Web posted
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Keep on Runnin'
|
Photo by Alex Gambill
click image to enlarge
|
ACHS Notebook: Injury forces Freeman to be decoy for 'Dawgs
ACHS Athlete of the Week
By JOEY SPRINKLE
Traveler Sports Editor
sports@arkcity.net
It is still unsure if Darrell Freeman's 288 rushing yards two weeks ago against El Dorado is a school record.
One thing remains certain, though: Freeman is one of the elite runners in the Ark Valley Chisolm Trail League, if not the entire state.
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior gained 130 yards and scored four touchdowns on 13 carries in the first half of Friday's 36-28 victory over Valley Center. Freeman also had a 13-yard TD reception in the half, accounting for all five of Arkansas City's touchdowns.
That said, it made a huge difference when Freeman wasn't involved much of the second half.
Hobbled by a sore ankle, Freeman gained just 10 yards on seven totes in the second half. Though he hauled in two more receptions covering 34 yards down the stretch, Freeman was held to just one net yard on his final five carries on the ground.
"His ankle is a little bit sore," ACHS head coach Darrin Wegner said after the game. "He rolled it up, but he's going to be OK."
Freeman's injury, as well as an injury to backup running back Tayler Rock, meant more carries for quarterback John Miller.
Miller, who completed just one of his first eight passes, took to the ground in the second half. With Freeman still in the game, apparently mostly as a decoy, Miller finished with 104 yards on 15 carries, giving Ark City two ball-carriers with more than 100 yards each.
The much-unheralded Bulldog defense stepped up Friday despite Valley Center's 21-0 run that began in earnest on Taylor Johnson's 73-yard touchdown run on a fake punt with 4:37 left in the first half.
Johnson took a short snap and buried the ball in his arms as most of the players converged on the right side of the field. But once he was in the open, Johnson rambled down the left sideline untouched before anyone noticed that he had the football.
It could have been disastrous for the Bulldogs, because on the ensuing kickoff, Ark City just let the ball roll dead at the ACHS 21-yard line.
Unlike a punt, though, a kickoff is a live ball and Valley Center linebacker Shaun Chesterman deftly pounced on it, setting the Hornets up in great field position.
Fortunately for the Bulldogs, cornerback Devin Avery intercepted quarterback Nate Williams on the first play to snuff out the threat.
It wasn't Avery's only big play, either. In addition to a second interception just two minutes later, the 5-9, 160-pound junior made Valley Center receiver Brandon Scheer pay for hauling in a pass over the middle with 9:45 remaining in the third quarter. Avery drilled Scheer as he came down with the ball, forcing him to leave the game.
* * *
Ark City place-kicker Griff Young missed a pair of extra points 1:27 apart in the first quarter, but there was no hesitation to call upon the 5-10, 190-pound junior when the Bulldogs desperately needed to shift the momentum late in the game.
The Hornets pulled within five points, 33-28, on their third unanswered touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter when Ark City's subsequent drive stalled at the Valley Center 20 with seven minutes remaining,
Young came in and coolly split the uprights on a 37-yard field goal that put the Bulldogs up by eight. Wegner said he never hesitated to use his struggling kicker.
"We knew we were going to kick the field goal on third down," the coach said. "We were just hoping to get something out of third down so it would be a little bit closer kick. But after we had the two bad plays on first and second down, we knew that we would end up kicking it."
* * *
Thursday is looking to be quite busy for the Ark City coaching staff.
The Bulldogs cross country teams have their only home meet of the season at 4 p.m. with the Ark City Invitational. Caney Valley, Derby, Garden City, Haysville-Campus, Kapaun Mt. Carmel, Ponca City, Valley Center, Wichita East, Wichita Heights, Wichita Northwest, Wichita South, Wichita Southeast and Winfield are set to converge on Camp Quaker Haven.
In addition to that, Andover Central, Bishop Carroll, Derby, Goddard, Hutchinson, Kapaun Mt. Carmel, Newton, Wichita East, Wichita Independent, Wichita Northwest and Winfield will be at the Arkansas City Country Club for a 1 p.m. shotgun start to the Ark City Invitational girls golf meet.
The ACHS boys soccer team takes on Valley Center at 4:30 p.m. at home. And at 5 p.m., the Lady Bulldogs play host to Chaparral and Newton at a volleyball invitational.
* * *
The Ark City junior varsity football team shut out Valley Center 13-0 on Monday.
Josh Camp had touchdown runs covering 31 yards and 40 yards for the Junior Bulldogs.
The ACHS freshmen defeated Valley Center 27-6.
Wes Brantley hauled in an 11-yard TD reception from Keegan Murphy and Derrick Banks caught a TD pass from 19 yards out.
Justin Spencer returned an interception 35 yards for a score, and added a 61-yard touchdown run as well.
ACHS Athlete of the Week
Devin Avery - Junior - Football
The Week: Avery, a 5-foot-9,
160-pound cornerback, intercepted two passes and deflected several others in Friday's 36-28 victory over Valley Center. Avery returned one pick 23 yards for the Bulldogs.
The Season: The Bulldogs (2-1)
put their modest two-game winning streak on the line Friday night at Haysville-Campus (0-3).
ABOVE: Arkansas City tailback Darrell Freeman tries to run past Valley Center defensive linemen in the second quarter Friday at
Curry Field. Freeman gained 130 yards on 13 carries in the first half, but was used sparingly in the second half after rolling an ankle.
|
