Camden downs the Adamsville Cardinals at Adamsville, 41-6
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The Camden Lions made the journey to Adamsville and brought back an important regional victory. The Cardinals tried an onside kick, but Camden was ready and started their first offensive series at their 45. Ryne Haynie took the inside handoff and gained 4. Jeremy Harris followed the right tackle for a Lions first down at the Card’s 45. A holding call on the next play moved us back to our 40, but the Lions revved it up again. Nathan Leonard took two plays to make it 3rd and 1. Jeremy Harris rumbled thru the middle for another first down at the 26. Nathan ran inside for a pick up of 1. Ross Lumpkin rolled right, and the Cardinals guessed right & sacked him for a loss of ten. A pass attempt was incomplete, and the Lions tried a reverse on fourth down, and gave the ball to Adamsville back at their 25. It wasn’t all bad news when a ten-play drive stalls, because the Cardinals were in a giving mood… Two plays later, Andrew Ragsdale wrapped up the runner…and he gave the ball back! Lions ball, first and ten at the Cardinals 31!

Nathan Leonard grabbed another gear, and grabbed the ball from Lumpkin to rip off 6 yards and then 14 even more exciting yards down to the 11. First down Lions! Alan Hollowell had a great idea, and then proceeded to knock his Cardinal way back into the endzonee so Nathan Leonard could score. Jeremy Harris split the uprights, and with 4:37 left in the first quarter, it was Lions 7, Cards 0.

Jeremy teed it up at the 40 and tried an onside kick of our own. The Cards recovered, and Adamsville started their offensive series at their 44. The Cards decided to pitch left, and we are not sure what they were thinking, because Jeremy Harris made a huge open field solo tackle for a loss of 2. The next collective birdie thought was to throw it to the right, but Nathan Leonard raised his hand in time to bat that one away, 3rd and 12 at their 41. Nathan and Jeremy met the middle screen attempt with a classic tackle, so the Cards punted a low line drive that seemed to pick up speed once it started rolling. The ball finally stopped at the Lions 15! The Cards took a time out to think about defense, and the Lions came out throwing. Ross Lumpkin hit Ryne Haynie over the middle, and Ryne tucked the ball away as a flock of Cardinals worked hard to try to pry it loose. First down Lions! Jeremy Harris took the inside hand off from Ross, and bagged some birds for a pick up of 5. The next pass was intercepted, but the Lions defense was geared up to get it back. The Cards QB was chased hard on a sprint right, and was over the line when he let it go. The loss of 5 and a down made it 2nd and 14 at the 20 after the penalty. With 40 seconds left in the first, a Cardinal throw into the left flat was met with another Jeremy Harris solo tackle, and the first quarter ended.

The Adamsville tailback ran around left end to start the second quarter, and it took Brandon Smith and Jeremy Harris to stop him after a pick up of 19. Jonathan Holland and Robbie Combs squashed a run over right guard after no gain to make it 2nd and 10 at the Cards 42. The third down pass attempt was almost NOT interesting, as the ball was initially tipped by an intended Adamsville receiver, bobbled by the defender Ben Tinkle, and then almost caught by a second Cardinal! Too close! The circus play left it 3rd and 9 at the 42. Andrew Ragsdale and Will Prince decided to do a bit of bird hunting, and flushed the Cardinal QB out of the pocket. Jack Leonard covered the rushed pass attempt, and they had to punt. The long snap was bobbled by the Cards punter, and the Lions were nice enough to offer him a place to lay down…Daniel Woodall, Jonathan Holland, Jeremy Harris and Will Prince all converged on the ball in time to make it first down Lions at the Cards 29! The Cards donation seemed to be just enough encouragement for the Lions offense, as Jonathan Holland and Robbie Combs escorted Nathan Leonard around left end for a quick score. Jeremy Harris fired a kick thru for the extra point, and with 10:20 left in the half, the Lions lead, 14-0. The Lions knew a wounded bird when they ran over it, and the bobbled kickoff was just barely retained by Adamsville, as Jamie Blaylock and Brandon Smith landed on the returner at the 22. Jonathan Holland and Will Prince busted the middle of the line wide open on the first down play and caused a fumble, but the Cards managed to recover. A misdirection play on third down faked out everybody…but Brandon Smith…and he dumped the runner for a loss of 4. Nathan Leonard threw up his hand in time to vote for an incomplete pass, and with 4th and 16, the Red bird punter was kicking from his own goal line. Ryne Haynie liked the punt after the first bounce, and grabbed the ball to start some slick moves of his own. Two nice cuts later, he was finally shoved down at the Adamsville 26, where the Lions had it first down!

Ross Lumpkin had a bullet loaded, and fired it over the middle to Will Prince, who rumbled down to the 8-yard line, for a pick up of 17. With 7:03 left in the half, the center of the offensive line had somewhere to go, and took all of the Cardinals in the area with them. Jeremy Harris enjoyed the run—untouched—into the end zone, and after a partially blocked PAT attempt, Camden lead 20-0.

The taste of roasted Cardinal was great, so the Lions defense went after another serving. Jeremy Harris kicked it deep, and Ryne Haynie quickly nailed the returner at the 25. Will Prince and Tim Moss stopped a run to the left side after a pick up of only one. The wishbone offense just doesn’t work when the defense forces an early pitch…and Jason Kennon spoiled their next one. Daniel Woodall recovered the bobbled quick pitch at the 27, and the Lions were roaring again!

Ross Lumpkin went for the jugular with a throw intended for a streaking Greg Pierpoint in the left corner, but it was just past his hands for second down. Jeremy Harris went in behind the right tackle for a pick up of 4. Nathan Leonard took the ball from Ross Lumpkin and started inside where he was met by a bunch of birds…a spin to the left, still more birds…hit the left end of the line…pay dirt! Nathan’s third effort took him all the way from outside the 23 into the end zone, touchdown Lions! Jeremy Harris rocketed one straight towards God’s feet, and Camden was up 27-0.

The last Cardinal series of the first half was spent with the Lions in their backfield, and as time ran out, Jack Leonard put a big hit on their QB to let both teams head into the lockers with Camden up 27-0.

The Adamsville kick returner fielded the chip kick off, and ran to the 33 where he was met by Ryne Haynie and Alan Hollowell. Jeremy Harris and Will Prince stopped a run over right tackle after a pick up of 5. Jeremy and Jason Kennon met the third down run to the left, and the ball was rolling on the ground. The Lions recovered, and it was first down Camden at their 35! Ross Lumpkin hit Jeremy Harris in stride over the middle for an apparent score, but a holding call brought it back to the 20. Daniel Woodall punched the ball over left end, was hit, recovered, and ricocheted into the end zone for a second score…but a personal foul on Camden brought THAT one back to the 16. A throw to Blake Arnold in the end zone was tipped away. Ross Lumpkin spotted Greg Pierpoint open, and the pass was just a bit too high…and a holding call against the Lions made it 2nd and 20 at the 26. With 9 minutes left in the 3rd, Ross dropped one close to Ryne Haynie, but the defender kept him from adjusting to the ball, and the in completion made it 3rd and 20. The next pass across the middle was intercepted, and after a clipping call (defensive clipping?) against Camden was added on, it was first down Cards at their 35. The Adamsville QB was running for his life as Robbie Combs, Andrew Ragsdale, and Will Prince caged him and made him throw incomplete. Will Prince blitzed into the Adamsville backfield, and met with Robbie and Andrew and the Cards QB as he threw it away…but this time the QB was flagged for intentional grounding. The penalty and loss of down made it 3rd and 35 at the 14. The Cards QB tried to setup the middle screen, and just didn’t have too much luck with Jason Kennon and Tim Moss charging into his face. The incomplete pass made it 4th and 30 at the 14. The Adamsville punt was partially blocked by Greg Pierpoint and Daniel Woodall, so Ryne Haynie fielded the ball and ran it back to their 36. The first down play was a quick pass to Will Prince, but close defensive coverage resulted in an incomplete. Nathan Leonard mowed down the left end for a pick up of 5. Ross Lumpkin sprinted right looking for a receiver, and was sacked. What we didn’t know was that it was the perfect setup. On 4th and 14, Ross invited at least four Card defenders into his backfield for some sleight of hand tricks, and they took the bait. The middle screen to Nathan Leonard was rolling, and Jonathan Holland contributed a strong down field block to spring Nathan for the score. Jeremy sent another kick to the moon, and with 6:09 left in the third, it was Camden 34, Adamsville 0.

Jeremy Harris must be working on his golf, because his kick off had enough bite to stop dead at the 21. The Cards looked around and weren't sure what to do, and they finally fell on it just before the Lions offered some suggestions. Will Prince blasted thru the Cards line on a blitz that disrupted their first offensive play completely. The QB threw it incomplete, and it was 2nd and 10. On the next play, Will slowed the runner as he turned the right side corner, and Ryne Haynie finished the tackle off after a Cardinal gain of 6. Jason Kennon slammed his blocker aside, and stopped a run around the right side to make it 4th and 4 at the 29. Adamsville tried to pull the Lions offside, and when it didn’t work they finally had to call a time out. The punt hit a down field Lion, and the Cards recovered for a huge break and their deepest penetration of the night with first and ten at our 47. With 2:22 showing in the third, the Cards QB rolled left, but Jason Kennon and Shane Corbitt met him for a loss of 11. A flag was dropped for offensive holding, and the Lions declined to make it 2nd and 25 at their 47. An Adamsville pass was complete, with Jeremy Harris and Jamie Blaylock making the stop after a pickup of 5. A third down run around left end was met first by Will Prince and finished off by Jamie Blaylock to make it 4th and 19 at their 45. The Cards short punt was downed at the Lions 43 as the third quarter ended.

Ben Tinkle handed off to Ryne Haynie, but the Cards first team defense stopped him for a loss of 2. Ben rolled out left and pitched to Daniel Woodall for a pick up of 7. A quick handoff to Daniel up the middle resulted in no gain, and Ben Tinkle punted the ball dead at the 24. As the Adamsville wishbone started left on first down, Jamie Blaylock made a big hit & Camden almost recovered the loose ball. On second down, the Cardinal tailback took the handoff and blew thru the left side of the line and was gone for their first and only score. The two point conversion attempt was met & stopped by Ryne Haynie and Jamie Blaylock to keep it 34-6 with 7:50 remaining in the game.

The Adamsville kick was a flat shot with a Red roll, and Michael Dodd downed it at the Lions 14. Shawn French took the hand off and was dropped for a loss of 5. On the next play, Adamsville was flagged for 12 men on the field, making it 2nd and 10. As they lined it up, the Cardinals jumped, and the five-yard offside penalty made it 2nd and 5. Yet another Cardinal off sides gave Camden the first down up at the 21! Pretty good gig, but not REALLY football. The Lions were ready for some football action, and Ben Tinkle finally had a chance to get a play off. He handed the ball to Michael Dodd just as he hit the hole in the left side of the line. Michael cut hard to make the first Cardinal miss, and then just kicked in the afterburners to outrun the next one. Touchdown Lions! Dodds 79 yard scoring run and Jeremy Harris’ kick made it 41-6 with 3:29 remaining.

The hometown crowd must have talked the ref into letting the clock run as we got ready to kick, and there was only 2:02 left when the Cardinals ran their next play from scrimmage at our 39. The wishbone right gave Adamsville the first down at the 19. Keith Leslie covered a throw into the left corner of the end zone, and it fell incomplete. With 37 seconds showing, Justin Taylor snagged the Cardinal running back as he tried to make his cut after a pickup of 6. At 3rd and 4, the Card QB rolled right and threw a pass into the end zone, but Jeremy Stokes was there in coverage and the game was over.

This region win makes Camden eligible for the post season playoff. This is the only team in school history to have made it to the playoffs two years in a row, back to back. This team is on the verge of having a second winning season back to back for the first time in the last ten years, and only the fourth time in 20 years! GO LIONS! Beat Gleason!

Talking with Head Coach David Fisher about their win against Adamsville: “This was a big win, and our guys needed a win so that we could get everything behind us and make a push for the playoffs. We have been frustrated with our offensive production the last few weeks, and we had a little better result tonight. We had some miscues, but as a whole, our offense clicked. With 232 yards rushing and 91 yards passing, we did some good things offensively. We lost a little intensity in one drive to start the second half with too many penalties, but the team came out with the right focus tonight, and it made a difference.”

On Camden looking like a slightly different offense: “We knew they played everybody up and played a lot of one-on-one coverage, and we felt like we could take advantage of some of the things they were doing. I felt like we could get some more time for Ross (to throw), and he did a good job of delivering the ball on target. Our receivers did a good job of catching the ball.”

On the overall defensive performance by the Lions: “Will Prince played an excellent football game with some of his stunts from linebacker, and all of our guys played a good defensive game to hold them to just one score. We were after our offense to keep the ball & score, and that allowed our defense to play even harder.”

On Camden’s display of being able to get a big lead and then finish the game with a win: "We told them at half-time that they have to go ahead and close the deal. We wanted to score two more touchdowns and then relax and let the backups play. Last year, we had Trinity Christian 28-0 at the half, and we let them come back and finish up at 28-21, so some of our guys have learned a lesson about how to finish a football game. We had a couple lapses in concentration, which I guess we should expect from a team that is still learning and growing, but it cost us Jeremy Harris’ touchdown and one by Daniel Woodall. They were mental lapses, and luckily, they didn’t make a difference in the final result. Hopefully, we can continue to play better football than we have in the last two or three previous weeks, and we can carry that into next week also.”

On Adamsville’s young team: “There was no quit to this team, they hung in there and played hard. It would be easy to say at this point in their season, that it would be easy to let up, but they played with a lot of desire. They have a lot of freshman and sophomores, and they are going to be pretty good in a few years, but this growing period is painful. I know, because we have been thru the stage that they are in right now, and it is tough. I wish them the best, and it seems that they are getting a player hurt every week. They had a young man break his arm tonight, and we hate that. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those, and we hope that young man will be fine.”

On next week’s opponent, Gleason: “I think Gleason was 1-5 going into tonight’s game, they play a lot of young football players. They have made a lot of improvement. We need to go in there and work on improving our performance on the field. We are not going to look past Gleason, because we are not capable of looking past anyone at their home, but tonight’s win and Riverside’s loss makes a difference. The tenth game against Riverside now determines the difference between fourth and third place in the region. I feel like we can beat the second place team in the other region.”

On Thursday nights CJH Sorghum Bowl victory: “It was a great atmosphere with a huge turnout by our fans. Special thanks to the Benton County Chamber of Commerce and all of the volunteers, as well as my wife, for the huge part that they all played in putting the Bowl game and post-game meal together. My hat’s off to those young men, and we have extended an invitation to the 8th graders to eat the pre-game meal with us, ride on the bus to Gleason, and be on the sideline with us next Friday night. Maybe this will help get them used to being with us, because we would like to have all those kids out next year PLUS pick up 5 or 6 others that didn’t play this year. We have already started talking to several teams about 9th grade games for next year, and hopefully we can put a schedule together that will help them build on their success. We were able to do this with our present junior class, and I think it has been a benefit the last couple years.”

Game Awards:

On Nathan Leonard winning the Camden Motor Parts and Bearing Offensive Player of the Game Award: “Nathan had 112 yards rushing, caught a touchdown pass, but all week long his knee has been swollen up and hasn’t practiced. One of the guys at the end of the game said, “Maybe we all need to layout of practice, Coach”! We moved him over to halfback, and tonight he got his opportunity to show what he capable of doing, and I thought he did a good job.”

On Jeremy Harris winning the Camden Motor parts and Bearing Defensive Player of the Game Award: “Jeremy has to call all the defensive signals, and he was more aggressive with his play. He was a mainstay on defense, and spent a lot of time in their backfield tonight. I don’t know how many tackles he had, but he played an excellent football game on both sides of the ball, actually.”

On Michael Dodd winning the Wendy’s Big Classic Player of the Game: “One carry for 79 yards, not a bad average! You can’t beat that. It was a big play, we were running the clock out, and when he got to the corner, it looked like he was shot out of a cannon! That was a lot of our freshman against their first team defense, and it was good to see them have success. Michael is quick, and he still has some maturing and learning to do, but he is going to be a fine back for us. He will probably get some more snaps next week and as the year goes on, but the exciting part is looking forward to his next three years.”

The Camden Quarterback Club Game Ball will be given away during Monday’s practice.


Some game statistics:

Total rushing offense - 232 yds
Total passing offense - 91 yds
Total offense - 323 yds
Total penalties - 50 yds

Nathan Leonard - 10 carries for 113 yds, 4 TD’s
Jeremy Harris - 5 carries for 31 yds, 1 TD, 4 PAT’s
Ryne Haynie - 2 carries for 13 yds
Daniel Woodall - 2 carries for 5 yds
Michael Dodd - 1 carry for 79 yds, 1 TD

Ross Lumpkin - 5 of 12 for 91 yds, 2 int, 1 TD pass
Ben Tinkle - 8 punts for 38-yd average, longest 46 yds

Photos taken by Sharon Harris


VIDEO CLIPS
(Taken by Sharon Harris)

Video Clip 1 - Ryne Haynie runs over left tackle for a gain (949KB)

Video Clip 2 - Watch the Lions race onto the field thru the Spirit Line at Adamsville (488KB)

Video Clip 3 - Michael Dodd out runs everyone to the endzone for a touchdown! (947KB)

Video Clip 4 - Nathan Leonard uses his THIRD effort to score against Adamsville! (984KB)