The Cannon Falls Bombers overcame an early deficit to beat Winona Cotter Ramblers Friday night at John Burch Field. The Ramblers took the opening kickoff and drove the ball down to the Bombers 25 yard line. Then on a 4th and 12 from the Bomber 25 yard line, nose guard Taylor Carlson broke through the line and forced quarterback John Marais to step up into the pocket, where he was met by a host of Bomber defenders. The Bombers took over the ball at their own 30 yard line. Two plays later the Bombers gave the ball back on a fumble at the Bombers 32 yard line. The Ramblers took advantage of the fumble and drove 32 yards for the first touchdown of the game. Key plays for the Ramblers were a 10 yard run by Ryan Grant, on a less than stellar tackling job by the Bombers, and a 4th down 17 yard pass from Marais to receiver Jon Eichman. Kick was good. Score CF 0 Cotter 7 The Bombers started at the 20 yard after the kickoff. After a nice 27 yard run by Ian Althoff the Bombers lost possession on downs at the Ramblers 41 yard line. The Ramblers drove down to the Bombers 22 yard line when the Bombers forced a fumble and Brock Peterson came up with the ball. The Bombers failed to get a first down and at the start of the 2 quarter the Bombers were forced to punt.
1st Quarter score: CF 0 Cotter 7.
Noah Callister kicked a nice 38 yard punt and the Ramblers started at their own 42. Then it was the Ryan Grant show, he had a 22 yard run, 14 yard screen pass from Marais and after a 20 yard pass from Marias to Eichman for a TD, Grant kicks the extra point and Cotter had a 14-0 lead. The Bombers start the next possession from their own 25 yard line. Nice carries by Althoff, Jordan Lundell, Zach Holes and Sterling Carlson behind lead blockers Andrew Anderson and Sterlin Carlson, take the ball down to the Ramblers 33 yard line. At this point the linebackers were creeping closer to the line of scrimmage to try and stop the run. Coach Josh Hofstedt, called for a pass. Resulting in Johnson hitting Callister down the middle for a 33 yard TD. Derek Johnson's kick is good. Score CF 7 Cotter 14. The Ramblers return the kickoff 45 yards, to the Bombers 45 yard line. After a couple of nice carries by Grant, the Bombers hold and take over at their own 14 yard line. Three and out for the Bombers. Callister kicks another good punt and the Ramblers take over at their own 45 yard line. Then on Cotters 3rd down play Lundell makes a nice interception of a Marais pass and the Bombers take over at their own 44 yard line. The Bombers fail to get a 1st down and Callister has another good punt that is downed on the Ramblers 14 yard line. The Ramblers go three and out and punt. Bombers take over at their own 27. Johnson scrambles for good yardage and Lundell takes a screen pass down to the 25 yard line as time runs out on the first half.
Half time score: CF 7 Cotter 14.
Althoff returns the second half kickoff to the 27 yard line. The Bombers have a 9 play 73 yard drive for a TD. Key plays: Lundell pass reception for 20 yards, Althoff 3 carries for 28 yards, Holes 1 run for 6 yards and Lundell 3 carries for 20 yards and a touchdown. Nice blocking by the offensive line and the lead blockers. D Johnson kicked the extra point to tie the game at 14. D Johnson's kickoff was returned to the Rambler 37 yard line. The Ramblers drive down to the Bombers 27 yard line, where Alex Bultena makes a great defensive play. He swats a Marais to Eichman pass away in the end zone. The Bombers hold on 4th down to end the Rambler threat. The Bombers start the drive at their own 20 yard line. 9 Plays and 65 yards later the 3rd Quarter comes to an end with the Bombers at the Rambler 15 yard line.
3rd Quarter score: CF 14 Cotter 14
The first play of the 4th quarter the Bombers score on a Johnson to Colton Sande, 15 yard pass play. Johnson rolled right, pressure from the Ramblers made Johnson roll back left, Sande did a good job moving with his QB. He found an open area and Johnson hit him for the touchdown. Key plays of the drive were Johnson's 22 yard scramble run and a 17 yard pass to Bultena. D Johnson's kick was blocked. Score CF 20 Cotter 14. The Ramblers return D Johnson's kickoff to their own 40 yard line. Bomber defense holds the Ramblers on downs, and takes over on their own 43 yard line. The Bombers proceed to score on a 10 play 57 yard drive. Key plays: the Bombers catch the Ramblers leaving the middle of the field open again, on a 3rd down and 20 from the bombers 25 yard line, Johnson hits TE Austin Lauridsen with a pass down the middle and Lauridsen takes it down to the Ramblers 25 yard line for 50 yard gain. Bombers score 5 plays later on QB sneak by Johnson. D Johnson kicks the extra point. Score CF 27 Cotter 14. D Johnson's squib kick recovered by the Ramblers on their own 43 yard line. The Ramblers completed a few passes but the defense stayed strong stopping the Ramblers 4 times from the 4 yard line. The Bombers were able to run out the clock and seal the victory.
Final Score: CF 27 Cotter 14
The luxury of having a 2 score lead with 6 minutes to go was huge for the Bomber defense. They just needed to play sound defense and not give up a big play. And this was exactly what they did.
This was a good test for the Bombers, they will need to have this second half intensity at the start of every game. I liked how they ran the ball in the second half with the power game, that will open up opportunities in the passing game. The defense has to be happy about shutting down the Rambler passing game, it has always been a large part of Cotter football.
Wednesday I will be back with the preview of the Goodhue game.
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