The 90 minute roadtrip to North Crowley proved to be well worth the trip as the Rams scored early and often to put away the Panthers 41-21. On the first offensive play of the game for the Panthers, Rams defensive tackle Justin Yancey recovered a Panther fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. The remainder of the first half also went in favor of the Rams. Grant Nakwaasah scored three times in the first half, on TD runs of 2 and 7 yards as well as an 80 yd. interception return for a score. Zack Olen booted a 44 yd FG in between those scores and North Crowley RB TJ Stewart got loose on the last play of the half to round out the scoring at 31-7.
The Rams continued the scoring in the third quarter as the offensive line continued its dominance. Olen booted a 29 yd. FG and Nakwaasah tacked on a 13 yd. TD run to give the Rams all the points they needed. North Crowley did manage 2 second half scores but the outcome of the contest was never in question. The Rams ended the night with 317 yds. rushing on 45 carries, with Nakwaasah accounting for 127 of those yards. QB Aric Stock added 96 yards on the ground and 6-11 for 61 yards through the air. One negative aspect of the game was the excessive penalties racked up by the Rams as they were flagged with 16 penalties that cost them 161 yards. North Crowley (0-2 on the year) was only flagged 6 times for 48 yards.
The Rams (2-0) face a stiff test next week as they welcome the (1-1) Desoto Eagles to Ram-Wildcat Stadium on Fri. September 11. The Eagles, fresh off a 45-15 win over the Plano Wildcats, are one of the most talented and dangerous teams in the DFW area and come into the game with a # 9 ranking in the state 5A poll. QB Ryan Polite, RB Marcus Murphy, and WR/TE Darius Terrell lead a fast-paced offensive attack behind a strong offensive line led by LSU-bound LT Evan Washington. The Eagles also boost a defense that swarms the football and is led by strong linebacker play. Last year, the Rams traveled to Eagle Stadium and escaped with a hard fough 10-7 win. This year's contest will be a challenge for the Rams and it should be one of the top games in the area. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm.