Special teams seal a win for Cardinals

The Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Cardinals (3-2, 2-1) cruised to a 35-20 win Friday night on the road against the Hampton-Dumont Bulldogs (0-5, 0-3).

Despite the Bulldog offense winning the total yards bout 301 to 234, GHV was able to separate themselves with stellar special teams play, which generated 17 points (two touchdowns, five PAT kicks) to decide the game.

The Cardinals wasted no time getting down to business.  After receiving the opening kickoff, GHV utilized a variety of formations and attacks to drive the length of the field. Jace Pringnitz recorded the first score of the game on a four-yard rush. Connor Burke’s PAT kick was good.

But the Bulldogs had a few tricks of their own, putting up seven.

Despite a decent following drive, the Cards couldn’t convert and had to punt. A short punt and a 27-yard return set the stage for a 14-7 Hampton lead to open the second quarter.

The Cardinals came back with a vengeance. Four strong rushes established a running game to set up a Ryan Meyers 54-yard touchdown pass to Nick Joynt. Burke tied it up.

The GHV defense stepped up in a big way on the following drive, forcing a three-and-out to give the Cards great field position.  GHV took their time working down the clock before Pringnitz punched it in on a two-yard run. Burke’s PAT kick made it 21-14 at halftime.

Midway through the third quarter, GHV rolled the dice on a fourth-and-two from their own 28, but the scheme didn’t go according to plan. The attempt came up short and the Bulldogs used that momentum to go the short distance for a touchdown. The PAT attempt was short, 21-20.

Pringnitz got the points back lickety-split on the ensuing kickoff; housing it on an 86-yard return. Burke’s PAT kick was true, 28-20.

The Bulldogs nearly returned the favor, when their own kickoff went for 74-yards before being brought down by the kicker himself. The drive was cut short when Jack Van Dusseldorp forced a fumble, giving the Cards possession on their own two.

Defense forced a series of punts, running time off the clock until Joynt found a seam on a 54-yard punt return, adding a second special teams touchdown. The PAT kick was good to close the book on another opponent, 35-20.

“We came out and played better early,” said GHV Head Coach Scott Van Dusseldorp. “Defensively, we needed to make some adjustments and I thought the team did a nice job adjusting. Offensively, I was real happy with our play.”

The Bulldogs tried three passing attempts all night, but were unable to connect. The team saw all 301-yards of offense come from pounding the ball alone. Meanwhile, the Cards had a more balanced approach, generating 151-yards on the ground and 83 through the air.

Fumbles plagued the Bulldog team throughout the night. Despite only losing one fumble, putting the ball on the grass six times effectively ended several drives, as the team was only 3/13 on third down conversions.

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Pringnitz lead the Cardinal offense with 93-yards on 19 attempts, good for two touchdowns. Burke added 51-yards on nine carries, while Joynt pitched in 27-yards on four carries.

Meyers passed for 83-yards and a touchdown, completing four of five passes. Joynt hauled in two of those passes for 70-yards and a touchdown. Anthony Sherwood had two catches for 13-yards.

Hunter Sutter was the heart and soul of the Bulldog offense, racking up 137-yards on 17 carries.

Leading the Cardinal defense was Joynt with 10.5 sacks, followed closely by Dane Whipple with 10. Other leading contributors were Pringnitz with seven and one-half tackles; Jack Van Dusseldorp with five and one-half; Meyers with four and one-half; Brady Hess picked up three and one-half; and Buck Weaver and Holden Larson had three tackles apiece.

The Cardinals continue District 2 action this Friday when they travel to take on Clarion-Goldfield-Dows-Cal (0-5, 0-3).

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