With a playoff game on the line, Rawlins County rose to the challenge on Thursday. They blew past the Ellis Railroaders 70-38. The Buffaloes' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Ryan Sramek was his usual excellent self, rushing for 240 yards and six touchdowns, while also throwing for five yards and a touchdown. He also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, forcing a fumble, making six total tackles, and defending four passes in addition to snagging two interceptions which he returned one-yard for a touchdown. Dorian Culwell was another key rusher, rushing for 143 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.2 yards per carry.
Rawlins County was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 422 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 175 rushing yards in 20 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Rawlins County wouldn't let Ellis keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Raleigh Hanson, Sramek, and Austin Chumley picked up one apiece. Sramek's rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his sixth straight game with at least 135 rushing yards.
Despite the loss, Ellis had strong showings from Trenton Schartz, who rushed for 63 yards and three touchdowns, and Carson Schartz, who rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries. Ellis is 4-1 when Trenton posts two or more rushing touchdowns, but 1-3 otherwise.
Rawlins County pushed their record up to 7-2 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Ellis, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 5-4.
Rawlins County will square off against South Central on Friday. One thing working in South Central's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season. Ellis does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
