Greyhound defense continues shutout streak

Fort Scott Community College defenders Jason Pierre-Paul (9), Jacquain Williams (2) and Isaiah Grace (at the bottom of the pile) swarm Garden City quarterback Eugene Smith during a game at Frary Field Sept. 20. Ironically, this was the last game in which the Greyhound defense allowed a score before going on its current four-game shutout streak. It's been over 240 minutes of game time since a team last scored on the 'Hounds. (Fort Scott Community College photo/Matthew Brandt)

HIGHLAND -- One thing the Highland offense did right Saturday afternoon was keep Fort Scott Community College's defense -- which had scored in three of Fort Scott's first six games this season -- off the scoreboard.

That was about the only thing that didn't happen in the Greyhounds' favor as No. 4-ranked Fort Scott posted its fourth consecutive shutout, a 39-0 win over the host Scotties in Jayhawk Conference action at Kessinger Field.

The last team to score on the 'Hounds was Garden City way back on Sept. 20, in a game Fort Scott won 31-24. Since then, the Greyhounds (6-0 KJCCC, 8-0 overall) have not allowed an opponent to score in 242 minutes and 9 seconds of game action.

There isn't much talk about the shutout string in the Greyhound camp, though. It's like a pitcher throwing a perfect game -- talking about it might jinx it.

"I think they think about it before the game and they think about it in the fourth quarter," Fort Scott head coach Jeff Sims said. "The first three quarters, they're just playing, Now as coaches, we've told them they're not allowed to talk about it. I don't want to hear about a shutout streak or anything like that. But I feel more comfortable as a coach when we get two scores up because I feel confident the other team isn't going to get two scores on us. They might pop one, but I don't know about two."

Quarterback Arvel Nelson, who made his second start of the season under center, may also be starting to come around. Fort Scott scored 23 points in the fourth quarter and also had 145 yards of offense in the period, which was a bit over a third of its total for the day. Nelson was 13 of 28 for 216 yards on the day. But he completed six of nine passes in the fourth for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

The offense started slowly, though. A big gain by running back Jasmin Hopkins on the second play of the game that would have put the 'Hounds inside the Highland 20 was called back due to a penalty. With 12 seconds left the half, Fort Scott lost a chance to capitalize on the recovery of a surprise onside kick when a holding penalty wiped out a gain into Scottie territory.

"We had some big penalties in the first half," Sims said. "We went for 70 yards on the second play of the game and we lost that because of a penalty. Then we got the penalty at the end of the half when we ran the deep out. I thought we'd get a chance to throw a deep ball into the end zone. We stubbed our toes a couple of times. But on offense, you strive for perfection so much. We did our job as an offense."

Fort Scott's defense forced Highland (1-4, 1-6) to punt 11 times, turned the Scotties away on one intrusion inside the 20, intercepted two passes and recovered three fumbles.

The Greyhounds didn't get a sack -- the first time that's happened since the season-opening win at Kilgore (Texas) -- but they didn't have to. Their pressure was enough to force quarterback Corey Ward to misfire on 25 of his 33 pass attempts, including his last 12 of the game. Fort Scott also held Highland's rushing attack to 25 yards on 29 carries.

"It's a broken record," Sims said. "We wear people down as the game goes on. After a while, if Jason (Pierre-Paul) and (Horace) Hubbard and Sean Glades and Zach Bowers and LeVonte David and Jacquain Williams were chasing me around, I'd probably miss some passes, too."

Fort Scott first got on the board when Hopkins followed linemen Jermarcus Hardrick and Pleasanton graduate Chris Duggins through the left side of the line with 1:47 left in the first period. A cross-wind steered Luke Halsey's extra point wide to the left. But Halsey found the target going the opposite direction when he booted a 35-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in the second quarter to put the Greyhounds up 9-0.

Fort Scott committed turnovers on its first two drives of the second half. But Williams recovered a Scottie fumble at the Highland 35 with 3:43 left in the third period to set up another score. Hopkins gained 28 yards on the first play of the ensuing drive, then seven more for the score with 3:32 left. Halsey's extra point made it 16-0.

Early in the fourth, Nelson put the ball over Highland defensive back Rashawn Copeland -- one of the better defensive backs in the conference -- and into the hands of tight end Josh Sutton in the end zone on an 11-yard pass play with 12:51 to go in the contest.

Sutton has caught a pass in each of his last three games after having no receptions in Fort Scott's first four games. Each of those catches have been for touchdowns.

Halsey booted a 28-yard field goal with 7:43 left, a score set up when Highland's Doug White, a receiver forced into kicking duties due to injury, managed just a 10-yard punt from his own six. That made it 26-0.

Nelson his Brandon Kinnie on a slant pass from 34 yards out for a touchdown with 3:31 to go, capping a nine-play drive that began at Fort Scott's own 11-yard line. A Zach Haskin interception return set up Brent Lewis' two-yard scoring run with 1:33 left in the game.

Fort Scott finished with 402 total yards on the day, rushing for 186 yards on 67 carries. Hopkins ran for 123 yards on 38 carries and Charlie Jamison had his best day as a Greyhound, going for 33 yards on 11 rushes.

Highland running back Devin Ray was limited to 14 yards on 26 carries. Twelve of those carries were for zero or negative yards.

Kinnie caught four passes for 84 yards and Aaron Sexton caught four for 59. C.J. Fondren, a Pittsburg High grad, had his best day of his freshman campaign with four catches for 84 yards.

The Greyhounds will host Air Force Prep in a non-conference game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Frary Field. It will be Fort Scott's last home game of the regular season although the 'Hounds have clinched home-field advantage in the first round of the Region VI Playoffs, which will take place Nov. 9.

NOTES -- Fort Scott has shut out Highland in each of the last three meetings by a combined score of 95-0....

Both quarterbacks suffered through stretches at the end of the first half where they completed only one of eight passes each. But while Nelson got better, Ward didn't as he went just two for 16 before he was pulled in the fourth quarter. White misfired on a pass on a fake punt and backup quarterback Quincy Woods misfired on his only two passes after he replaced Ward, which made Scottie passers 0 for their final 15 attempts....

Fort Scott defensive back Derrick Stewart made a diving, one-handed interception of a Ward pass early in the second quarter....

There was a delay for a few minutes early in the first quarter as one of the stakes on the first down markers was bent after players collided with it on a tackle. Luckily, Highland had replacement parts although the new marker was noticeably smaller than the original....

Fort Scott-Highland games used to be offensive shootouts. In an 1989 game, Highland took a 63-62 win. There was a period of time where games where both teams combined for 80 or 90 points weren't uncommon. That's not the case so much anymore. Until the fourth quarter Saturday, the previous seven periods of action between the schools at Kessinger Field had resulted in a total of just 22 points, all by Fort Scott (The 'Hounds won on a very muddy field here, 6-0, two years ago). Last season, at Fort Scott, the Greyhounds posted a 50-0 win, one of the few one-sided games in this series....