Ottumwa runs over and through Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 54-6

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Ottumwa Bulldogs run a crafty option attack.

And Friday night, options were aplenty.

Three different backs crossed the 100-yard plateau, and Ottumwa crunched Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 54-6, in a Class 5A football game at Kingston Stadium.

The Bulldogs (3-3) accumulated 542 yards of offense, including 485 on the ground, and averaged 13.9 yards in their 39 plays from scrimmage.

Quarterback Tanner Schark scored on keepers of 64 and 60 yards and netted 141 yards on just four carries.

Koby Chanthalavanh added 133 yards on nine carries; Abaya Selema tallied 121 yards on eight attempts.

It started well enough for the J-Hawks (0-6), who dropped their 23rd consecutive game. They stopped the Bulldogs on fourth-and-1 from the Ottumwa 40, then drove downfield for the first points of the game, a 22-yard field goal by Lillian Ulrich.

Schark got loose on an option keeper on the first play from scrimmage, a 64-yard touchdown.

Jefferson got within 7-6 on another field goal — this one a 41-yarder from Bertin Gisubizo, but it was all Ottumwa for the rest of the game.

Schark scored on another keeper, basically an identical play from the first touchdown, the first of four second-quarter Ottumwa TDs that broke it open. It was 34-6 at intermission.

Jefferson moved the ball reasonably well at times and managed 168 yards of offense (77 rushing, 91 passing), but couldn’t crack the goal line.

The J-Hawks will take another shot at it next week at Waterloo West. Ottumwa hosts Linn-Mar.

Ottumwa 54, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 6

AT KINGSTON STADIUM

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs: OTT 18, CRJ 9

Rushes-yards: OTT 38-485, CRJ 25-77

Passing yards: OTT 57, CRJ 91

Passing: OTT 1-1-0, CRJ 13-22-1

Total yards: OTT 542, CRJ 168

Fumbles-lost: OTT 1-1, CRJ 1-0

Punts-average: OTT 0-00.0, CRJ 3-31.7

Penalties-yards: OTT 2-15, CRJ 3-29

SCORING SUMMARY

Ottumwa 7 27 7 13 -- 54

C.R. Jefferson 3 3 0 0 -- 6

CRJ -- FG Lillian Ulrich 22

OTT -- Tanner Schark 64 run (Juan Valdes Garcia kick)

CRJ -- FG Bertin Gisubizo 41

OTT -- Schark 60 run (conversion failed)

OTT -- Cooper Derby 1 run (Valdes Garcia kick)

OTT -- Abaya Selema 16 run (Valdes Garcia kick)

OTT -- Javen Rominger 57 pass from Schark (Valdes Garcia kick)

OTT -- Koby Chanthalavanh 25 run (Valdes Garcia kick)

OTT -- Cameron Manary 4 run (kick blocked)

OTT -- Selema 14 run (Valdes Garcia kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing

Ottumwa -- Tanner Schark 4-141, Koby Chanthalavanh 9-133, Abaya Selema 8-121, Cooper Derby 12-39, Ryan McKinnon 1-24, Javen Rominger 2-22, Cameron Manary 1-4, Matthew Mitchell 1-1. Jefferson -- Ishara Kalolero 10-60, A.J. White 5-44, Devan Hickman 1-(minus 1), Jeremiah Peiffer 7-(minus 11), Team 2-(minus 15).

Passing

Ottumwa -- Schark 1-1-0-57. Jefferson -- Peiffer 13-22-1-91.

Receiving

Ottumwa -- Rominger 1-57. Jefferson -- L.J Nyenow Jr. 5-25, White 3-42, Carter Brunson 2-16, Demetrius Moore 2-2, Kalolero 1-5.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com