Low-scoring, defensive battle sees Russellville drop opener to Deshler 15-14

The Russellville High School varsity football team came up just short to start the season in a hard-fought, defensive battle at Deshler on Friday night. After Russellville held a 14-7 advantage for most of the game, the hosts scored late and converted on a two-point try to edge out the Golden Tigers 15-14.

“I thought our defense played well enough to win. Obviously we gave up that late (touchdown) that we’d like to have back—and the two-point conversion,” Russellville head coach Dustin Goodwin told the Franklin Free Press. “We just didn’t play well enough offensively to win. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot, and there are multiple reasons for it. I put us in a bad situation two or three times, so the blame could be pointed just about anywhere.

“Ultimately it’s my responsibility to make sure we’re in a good situation. If we find a way to put the ball in the endzone one more time then we come away with a win,” he added. “I’ll kick myself over it for a couple days and then we’ll work to correct our mistakes and do better next week.”

The contest started with a bang.

On the opening kickoff, with Ben Pounders back to receive for the Golden Tigers, the senior defensive back and wide receiver went 90 yards to the house untouched. Unfortunately for the visitors, that opening salvo was chalked off and brought back to the RHS 25-yard line after a holding penalty was called.

That setback didn’t deter the Russellville offense on its opening drive, though, as the Golden Tigers, led by sophomore quarterback Whit Goodwin, drove down the field and made those lost points back up.

Down to the Deshler 5-yard line, Goodwin, on the play action, rolled out to his left and found an open Connor Devaney in the flats for the score. Less than three minutes into the game, Russellville found itself up 7-0.

The other Tigers were quick to respond, however. Deshler punched back on its first play from scrimmage, tying the ballgame up when senior quarterback Price Thornton, on a designed QB run, dashed 71-yards down the RHS sideline for the score.

A few possessions later, Russellville scored its second and final touchdown of the night with just over four minutes to play in the opening quarter.

Rolling out to his right this time, Goodwin, from about the Deshler 10-yard line, found his first touchdown recipient, the senior Devaney, open in the endzone. Goodwin’s pass found its intended target, but the pass bounced off Devaney’s fingertips. Fortunately, the tipped pass fell into the waiting arms of senior Keifer Hallmark standing at the right place, at the right time, wide open in the corner of the Deshler endzone.

After the Golden Tigers retook the lead, 14-7, the game fell into a stalemate—a defensive battle that neither team was content on losing. Both defenses forced turnovers: Goodwin threw two picks in the contest, while sophomore defensive back Darron Jones picked off two Deshler passes for Russellville. The Golden Tigers also forced a fumble which was recovered by sophomore linebacker Braxton Duncan.

Russellville also had its chances to put the game away, as the head coach alluded to earlier. But, in the end, the game was decided in the final few minutes. 

After a 32-yard, fourth-quarter field goal attempt by RHS senior David Tomas came up short, Deshler got the ball back with 4:47 to play. The hosts then proceeded to drive down the field and, for the first time since their opening play from scrimmage, found the endzone on a quick 21-yard pass from Thornton to senior receiver Brady McKinney.

Sensing its opportunity, Deshler then decided to go for the win then and there. On the two-point attempt, Price threw a backwards pass to senior Garrett Reid, who appeared to want to throw the ball himself. Whether by instinct or design, Reid pulled the ball down, faking out an oncoming Russellville defender, and walked a few yards into the endzone to give the hosts the 15-14 advantage.

“It was a hard-fought game and it was close. Points were at a premium and were hard to come by. It’s a non-region game, so ultimately it has no playoff implications. Both teams are going to need their guys for region games…so I don’t blame them for going for two and trying to end the game right there one way or the other,” Goodwin said. “Credit to them for making the play.”

The Golden Tigers, with 2:41 left to play, still had their own chance to get the ball back and score, but a couple of mistakes landed the visitors in a tough fourth down and forever to go. Devaney, who had an excellent individual performance with over 80 yards receiving, nearly picked up the required yardage on a pass over the middle but a shoestring tackle took him down a yard shy of the first down marker. That turnover on downs effectively ended the game.

No team ever wants to suffer a defeat, but there were plenty of bright moments for this very young Golden Tiger team to take comfort in. Goodwin said he was “proud of the fight” his team displayed.

“You know, we’re playing a bunch of guys both ways, but they kept fighting and kept battling all the way to the end. We’ve just got to clean up a few mistakes,” he said. “Most of the time (teams) make their biggest leaps from week one to week two. We’re really inexperienced and some of that youth showed tonight, but they’ll get better—we’ll all get better—and I think we’ll be a good football team.”

The Deshler victory made an already close series even closer. Russellville now holds a very narrow 49-48-4 all-time record over the Tigers.

Next week the Golden Tigers will host their home opener against the reigning Class 3A state champions, Mars Hill, a team Russellville has never beaten in three attempts.

“We know they’re going to be a high-quality opponent,” Goodwin said of Mars Hill. “They’re going to come in and play hard. They’re going to play good, clean football, so for us to have a shot and make it competitive and ultimately have a chance to win the game we’re going to have to play much cleaner, focus on our mistakes and work on addressing those.”

Kickoff for Russellville–Mars Hill at Golden Tiger Stadium is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, August 29.