Rams improve to 5-0 with road win over Glenville State

(THE PICKET) – The Shepherd Rams football team, ranked number 10, improved to a 5-0 record Saturday, Oct. 10, with a win over the Glenville State College Pioneers.

The Pioneers gained a quick lead three minutes into the first quarter when Chandler Carera sent one through the uprights to make the score 3-0.

The Rams offense couldn’t seem to find rhythm in the beginning, but a blocked punt recovered in the end-zone by Angelo Jean-Louis gave the Rams a spark and a 7-3 lead with 6:02 left in the first quarter. Ryan Earles added a field goal for the Rams three minutes later giving Shepherd a 10-3 lead with 3:02 left in the quarter.

After a quick drive by the Pioneers, quarterback Sean Steele found Quin Thorton from 27 yards out for a touchdown, ending the first quarter tied at 10.

Shepherd struck early in the second quarter when quarterback Jeff Ziemba hit running back Jabre Lolley for a 70-yard touchdown, giving the Rams a 17-10 lead with 14:02 left in the second quarter. Earles added his second field goal of the game at the 1:42 mark, giving the Rams a 20-10 lead they hoped to take into halftime.

However, the Pioneers returned the kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to draw closer, only trailing 20-17 going into the half.

The Rams opened the second half with Keon Robinson returning a punt 87 yards for a touchdown, giving the rams a 27-17 lead with 11:37 left in the third quarter. The Pioneers drew to within three points of the Rams when Tevin Drake rushed in from 18 yards out, making the score 27-24 with just over eight minutes remaining in the third.

Just 21 seconds later, Ziemba and Lolley hooked up again for a 56-yard touchdown, extending the Rams’ lead to 34-24.

The score remained 34-24 for the majority of the fourth quarter until Ziemba found receiver Tony Squirewell from 15 yards to give the rams a 41-24 lead at the 3:03 minute mark.

Steele found Ernesto Torres from 20 yards out to draw the Pioneers within 10 points from the Rams, but a rushing touchdown by Lolley gave the Rams a 48-31 lead, putting the game out of reach.

The Rams offense was led by quarterback Jeff Zeimba, who finished the day 17-28, had 298 yards and three touchdowns, adding to his already impressive stats for the season. Ziemba’s favorite target during the game was Billy Brown, who finished with seven receptions for 93 yards.

Jabre Lolley had a spectacular day as well, catching three passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns.  Allen Cross led the Rams in the backfield, rushing the ball 20 times for 108 yards, and Lolley added 74 yards on the ground for 16 carries.

The Rams finished the game with 453 total yards of offense.

The Rams defense allowed the Pioneers 351 yards of offense and a season high 31 points. Shepherd was led defensively by James Gupton who finished the day with 11 tackles.

The Rams will return home next Saturday, Oct. 17, at 12 p.m. to take on West Virginia State on Hall of Fame Day at Ram Stadium.