Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Wolves drop heartbreaker to Glen Rose

A two-point conversion proved to be the difference in the game between Prescott and Glen Rose Friday, Sept. 23.

Unfortunately, the conversion wasnt in Prescotts favor as the Wolves dropped to 0-4 on the season with a 22-20 loss to the Beavers. The problem is, Prescott led 20-0 at the half and showed signs of having the game in control. Glen Rose, though, had different ideas.

The game started with the Beavers winning the toss and getting started at the Glen Rose 20 after the kick went into the end zone. Mike Blancher went to the air the first two plays and found nothing but turf. A motion penalty, the first of 26 total infractions in the game, moved the Beavers back five. A running play lost four more forcing the visitors to punt.

The ball rolled dead at the Glen Rose 40 with 10:05 to go. Prescotts Ben Smith missed connection with Chris Carrigan on first down, but found Jeremy Henry for six on the second play from scrimmage. The point after was wide left, but Prescott had scored its first touchdown of the season and led 6-0 with 9:52 left in the first period.

Justin Marcums kick again sailed deep into the end zone for a touchback, putting the Beavers at the 20. Doug Vinson lost one on first down before Blancher went back to the air. He found J Keith for five, and Dallas Gandolph for eight more to move the ball to the Glen Rose 37. From there the Prescott defense stiffened and forced the Beavers to punt after three more plays.

Prescott took over at its 41, with Smith getting sacked on the first play. The Wolves were unable to move the ball and turned it over on downs at the Beaver 35.

Throughout the game, both teams showed the ability to move the ball, but also showed they could kill drives with no help because of penalties. In fact, Prescott had a touchdown called back because of an infraction, and this proved costly for the Wolves later on.

Glen Rose moved to the Prescott 39 before punting the ball when the drive stalled. The punt traveled a whopping nine yards to the Wolf 28.

But, it was three and out for the Wolves as the first quarter came to an end. Still, Prescott led 6-0.

Period two began with Prescott punting to the Glen Rose 40, then picking Blanchers pass off. Chris Phillips made the pick, returning the ball to the Beaver 40.

Smith found Marcum for a gain of 12, but the Wolves lost 10 on a holding call, followed by five more on a motion penalty, which resulted in a touchdown being called back.. The Wolves moved to the Beaver 36 before Smith was picked off by Jake Jones at the 22.

Once again it was three and out for Glen Rose, with a holding call killing any chance the Beavers had of moving the pigskin downfield. The punt was fielded by Carrigan at the Beaver 40 and returned to the 23 with 6:31 left in the half.

The Wolves covered the distance in five plays with the touchdown coming on a fourth down dive by Tristan Stuart with 4:32 to go. The try for two was no good, but Prescott held a 12-0 lead.

Marcum left the game with a broken collarbone, but the extent of the injury wasnt known at the time. Depending on the severity, he could be out the rest of the season. He was replaced at kicker, with the boot being fielded at the 13 and returned to the 38.

The Beavers mounted a drive, getting to the Prescott 49 before Blancher was intercepted by Henry, who returned the pick to the Glen Rose four with 2:39 to go in the half. Two plays later, Smith went in on a quarterback sneak to make it 18-0. The try for two was good, giving Prescott a 20-0 lead at the break as the Beavers drive stalled at the Wolf 19 as time expired.

However, the second half belonged to Glen Rose, even though Prescott got the ball first. The Wolves began at the Prescott 33, and moved backwards following a personal foul call. This put the Wolves at the 18.

It was one, two, three punt with Gandolph fielding the ball at the Beaver 47 and taking it in for six with 10:21 left in the third. This cut the lead to 20-6 as the point after failed.

Prescott started at its 42 following a penalty on Glen Rose when the kickoff went out of bounds. A personal foul call moved it to the Beaver 40 on first down, but the drive ended when Stuart fumbled the ball away at the Beaver 22.

Glen Rose punted after three plays, but got a break when Cruz Young fumbled. The visitors recovered the errant pigskin at the Prescott 41, got a break on a questionable interference call, moving the ball to the 26. Prescotts defense stiffened and forced the Beavers to turn the ball over on downs at the Wolf 28 with 5:40 remaining.

James Threadgill found the going difficult as his blocking vanished and he lost 10. This was followed by Smith being picked off, with Nathan Jones returning the interception to the Prescott 10.

Two plays later Glen Rose had narrowed the score to 20-12 as Vinson went in from four yards out. A successful two-point conversion narrowed the margin further, to 20-14.

Prescott began at its 16, after a clipping call moved the Wolves back 15 on the kickoff. The Wolves drove to the 44 before the drive stalled and Prescott had to punt as time expired. The ball rolled dead at the Glen Rose 21.

A holding call moved the ball back to the 17, being marked from the spot of the foul. Glen Rose moved to the 30 and was assisted by Prescott with an offside call on fourth and four, giving the Beavers a first down. Glen Rose took advantage of the gift, completing the drive in 14 plays, with the score coming on a 13-yard run by Vinson. The try for two was good, giving Glen Rose a 22-20 lead.

The kick was short, fielded at the 36 and returned to the 47, where the Wolves shot themselves in the foot with a holding call, which moved the ball back to the Prescott 25. Smith hit Carrigan, who fumbled, but the ball was recovered by Henry at the 33. Carrigan made it to the 44, only to see the ball moved back another 15 yards on a personal foul call. This killed the drive and forced Prescott to punt with 4:24 left in the contest. The ball rolled dead at the Beaver 45.

The Beavers made it to Prescotts 48 before Blancher fumbled, with the Wolves falling on the ball at the Glen Rose 45 with 3:05 to go.

Once again, the Wolves moved downfield, but proved to be their own worst enemy. After Smith made it to the 10 on a broken play, he saw the gain wiped out on a clipping call and the ball placed at the Beaver 25. His next three passes fell incomplete, giving Glen Rose the ball back with 0:47.7 left.

Blancher took a knee three times to end the game.

It was a long game for high school, as the contest didnt end until about 10:20 p.m. after starting at 7:30, this was because of the passes and penalties and there were plenty of both.

Unofficial stats show Prescott was 6-22 for 94 yards in the air, while Glen Rose was 14-34 for 82 yards. Prescott punted five times for 161 yards, with a 60-yard touchdown return thrown in. Glen Rose punted six times for 175 yards, with a 17 yard return by Prescott.

Both teams were flagged 3 times in the game. Prescott for 140 yards and Glen Rose for 110.

Prescott ran a total of 48 plays, while the Beavers snapped the ball 65 times.

In rushing the Wolves gained 98 yards, while Glen Rose had 94. Prescott held the edge in total yardage 192-176.

Glen Rose held the edge, though, in first downs, 14-8, and sacked Smith once. Prescott fumbled three times, losing two, while the Beavers lost their only fumble.

Taking a look at how many yards Prescott had after penalties, the Wolves had a net of 52 offensive yards, while Glen Rose had 66 net yards.

Prescott will be at home again Friday night as the Wolves host the Nashville Scrappers, 3-1 on the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.