Rams coach sees hope after falling to Trinity

By Jeremy Tepper

MVI Sports

Darwin Manges stretched his foot in front of his other, illustrating how close he thinks his Ringgold team is to clicking. 

To him, that next step isn’t too far away for a Rams program that has gone 5-24 over the past three seasons. But that step still has to be taken.

The Rams (0-1, 0-1) began their season Friday with a 49-26 loss to Trinity (1-0, 1-0). They were outscored 49-12 in the first half before cutting the lead in a backup-filled second half.

“I know the score doesn’t make it feel like it’s that close, but it really is,” Manges said. “We put so much time and effort into it, and obviously this is not the result we’re looking for. 

“I didn’t feel coming into the game that it would be this type of scenario, and I thought the kids were in a good frame of mind, but it just spiraled out of control.”

Manges sees good intentions in his team and an understanding of what needs to be done, but an inability to execute it at the moment. Much of that, he believes, comes down to hesitation, of his team playing tepid and not aggressive. Trinity was the clear aggressor Friday.

The Hillers got pretty much whatever they wanted on offense, outgaining Ringgold 502-224. Trinity was particularly effective on the ground, rushing for 314 yards. Drew Cain led the way with 131 yards and two touchdowns, while Micah Finley had 129 yards and two touchdowns.

“We always react and we don’t force the action and that’s something that we really need to work on,” Manges said. “It comes down to fundamentals of tackling and blocking on your assignment and just being aggressive and making plays.”

The Hillers blitzed Ringgold from the beginning, as Kaden Kolson found Finley wide open for a 63-yard touchdown catch. Cain scored a 9-yard touchdown on the next drive, and Kolson followed with a 60-yard touchdown reception. Within a matter of nine minutes, things looked pretty bleak for the Rams.

“They made some good plays up front,” Manges said. “But there were times that we were just missing assignments. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot. You’re always gonna have a breakdown here and there, but it has got to be more consistent.”

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