Bobcats outlast Ames to get first win of the season | News, sports, jobs

AMES – The Marshalltown football team defeated Ames for just the second time in their last 11 meetings, beating the host Little Cyclones 26-21 to secure the Bobcats’ first win of the season.

Marshalltown (1-6) secured its first win over Ames since 2019 while also securing the program’s first win in almost exactly a year. Thanks to a strong first half and just enough stamina in the second half, the Bobcats pulled off a seven-game losing streak dating back to last year’s triumph at Des Moines Lincoln.

Davis Ragland scored two touchdowns in the first half and Jacob Hayes scored twice in the second half to help Marshalltown get in the win column against its Highway 30 rivals.

“Well, it’s huge, especially this one,” MHS head coach Adam Goodvin told KFJB-AM Radio. “Our children fought hard. We had a pretty solid week of training.

“If that doesn’t make you want to play a football game against Ames, then I don’t know what will. I’m just really proud of our kids and their performance tonight.”

The Bobcats led 20-7 at halftime and 26-7 after Hayes connected with Aiden Smitherman on a 16-yard scoring drive in the third quarter, but the host Little Cyclones (1-6) didn’t let up.

Led by interim coach Ryan Bohan, a 2018 Marshalltown High School graduate, Ames tried to rally in the second half. Cameron Cantonwine completed a 55-yard touchdown pass to Jeffrey Roberts with two minutes left in the third quarter to put the Little Cyclones up 26-14.

Cantonwine kept Ames on offense while Marshalltown was unable to extend its lead, eventually bringing the Little Cyclones within one point when he scrambled into the end zone for a 16-yard TD dash with 1:30 to play .

Ames nearly recovered an onside kick but was warned for touching the ball before it had traveled 10 yards, giving Marshalltown the ball back to the Little Cyclones 49-yard line with 1:30 to play. However, the Bobcats were unable to convert a first down and had to kick the ball back to Ames.

Consecutive penalties slowed the Little Cyclones’ last gasp and a final Cantonwine incompletion ended the game.

Smitherman led Marshalltown’s ground game with eight carries for 76 yards, highlighted by a 54-yard reverse run that set up the Bobcats’ first touchdown. Ragland capped the drive with a 2-yard TD plunge.

Marshalltown’s next possession started ominously with back-to-back penalties, but a 15-yard facemask penalty on the Little Cyclones extended the drive long enough for Ragland to reach paydirt again. He hit the goal line from six yards out to make the Bobcats 13-7.

Ames failed to get another first down on the next two drives, and Marshalltown got the ball back at the Little Cyclones’ 27 with 35 seconds left in the first half. On third-and-seven, Hayes found Kyle Smith alone in the end zone for a 24-yard score and a 20-7 Bobcat lead.

Hayes found Smitherman for a touchdown to cap a 10-play, 67-yard drive to open the third quarter, taking 6 minutes, 10 seconds. The 26-7 lead lasted the rest of the game, and Marshalltown only managed two first downs the rest of the game.

Ragland finished the game with 16 carries for 67 yards and two touchdowns, and Hayes had 15 carries for 36 yards. Tyler Englund added nine carries for 30 yards while the Bobcats rushed 48 times for 216 yards.

Hayes was 2 of 5 for 40 yards, with both completions resulting in touchdowns.

Cantonwine went 13-for-27 for 171 yards with two touchdowns and one interception and was picked off by Ragland in the fourth quarter.

“Tough kid, man,” Goodvin said of Ragland. “That’s our guy. That’s our go-to guy in big games like this. He really stepped up and took care of the football, ran hard and we are proud of him.”

Cantonwine also carried 17 balls for 103 yards and a score. The Little Cyclones defeated Marshalltown 334-256, but the Bobcats still got the win.

Ragland finished the game with three solo tackles and four assists, while Jamison Niehouse unofficially had four solos and four assists. Johan Gomez added two solo stops and three assists to lead the Marshalltown defense.

The Bobcats are back at Leonard Cole Field next Friday night to face Des Moines Lincoln in their home finale beginning at 7 p.m

Marshalltown 26, Ames 21

At Ames

MHS 7 13 6 0 – 26

AMES 7 0 7 7 – 21

First quarter

AMES – Brennan Swanson 24 pass from Cameron Cantonwine (kick by Joseph Pizarro Matos), 3:50.

MHS – Davis Ragland 2 run (kick by Luis Monge Jr.), 1:29.

Second quarter

MHS – Ragland 6 run (kick missed), 8:03.

MHS – Kyle Smith 24 Pass from Jacob Hayes (Monge kick), :11.

Third quarter

MHS – Aiden Smitherman 16 pass from Hayes (kick missed), 5:47.

AMES – Jeffrey Roberts 55 pass from Cantonwine (Matos kick), 2:00.

Fourth quarter

AMES – Cantonwine 16 run (Matos kick), 1:30.

TEAM STATISTICS

MHS AMES

First downs 13 14

Rushes yards 48-216 7-86

Passing yards 40 181

Comp-Att-Int 2-5-0 13-27-1

Total offense 53-256 54-334

Fumbles – 4-1, 0-0 lost

Penalties – Yards 7-64 13-113

Time of Possession 31:13 17:28

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – MHS: Smitherman 8-76, Ragland 16-67, Hayes 15-36, Tyler Englund 9-30; AMES: Cantonwine 17-103, Eli Cosby 9-43.

PASS – MHS: Hayes 2-5-40-0; AMES: Cantonwine 13-27-171-1.

RECEIVE – MHS: Smith 1-24, Smitherman 1-16; AMES: Brennan Swanson 7-86, Roberts 2-64, Leo Jensen 2-14, Cosby 2-13.