Story and photo courtesy of Shepherd Athletics
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Shepherd University took advantage of four turnovers en route to a 20-6 win over Concord in WVIAC football action at Ram Stadium on Saturday.
Concord took a 6-0 lead when Albert Rose teamed with Randall Hawkins on a 57-yard scoring strike with left in the first quarter. The point after attempt was blocked.
Redshirt-freshman kicker Ryan Earls (Stevensville, MD/Kent Island) connected on a 22-yard field goal with 14:50 left in the second quarter to cut the lead to 6-3.
Shepherd took a 10-6 lead when freshman running back Allen Cross (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) scored a four-yard plunge with 6:17 left in the second quarter.
The Rams increased the lead to 17-6 when junior defensive back DJ Scott (Frederick, MD/Thomas Johnson) sprinted 71 yards for a touchdown on a return of a blocked field goal with 1:04 remaining in the third quarter.
Earls drilled a 30-yard field goal with 6:34 remaining to complete the scoring.
Senior quarterback Bobby Cooper (Davidsonville, MD/South River) completed 14-of-29 passes for 168 yards. Rose connected on 30-of-50 passes for 376 yards for Concord.
Hawkins had game-highs of 16 receptions and 178 receiving yards, while Ansel Ponder added nine grabs for 135 yards to pace the Concord receivers. Sophomore wide receiver William McKenzie (Upper Marlboro, MD/Frederick Douglass) had three receptions for 55 yards to lead the Rams.
Junior running back Mike Haynes (Midlothian, VA/Cloverhill) rushed 19 times for a game-high 79 yards to lead the Rams. Cross added 13 carries for 34 yards. Ben Nester rushed six times for 19 yards for the Mountain Lions.
Concord amassed 417 yards of total offense, while Shepherd had 301. The Rams held the Mountain Lions to just 41 rushing yards.
Senior cornerback Keon Robinson (Fairfax Station, VA/Lake Braddock) had 10 tackles (all solo) to lead the Shepherd defense. Davon Marion had 10 stops (7 solo) to pace Concord.
The Rams had four interceptions on the day with sophomore outside linebacker De’Ontre Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) grabbing a pair, while junior linebacker Dominique Dixon (Westover, WV/University) and Robinson each added one.
Shepherd improves to 4-1, 3-0 in WVIAC play, while Concord falls to 2-3, 1-2. The Rams return to action next Saturday when they host West Virginia Wesleyan for Homecoming at noon.