Joaquin 7th grade running back Nate Belrose pounded the West Rusk defense for 87 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns Thursday night as he led the Rams to a 22-0 blanking of West Rusk at Raider Stadium.
The victory improved the Rams to 2-2 against District 9-2A competition.
The Joaquin eighth grade didn't fare as well, falling by a 26-14 count as the Rams saw their league record fall back to 2-2.
Both Ram teams will be be at home in Ram Stadium next Thursday night to take on Union Grove in their final games of the 2011 season.
Joaquin 7th 22, West Rusk 0 -- A late touchdown in the first half helped the Joaquin Ram 7th grade as the squad took a 14-0 lead at the half and then coasted in the second half with a stellar defensive effort.
After a four-and-out by the Raiders in the first period, it didn't take long for the Rams to stick the pigskin in the endzone as Belrose ended a short 2-play, 42-yard scoring drive with a 38-yard touchdown run. Brock Lawson added the 2-point conversion with 2:50 left in the first quarter for an 8-0 Joaquin lead.
The Ram defense stopped West Rusk and then the offense went on another sustained drive in the second period. Joaquin drove 61 yards in eight plays and Lawson connected with Belrose for a 10-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the half. The try for two failed, but JJHS led 14-0 at intermission.
Joaquin had one more momentum sustained drive in the second half. It came in the third quarter when the Rams moved 37 yards in six plays. Lawson scored on a 3-yard run with 2:48 showing on the third-quarter clock. Hunter Harper added the 2-point conversion and the final score was in.
After that the Joaquin defense forced a punt and the Joaquin offense ran most of the remaining clock off and kept the ball away from the West Rusk offense.
Belrose carried the ball seven times on the night, scoring a pair of touchdowns with his 76-yard effort. Peyton Martinez also stepped up the pace with 77 yards on nine attempts and Lawson ran for seven yards on four tries.
Lawson completed his only pass attempt on the cold, wet night, throwing for the 10-yard touchdown.
West Rusk 8th 26, Joaquin 14 -- Tanner Williams had a big night running the football for the Joaquin eighth grade, picking up 164 yards on 16 carries. But it wasn't enough as the Rams turned the ball over too much and dropped a 26-14 setback to the Raiders.
Trevor Baker added 37 yards on just five carries, Coleman Dickerson picked up 13 yards on three carries and Cole Powdrill managed seven yards rushing.
The Raiders broke on top in the first quarter, driving 63 yards in six plays. The touchdown came with 3:42 remaining in the period as WRJHS led 6-0 at the end of the opening period.
Joaquin then had trouble hanging on to the football and gave it back to the Raiders on a fumble. A time-consuming drive resulted in a 40-yard touchdown run with 5:44 left in the half. The 2-point conversion was good this time to put the Raiders ahead 14-0.
Another fumbled by the Rams in the first half put the team in deeper trouble and West Rusk took advantage of it by driving only 19 yards in five plays. The touchdown came on an 11-yard run to give the Raiders a 20-0 lead with 2:13 left before intermission.
Joaquin finally put together a strong scoring drive together early in the second half. The Rams marched 76 yards in eight plays to light up the scoreboard. The score came on a 19-yard run by Williams. The try for two failed, but with 3:54 left in the quarter Joaquin had cut the deficit to 20-6.
West Rusk came right back, scoring in just two plays after the kickoff. The 38-yard scoring run gave the Raiders a 26-6 lead with 2:55 left in the third.
Joaquin once again moved the ball at the end of the third period and at the beginning of the fourth. The Rams marched 78 yards in 11 plays and scored on a 26-yard scamper by Williams. The six-minute drive and the 2-point conversion by Baker cut the lead to 26-14, but it only left 1:44 left on the clock.
The Raiders then ran the clock out.
(Statistics compiled by Darrell Martinez.)