed to make the score 17-12, Cardinals.

With six minutes still on the clock, the Eagles took their shot, going for it on fourth and nine from their own 31-yard line. The pass fell incomplete, turning over the downs.

With time on their side, the Cardinals ran three and one-half minutes off the clock before moseying into the end zone on a one-yard Shaw touchdown. The PAT run was no good, 23-12.

A big pass play, big run and an eight-yard run found the Eagles in the end zone in barely over a minute. The PAT run was good, but the on-side kick was not, resulting in the final score, 23-20.

The Cardinal defense lead the way to the first win of the season, despite a few costly mistakes. The Eagles were held to 222 yards of offense, 119 of those coming on two plays, which ended in touchdowns.

GHV meanwhile, fell back into its familiar groove of smash mouth football, racking up 249 total yards on 76 plays to West Hancock’s 36. The Cardinals rushed for 243-yards and passed for 17, while the Eagles rushed for 172 and passed for 50.

Throughout the game, the Cards had 17 first downs to the Eagle’s six. Penalties also plagued the away team, as GHV tallied 86 yards-worth of yellow flags.

Shaw lead the offensive effort for GHV, tallying 157-yards on 32 carries, good for two touchdowns. Burke and Chase Theobald also chipped in 44 and 42-yards on 11 and five carries, respectively.

Meyers did the passing for the Cards, connecting on three of seven attempts for one touchdown. His receivers were Shaw for one catch of eight-yards and a touchdown, Burke with one for five and Theobald with one for four-yards.

The defense was led by Grady Umbarger with six tackles, followed by Tucker Datema with four, Burke with three and one-half and Meyers with three.

  “I was very pleased with how we stepped up,” said GHV Head Coach Scott VanDusseldorp. “We were down three starters to start the game and lost another after the second quarter. We had guys playing positions they have never played before, not even in practice, but they stepped up and did an amazing job.”

The Cardinals return to the gridiron Friday for the first home game of the season, a non-district bout against Algona (0-1).