By Kary Booher (Ozarks Sports Zone)
FAIR GROVE, Mo. — Friday night when he and a smothering defense – and a crisp offensive line – led the way to a 49-7 victory against the visiting Ash Grove Pirates.
Robertson devoured the opposing quarterback for two key sacks, while the O-line – in the first half alone — set up Noah Sandridge for three rushing touchdowns and quarterback Jayden Kensinger to throw for two TDs.
“We try to work together, practice hard and communicate really well with each other,” Robertson said of both the Eagles’ front lines. “We’re all brothers out here.”
In the past two weeks, Fair Grove’s defense has yielded only 21 points, including only seven in the past six quarters.
The Eagles limited Ash Grove, a 6-2 team in Class 1, to only 129 total yards. That figure includes 63 yards on Ash Grove’s final drive of the first half, which ended in a 16-yard TD pass from Chase White to Turner Davis.
This from a Fair Grove D-line that includes Colton Dame, Cody Gunder and Sandridge. With them working the trenches, it’s given free rein to linebackers David Opoltnik, Hale Beckley, Stewart Hopkins, Rhett Hill and Hunter Maxwell. Josh Thompson, a corner, also had two interceptions against the Pirates – with his first coming two plays after Robertson’s first sack.
“I was really impressed with how well Hunter and Colton Dame and our defensive line played,” Fair Grove coach Bill Voorhis said. “Hunter’s been doing that all
year. He’s broken every stat we have in sacks. He’s a once-in-a-not-very-often player.”
Said Ash Grove coach Ryan Long, “We’ve been big on getting to the edges. That wasn’t the case this week. We thought we could get outside with some bubble (screens), but their safeties closed quick.”
In fairness to Ash Grove, 10 guys were playing Iron Man football on both sides of the line, meaning almost no breathers.
That was a tough reality against Roberston and the O-line, because Fair Grove moved the chains almost at will. Sandridge capped the Eagles’ first two series with 1- and 4-yard runs, while Kensinger connected with Young and Hoskins on 16- and 40-yard TD passes.
The Sandridge TDs finished drives of 62, 48 and 47 yards – with 11 hand-offs going to Sandridge, who finished with 80 yards rushing. His second TD of the game followed Ash Grove turning it over on downs after an incomplete pass, that off a deep post pattern on fourth-and-6 from its own 48.
“With those five guys up front,” Sandridge said, “my job is made for me. I just run the ball.”
Sandridge’s third TD pushed Fair Grove’s advantage to 28-0 with 7:40 left, and came after one of Thompson’s interceptions and before Kensinger’s 40-yard TD strike to Hoskins down the seam.
The Pirates were trying to take away two receivers with two high safeties, but two others – Dominic Hoskins and Elijah Young – combined for most of Kensinger’s 141 yards passing.
“We really figured that they would be more effective through the air on us, and we figured we’d do a better job shutting down the run. That wasn’t the case,” Long said. “The big fella just pounded it on us. We had trouble wrapping him up and bringing him down. And that opened up the passing game for them.”
Ash Grove finishes the regular season next Friday against Strafford, while Fair Grove plays at Adrian.
“The last two weeks I feel like they’ve been complete games,” Voorhis said. “We’re figuring out who we are a little bit, and I think we’re playing well at the right time heading into districts.”
