Greyhounds offense gets untracked, rolls over Indy

INDEPENDENCE, Kan. -- The Fort Scott Community College Greyhounds football squad displayed something against Independence on Saturday night which it has had issues doing in most games during the 2012 season -- maintenance of a powerful and dominating offense.

The ‘Hounds (3-4, 3-3 KJCCC) accumulated 625 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns on their way to a 54-17 blow-out conference victory to remain in the hunt for the final Jayhawk Conference playoff spot. This is the most yards and points by a Greyhound squad since it scored 71 points and had 754 yards against Dodge City in 2010.

Sophomore quarterback Owen Jordan continues to take advantage of the opportunities he is given at the signal caller position throwing for a career-high 351 yards and four touchdowns. Jordan, who is a Columbus, Kan., native, had the most passing yards by a Greyhound since Willie Marshall threw for 351 yards in a game during the 2005 football campaign.

Jordan spread the ball around the field throwing to nine different receivers and was not sacked by the Pirates.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Greyhounds tallied the first points of the game with just more than 10 minutes left in the first half when Jordan connected with wide-out Terrence Hoskins for 55 yards down the middle of the field. Freshman kicker/punter Mark Whitrock added the point-after kick to make it 7-0.

Whitrock would add a 22-yard field goal to make it a 10-point game when Jordan hit Hoskins again, with 48 seconds left in the first half, this time from 3 yards out for the touchdown.

Hoskins, a 6-2, 190 pounds from St. Louis, Mo., overpowered his defender to catch a fade pass in the corner of the end zone for the score. Whitrock made it 17-0 with the PAT kick. This touchdown play capped a 13-play, 99-yard drive for the ‘Hounds.

Jordan started the second half the way he ended the first with a touchdown pass, this time to receiver Courtney Ward who caught the ball in stride for a 19-yard touchdown.

Ward, a 6-3, 215 pound sophomore from St. Louis, Mo., caught 4 balls for 59 yards.

Independence (3-4, 1-4 KJCCC) was able to put points on the board but with defense when they tackled Fort Scott running back Stanley Hagan in the end zone after the Greyhounds started the drive at their own 1-yard line. A good line push by the Pirates caught Hagan behind the line and he was ruled down by contact in the end zone for the safety making the score 24-2.

After a touchdown run and 2-point conversion by Indy cut the lead to 24-10, Jordan hit fullback Robert Rooks coming out of the backfield for a 7-yard touchdown catch. It was Rooks first touchdown catch of his collegiate career. Whitrock's PAT kick made it a 31-10 lead for the visitors.

The Pirates responded 18 seconds later when quarterback Kaylon Cooper threw to a wide-open Freeman Dozier, who raced untouched 77 yards for a Pirates touchdown and a 14-point deficit once again with 12:38 left in the third quarter. This would be as close as it would get the rest of the way.

Thirty-six seconds later after a long pass play from Jordan to Prairie Village, Kan., freshman Griffith Gans set up a first and goal for the Greyhounds at the Indy 2-yard line, sophomore fullback Charlie Ellis plowed his way into the end zone to seal the deal for the visitors.

Gans, a 5-10, 185 pound slot receiver, caught 4 passes for 123 yards leading the Greyhounds in both categories in his biggest game as a college player.

After the Ellis touchdown made it 38-17 Fort Scott, it was time for the Greyhounds to do what they do best -- pound the football and let the “Big Nasties” offensive line unit do the work.

Hagan scored from 2 yards out with 8:37 left in the contest. Then, Whitrock put three more points on the board with his second field goal of the game, this time from 27 yards, making it 47-17 with 4:42 left in the game.

With mostly Fort Scott’s reserves playing, tailback Woodley Fenelon showed off his skills as he gained 41 yards on 5 carries -- capped by a 7-yard touchdown run to round out the scoring at 54-17. It was Fenelon’s first time playing in a game this season and his first touchdown as a college running back.

Running back Hagan became the latest in the long line of FSCC running backs to surpass the 1,000 mark in a season when he rushed 24 times for 168 yards. He now has 1,010 yards for the season.

Fort Scott rushed the ball 47 times for 274 yards to go along with Jordan’s 351-yard passing output to total 625 total yards of offense, versus 263 yards for the Pirates. Fort Scott had 26 first downs to Indy’s 16.

Defensively for the Greyhounds it was an outstanding effort containing the Pirates offense from mounting any kind of running attack. Indy managed to rush for only 90 yards, averaging 2.6 yards per carry. Other than the long pass play the Pirates could not get anything going against the swarming defense of Fort Scott.

Linebacker Stephan Martin led the “Dark Side” defensive unit with seven tackles. Antonio Carter and Austin Fulson both had big games from their defensive back position coming up with five and four tackles respectively.

Overall defensively, 19 different Greyhound defenders made tackles on the night, with nine of behind the line of scrimmage. Fort Scott also had four sacks for the game raising their total to 21 sacks for the season.

Defensive back Kevin Short came up with an interception against the Pirates and is tied for the school’s career interception record with seven picks dating back from last season. Short is tied with former ‘Hound Coryell Judie who had seven interceptions during the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

Fort Scott will be off this Saturday and will return to the friendly confines of Frary Field, on Oct. 20, to face the 13th-ranked Hutchinson Blue Dragons in the 2012 Hall of Fame game. Hutchinson is 5-0 in the conference and 5-1 overall. Game time is set for 1 p.m. that day.