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Rams come home with unbeaten aura in place

By Bob Madison - For the Chronicle | Sep 24, 2021

Moss

SHEPHERDSTOWN — When Shepherd and Indiana streamed back onto Frank Cignetti Field after a halftime break in the western Pennsylvania town, the industrial fans along the sidelines were still trying to beat the heat and cool things enough to give the players some renewed energy for the second half of the PSAC football game.

The fans might not have worked. But it was Shepherd that discovered the ways to shed Indiana’s defensive shackles, scoring 20 points in the third quarter and moving smartly to a 37-21 conference win that left the Rams with a 3-0 record and readying for a week of preparation that will see them play at home for the first time in the 2021 season when Kutztown visits Ram Stadium for a 12-noon game tomorrow.

With only a lean 10-6 lead at halftime, the Rams accepted the second-half kickoff and methodically marched to a score that extended the lead to 11 points. Before the quarter ended, there were two more Shepherd TDs and the offense had been wilting the Crimson Hawk defense like it couldn’t do in the opening half.

Indiana had not allowed Ram quarterback Tyson Bagent to squash its chances in the first half, finding sporadic pressure to make him adjust some of his throws and keeping the Shepherd pass offense from owning the humid afternoon.

But once the second half came, the Ram offensive line was much more in control and Bagent found waiting targets in Josh Gontarek, Ryan Beach and Jonathan Moss.

Bagent

Gontarek made one long catch after another. And when the passes weren’t very lengthy, he made meaningful yardage with his runs following the receptions. In all, Gontarek had six receptions for 183 yards and a 20-yard TD contribution.

Shepherd stormed to 554 yards of total offense that included 468 passing yards when Bagent went 28-for-41 through the air. Beach had a 21-yard score, Alex Wetzel a 13-yard TD and Greg Leonard a TD romp of 57 yards after a short-range catch.

Indiana, which once trailed, 37-13, had 330 yards of total offense, but was always playing from behind once the Rams broke a 3-3 tie with Bagent’s one-yard keeper that made it a10-3 Shepherd lead.

The ever-present heat sapped player energies throughout, but the Rams limited the Crimson Hawks to 79 rushing yards with Kendall Duckworth (11 tackles and a sack) and Chrys Lane (seven tackles and two sacks) generally being the most disruptive Shepherd defenders.

Despite missing a 30-yard field goal attempt and an extra point kick, the Rams had exerted their leverage on the game with their three third-quarter touchdowns.

Beach

Shepherd has wins over Ohio Dominican, Gannon and Indiana, and all the victories were on the road. The grey road uniforms can be given a rest for the first time this week when Kutztown, the defending East Division champion

from 2019, visits first and then unbeaten Shippensburg comes in on the first Saturday in October.

The Rams had wrested control of Indiana when they scored with their first possession of the third quarter. And they didn’t let go until they left 11,000-seat Cignetti Field with sweat-stained uniforms and another hard-won road victory.

Leonard

Wetzel