DERMOTT - The Woodlawn Bears used an explosive start, a 217-yard rushing effort from Griffin Manes and three onside kick recoveries to destroy the winless Dermott Rams, 70-14, in a South Conference game last Friday night at Sportsman’s Field in Dermott.
Manes, coming off a 308-yard performance the previous week against Friendship Aspire, basically picked up from where he left off.
On what was the first official offensive snap of the game after Miles West returned the opening kickoff 24 yards, Manes found the corner and raced past the Rams for a 44-yard touchdown run. Parker Arnold added the conversion on a quarterback keeper to give Woodlawn a 8-0 lead with 28 seconds off the clock.
That turned out to be a preview of things to come.
After forcing a Ram punt, the Bears’ Ethan Saeler had a 32-yard run followed by a 23-yard blast from Manes to help set up the a six-yard TD run by Arnold. Arnold hit Spencer Towery for two-pointer to make it 16-0.
Saeler, who earned defensive player of the game honors the previous week in what was his first game back after undergoing arm surgery during the summer, dropped the Dermott quarterback for a 13-yard loss on the first play of Rams’ ensuing series. Then, facing fourth-and-26, it looked as though the Rams were going to punt but instead ended up going 63 yards on a fake for a score. The conversion run was good, cutting the Woodlawn lead to 16-8 nearing the midpoint of the first quarter.
That, however, would be as close at it would get.
Manes returned the Rams’ ensuing onside attempt 19 yards to the Dermott 30. After a 16-yard pick-up by Manes, Saeler took it in from 14 yards out on the next snap. The two-point attempt failed, making it 22-8.
Woodlawn then came up with the first of what would be three straight fumble recoveries that led to three consecutive scores, giving the Bears total control of the game.
Tayte McCain came up with the first recovery at at the Dermott 22 after a high pooch kick by Saeler. Four plays later, Saeler sco…