Eagles put the hammer down on Ruskin in 49-7 win

by Michael Smith


Grain Valley senior Toby Inman was carrying a sledgehammer with him after Friday’s football game against Ruskin.

He recalled a speech at a team dinner from guest speaker and Grain Valley head wrestling coach Donald Horner, who brought a standard hammer and a sledgehammer with him.

“We had a little sledgehammer and one big like this,” Inman said. “The message was you have a little hammer, and you are solo, and it takes time and takes work. But when you have a team (the big sledgehammer), you can knock it all out in one hit.”

That’s exactly what the Grain Valley did in the opening round of the Class 5 District 7 Tournament. They put the hammer down on Ruskin in all three phases of the game as they dominated in a 49-7 win at Moody Murray Memorial Field.

Grain Valley (7-3) now advances to the district semifinals to take on Webb City (4-6) at 7 p.m. next Friday at home. The Cardinals eliminated Grain Valley from the Class 5 quarterfinals last season in a 49-35 victory.

“They’re good and they have a great tradition,” Grain Valley head football coach David Allie said of Webb City. “We had a long bus ride home after playing them last year. This time, they have to come here. Their record is deceiving. It’s going to be a battle.”

The special teams were sharp for the Eagles as they blocked two punts from Ruskin junior Adarious Brown, who is also his team’s quarterback. The first one came at the 10:19 mark in the first period as senior linebacker Aiden Woodrome recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Center Korbyn Goodwin scored on a 2-point conversion run.

The second one came with 2:02 remaining in the first period as senior defensive end Alex Osborne made the block and sophomore linebacker Zach Dowhower recovered the ball at the Ruskin 4-yard line, which eventually led to the touchdown.

On defense, Grain Valley continued its recent run of dominance on that end as it has surrendered just 11.1 points per game in their last seven. Against Ruskin, it only allowed 85 total yards from scrimmage.

That unit created three turnovers, including two interceptions from senior Aaron Barr, who has had a friendly competition with junior safety Brody Jones on who can get the most picks in a season. So far, Jones is winning that battle.

“He’s been leading me (in interceptions) all year,” Barr said, “but he knows who has the most in their careers. He will always be my little brother.

“We knew they were going to be predominately run, but we knew we couldn’t fall asleep on the pass plays.”

Up front, Grain Valley has exceeded expectations as it didn’t have a single returning starter on the defensive line coming into the 2024 season. Osborne has shined in his first season as a starter as he led the team in sacks Friday with two. He also added three tackles for a loss. Inman added one sack and had two tackles for a loss. Jones led the team in total tackles with seven.

“Our defensive coach is always on top of the new stunts and the new blitzes,” Inman said. “We have a new one we work with the defensive line and outside linebackers on a blood pass rush. That always keeps the opposing offensive line on their toes when they see (Inman) and (Osborne) coming for them.”

On offense, the Eagles got a boost from the return from senior running back Robert Palmer, who missed last Friday’s game against Truman with a knee injury. He let Allie know he could play on Thursday, and he looked like himself before the injury as he had nine carries for 106 yards and three touchdowns.

He scored on runs of 13, 27 and 1.

“The knee is still getting better,” Palmer said. “I am going through (physical therapy) every day, just trying to get healthy. I am a senior. This is my last ride. I am going to do anything I can to get on the field.”

Added Allie: “He ran hard and well. He made one move and go instead of making two.”

Sophomore running back Sjoeren Aumua also was a big part of the rushing attack as he had 92 yards on seven carries. He also caught a screen pass from junior quarterback Chase Neer, outran the Ruskin defense and juked a would-be tackler near the end zone for a 44-yard score with 4:15 left in the first half.

Neer connected on 2 of 3 of his passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. His other score came on an 8-yard pass to senior tight end Eli Monrian. Sophomore quarterback Ethan Page also got into the game and was 1 for 3 with a 22-yard touchdown pass off play action to junior tight end Landon Marriott.

​Ruskin (4-6) scored its only touchdown on a pick six on a throw from Neer to Ruskin senior Quinten Henderson, which he returned for a score at the 2:47 mark in the first period.