Zimmerman tosses two TDs in South Putnam's 31-0 win

Saturday, September 19, 2009

GREENCASTLE -- Anyone of the opinion that South Putnam has only one weapon in its offensive arsenal may be thinking differently after Friday's game.

The Eagles, coming off a disappointing 27-7 loss last week at North Putnam, proved they can do more than just hand the ball to Drew Cash --they can pass it to Cameron Chestnut as well.

Chestnut and Grant Zimmeran connected four times for 91 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles' 31-0 win over Greencastle Friday night at Mark Wildman Field.

Chestnut's first score of the night came in the second quarter when Zimmerman hit him downfield for a 42-yard touchdown with 4:23 to go in the half after Eagles recovered a botched punt attempt by Greencastle.

After the Eagles' defense forced the Tiger Cubs to go four and out, Zimmerman and Chestnut connected again for a 16-yard touchdown pass, capping off a six-play, 43-yard drive with just over a minute to go in the half.

"We understand that we have to be able to throw the football, because we are going to see it and have already seen it where they will put eight and nine guys in the box on us and we have to be able to do something besides giving it to Cash," SPHS coach Troy Burgess said. "Now Drew, he's a workhorse, but it's a long season. It's a long season and we have to be able to do other things and I have said it all along -- we have some athletes out there and we have to get the ball into their hands. And when we do that it opens it up for us and Cash can go to work for us."

And that he did.

Cash, for the fifth straight game, rushed for over a 100 yards Friday night, carrying the ball 24 times for 147 yards. His one touchdown came in the third quarter when he broke through the Tiger Cubs' defensive line for a 30-yard touchdown.

Cash and Chestnut weren't the only Eagles to get touchdowns Friday; Grant Zimmerman got one too. In the first series in the second half, Zimmerman, one of the Eagles' quarterbacks, marched the Eagles upfield 80 yards and capped the drive with 12-yard quarterback keeper.

"John started the first four and Grant was going to get some playing time against North Putnam, but he was hurt and didn't play at all," Burgess said. "We talked to John this week, and we have two quarterbacks and we are going to give Grant a shot. John did an outstanding job for us and he will play quarterback for us again, but you know we have two weapons there and we have to get both of them ready because they both play defense for us."

Even though his offense did an amazing job, Burgess knows his defense is what kept them in the game.

"I'll tell you what, give Greencastle some credit," he said. "Mike had them ready and they came out with a purpose and moved the ball right down the field on us. But coach Aker and the defensive group stop them and they've done that a few times this year, that bend but don't break philosophy.

"The kids did a great job and got a big big stop for us and got another big stop for us after that pick," Burgess continued. "The defense has been playing well and they have kept us in some games."

The Eagles' defense stuffed Greencastle's Derrick Lenihan on fourth down when the Tiger Cubs were on the eight-yard line, threatening to score.

Then after Tyler Pettit picked off Zimmerman's pass, the Eagles defense did it again, denying the Tiger Cubs a touchdown after they were inside the 10-yard line. After a getting denied the at the seven-yard line, Greencastle got nailed with a penalty, forcing it back to the 17-yard line, forcing them to attempt a field goal, which went wide, instead of getting the touchdown.

South Putnam's defense came up big again in the third quarter when Dakota Campbell mishandled the punt snap inside the Tiger Cubs' end zone and the Eagles tackled him for the safety.

"South Putnam's a good football team," GHS coach Mike Meyer said. "I thought we hung with them in the first half, but in the second half they came out and kind of took it to us.

"But the kids didn't stop and they kept playing. We just have to put something together consistently on all phases of the game," Meyer added. "We just didn't have enough in us to back that first drive and it's disappointing because the kids are working hard and doing what we ask them to do and right now we're just not getting it done."

With the win Friday night, South Putnam moves to 4-1 on the season and 1-1 in the West Central Conference while Greencastle drops to 0-5 on the season and 0-3 in the WCC.

At South Putnam

Greencastle 0 0 0 0 -- 0

South Putnam 0 15 16 0 -- 31

Second Quarter

SP -- Gould 28yd FG 8:49

SP -- Zimmerman 42yd pass to Chestnut 4:23 (kick fail)

SP -- Zimmerman 16yd pass to Chestnut 1:03 (two point fail)

Third Quarter

SP -- Zimmerman 12yd run 5:48 (Gould kick)

SP -- Safety

SP -- Cash 30yd run 2:29 (Gould kick)

Individual Stats

Greencastle

Rushing -- Lenihan 11-46, Ford 6-25, Hickam 8-7, Remsburg 1-14, Vermillion 1-3

Passing -- Battin 5-8-32-0-0, Hickam 1-3-10-0-0

Receiving -- Remsburg 3-32, Hickam 1-10

South Putnam

Rushing

Zimmerman 5-18-1, Cash 24-147-1, Freeman 3-20, Gibson 2-6, Nichols 4-17, Smith 2-15, Heller 1-14, Gardner 6-24, Waters 2-9

Passing

Zimmerman 5-9-98-2-1

Receiving

Chestnut 4-91-2, Dean Varvel 1-7

Next Game -- South Putnam travels to Cloverdale and Greencastle hosts North Putnam. Both games start at 7 p.m.