Nowhere to Run for Rams

CARMEL – In what figured to be a slugfest between two of the better AA football teams in the section, it was RCK that came out on the winning side Saturday afternoon, as the Dutchess Indians handed Carmel a 28-21 setback in a AA-North clash at Ketcham High School.

Carmel’s RJ Krauss stiff arms defender Saturday at Ketcham. The Rams (0-1) were unable to recover from a second quarter that saw Ketcham erupt for two key touchdowns to grab a 21-7 lead that stood at halftime.

Carmel answered in the third, with RJ Krauss hauling in a 12-yard pass from Ryan Shilling to close the gap to 21-14, but Ketcham responded with a game-clinching score of its own, and carried a 28-14 advantage into the fourth quarter.

While the Rams did some damage in the air – with Shilling completing 12- of-24 attempts for 187 yards and three touchdowns - it was the ground game that never really got going.

Rams quarterback Ryan Shilling scrambles out of the pocket to avoid rush. Carmel didn’t close the gap until the final minutes of the game, when Shilling connected with Chris Conover on a 35-yard touchdown pass on a fourthand 10 play.

Carmel tried an onsides kick, and recovered. But officials ruled that the ball didn’t travel the required 10 yards. It was just short, and Ketcham took over.

The Rams defense held, but there was just nine seconds on the clock when Carmel got the ball back near midfield. Two hail Mary passes fell incomplete.

“We just played too inconsistent,” Carmel coach Todd Cayea said. “In the second quarter we had 12 consecutive plays where we either had the wrong alignment, or made a mistake on an assignment. When you play a good team, you can’t do that or they make you pay. We just didn’t play well in the second quarter. And they were physical - at times they took it to us. They’re a very good football team, and on that day they were the better team. We’ve got to learn from our mistakes and go forward.”

Chris Conover had five receptions and a TD Saturday. Carmel fans might have thought things were going to be easy on this day. After holding RCK to a three-andout on the game’s first series, the Rams’ offense struck quickly. On the first play from scrimmage Shilling rolled right and lofted a long ball to a wide open Aaron Smith down field, a play that went 66 yards for a touchdown.

“That was a great way to start the game,” Cayea said. “But we knew there was a lot more football ahead of us. I think Shilling threw the ball very well, the passing game was good. But our inability to establish a consistent ground game hurt us. We had too many mistakes… it’s something we’ve got to work on.”

Aaron Smith pulls in a pass from Ryan Shilling for a TD. RJ Krauss led Carmel with 57 yards and a TD on 15 carries, and the Rams totaled under 100 yards on the ground, finishing with 97.

Cayea said the mental mistakes are a concern. “I do worry about it,” he said. “I think we’ve got to go back and maybe simplify some schemes… worry more about execution. It wasn’t one of RJ’s greatest games, but he’s got a lot left in the tank. He knows he’s got to step it up – like everybody else. We need balance. For us to be competitive we need balance. We can’t be one-dimensional.”

Shilling threw two interceptions, but both were on hail mary attempts at the end of each half. Chris Conover had five receptions for 67 yards and a TD, and Smith finished with two catches for 75 yards and a TD.

Carmel will host John Jay of Cross River today (Thursday) at 6pm. The Indians are coming off a 26-10 loss to John Jay EF.