Osmond defense grounds Cardinals

RANDOLPH — The Randolph Cardinals fell to 0-5 this season after another first-half struggle ended in a 42-0 home defeat against Osmond last weekend.

Randolph’s top performer Collyn Beal ran for 57 yards on 15 carries.

All told, the Cardinals finished with 67 total yards of offense while falling behind 36-0 at halftime of Parent’s Night.

“Osmond got off to a fast start in the first quarter and grabbed a lead early,” Randolph head coach Mark Lech said. “We struggled putting the ball in the end zone and couldn’t turn some good opportunities into points. They had some untimely penalties that brought back big plays and had some turnovers that they couldn’t capitalize on.

“We played pretty good defense in the last three quarters and were able to cause some turnovers. Dominic Wilcox and Isaiah Salmon both had interceptions and Tom Korth and Collyn were each able to recover Osmond fumbles.”

Osmond stacked the line defensively to keep the Randolph running game from getting hot and the Cardinals had to look via the air route.

“We struggled with completions and had several drives stall after promising starts,” Lech said. “We will have a short week of practice next week as we prepare to travel to Winside.”

Junior Ajay Gubbels felt the team has improved from previous weeks despite the loss.

“I think we have gotten better because we have been tackling a lot better and it’s just that they had a good receiver who could catch the ball really well,” Gubbels said. “We are also getting to know the playbook better.”

There are only three active seniors on the roster so the team is still very young and learning.

The team has dealt with some injuries and changes in the lineup and the Cardinals are starting to adjust and get more familiar with their roles, according to Gubbels.

He says that the normal concern of a young team taking its beating and having negative effects is not trickling through the roster at this point.

“We just try to take it one week at a time and getting better every day,” he said. “Every week we go out thinking we will win and try our best. There are a few people and it sometimes changes, but every practice – even the coaches – there is someone who will give a speech to get us hyped up and we try to go out with a lot of energy.

“We try to go out and forget about the last game and move on to the next week.”

Gubbels said it helps that the team gets along and enjoy playing with each other and that keeps them thinking about the potential positives.

“We are helping each other out and making sure we are where we need to be,” he said. “We are focused on the next game, but we are also seeing the overall picture and hopefully we can still go to the playoffs and win a few games.”

PASSING

Randolph - Isaiah Salmon, 3-7-3; Dayton Winkelbauer, 0-4.

RUSHING

Randolph - Collyn Beal, 15-57; Bryson Eledge, 2-4; Isaiah Salmon, 10- -7.

RECEIVING

Randolph - Shaw Backer, 2-13; Jacob Caulder, 1-0.

TACKLES

Randolph - Bryson Eledge, 14; Collyn Beal, 12; Shaw Backer, 11; Jacob Calder, 6; Aiden Gubbels, 6; Tom Korth, 5; Ajay Gubbels, 4; Andy Hausmann, 4; Isaiah Salmon, 3; Carter Olson, 2; Dominic Wilcox, 1; Walt Hammond, 1.