Golden Tiger defense dominant in 20-0 win over Trojans
By Staff
Jonathan Willis
MUSCLE SHOALS – Senior wide receiver Ryan Romans hauled in two touchdown passes and gave the Russellville offense the spark it needed Friday night to extend the Golden Tigers' winning streak over Muscle Shoals to nine games.
But following a 20-0 shutout, it was the defense that Romans wanted to talk about.
"We played like a Russellville defense is supposed to," Romans said.
"We came out motivated and played fast the entire game. We were ready for anything they tried."
A week after being pushed around at the line of scrimmage by St. Paul's, the Golden Tiger defense held the Trojans to just 42 total yards and only four first downs.
Russellville head coach Doug Goodwin said he was proud of the way his defense bounced back and played Friday night.
"The defense showed up and played well," Goodwin said. "They have a good team, but our defense came out and played tonight.
"I think our offense played well in spots. Muscle Shoals has a good defense. They've got four good linebackers."
The Russellville offense scored on the second play of the second quarter when senior quarterback Jake Ward hit Romans for a 16-yard touchdown. Jose Betancourt added the PAT to give Russellville a 7-0 lead.
The Trojans continued trying to get a running game going for the rest of the half, but the Russellville defense would not bend. Muscle Shoals had five total yards in the first half and only completed one pass for minus one yard.
Russellville added to its lead when Brent Calloway scampered into the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown run with 3:38 to go in the half. The touchdown run was set up by a 22-yard scramble by Ward on the previous play.
Russellville held on to the 14-0 lead throughout the third quarter before tacking on six more points early in the fourth quarter.
Senior quarterback Joey Howe threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Romans with 11:21 to go in the game. Romans went up over one defender and pulled the ball down just before falling out of the back of the end zone.
"We work everyday on going up and getting the ball when someone has us covered," said Romans, who finished the night with a game high six catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
Calloway, who left the game midway through the fourth quarter with a shoulder stinger, had 100 yards on 17 attempts plus a touchdown.
Russellville ran the ball 41 times for 194 yards. Howe and Ward combined to go 15-of-30 passing for 156 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The win improves Russellville's record to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in region play. With Hartselle's win over Athens Friday, however, the Golden Tigers will more than likely be playing for second place in the region, which would secure a first round playoff home game.
The Golden Tigers host J.O. Johnson next week for homecoming.
