Ulysses takes down Scott City
Ulysses, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–On a windy night at Maxwell Field, the Ulysses Tigers forced three Scott City turnovers, as they snapped a five-game losing streak to the Beavers in a 25-6 victory.
Scott City scored first, taking advantage of a Tiger fumble with eight minutes remaining in the first quarter, on a five-yard run by Martin Gough. Tim Bolle’s extra point attempt missed, and the Beavers led 6-0. On the ensuing drive, Ulysses tied the game with 5:43 remaining in the first quarter, as Tregg Rodgriguez lined up in punt formation, was looking to pass on the fake punt, scrambled and found room to run, scoring from 39 yards out. Jorge Mendez’s kick failed, and the game was tied at six after the first quarter.
The Tigers took the lead near the midway point of the second quarter, taking advantage of a short field, as Ian Rudzik scored from 112 yards out with 6:18 left before halftime. Ulysses led 12-6 as their two-point conversion failed. Scott City drove down the field, as they got to the Tiger 29 yard line. Two consecutive delay of game penalties ended a threat right before halftime, as the Tigers took a six point lead into the locker room.
In the second half, Ulysses got their second rushing touchdown from Rudzik with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter, once again using a short field. Rudzik’s 15-yard run made it 18-6 Tigers.
The Tigers put the final points on the board for the night, as Rudzik found paydirt with 9:51 remaining in the game on a 38-yard run. Mendez’s kick made it 25-6 Ulysses, which turned out to be the final.
For the ballgame, Scott City had 198 yards of total offense, 109 on the ground. The leading rusher was Cooper Griffith, who had 10 rushes for 44 yards. Trey O’Neil was 8-of-14 for 61 yards with an interception. Ulysses finished with 353 total yards, 336 on the ground. Garrett Walters completed his only pass attempt of 17 yards to Tomas Partida. Rudzik finished with 207 yards on 20 carries and three touchdowns.
Scott City falls to 3-1 overall, 2-1 in the Great West Activities Conference, while Ulysses improves to 3-1 overall, 2-0 in GWAC play. The Beavers host Hugoton Friday night, while Ulysses hosts Goodland. Hugoton shut out Colby 56-0, while Goodland fell to Holcomb 34-12 in a lightning-delayed game.