ROSS — An 85-yard kickoff returning following Wilmington’s only score of the night propelled Ross to a 27-7 win Friday night in the season opener.

Despite the Rams seemingly having the better of the play, Wilmington was within 14-7 late in the first half. Tyler Kramer and Josh Snell pressured the Rams punter on a botched snap and Snell recover the loose ball in the end zone to cut the difference in half.

But on the ensuing kickoff, Ashlen Schmidt went 85 yards for a touchdown to give the Rams cushion and take some of the wind out of the Hurricane.

“We came out sloppy, didn’t start fast,” Wilmington head coach Ryan Evans said after the game. “We need to clean up the penalties; that killed us.”

Wilmington had seven penalties for 70 yards, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.

Led by Thad Stuckey’s 156-yard performance, the Hurricane amassed 238 yards on the ground.

“Our O-line played hard,” said Evans.

Going up and down the field is one thing. Getting points is another.

“We just didn’t get the ball in the end zone,” the coach lamented.

The Rams totaled 285 yards rushing, with Jay Warren going for 202 and a pair of scores. Despite that, Darrick Perdue, Malachi Cumberland, Luke Achtermann, Bryson Schutte and Josh Snell had big defensive efforts.

Said Evans, “Our defense played great. There were a lot of short fields; they were put in crazy situations.”

While Evans sees progress in his team, he said the discipline must continue to improve. “We have to clean it up if we want to beat anybody.”

SUMMARY

Aug 19, 2022

@Robinson Field, Ross HS

R0ss 27, Wilmington 7

First Quarter

R: Jay Warren 17 run (Sully Spencer PAT) 8:08

Second Quarter

R: Riley Caldwell 7 run (Sully Spencer PAT) 10:43

W: Josh Snell recovers fumble in end zone (Dylan Groves PAT) 1:06

R: Ashlen Schmidt 85 KOR (Sully Spencer PAT) 0:51

Third Quarter

No Scoring

Fourth Quarter

R: Jay Warren 54 run (PAT failed) 3:17