Ash Grove football opens 2019 season with big win over visiting Diamond

The 2019 season is underway for the Ash Grove High School football team as they hosted Diamond on Aug. 30 and came away with a big 44-12 win.
“We had a great night on defense,” said head coach Ryan Long. “And a great night moving the ball on the ground.”
Ash Grove led 14-0 after the first quarter and 14-6 at the half. The Pirates added two more touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 28-12 lead into the final quarter of play. In the fourth quarter, Ash Grove broke out for 16 more points to put the game away and win 44-12.
The Pirates rushed for more than 400 yards on the ground, with Tyler Tolmasoff, Jake Thompson and Ethan Carter each going over the 100-yard mark.
Tolmasoff scored three touchdowns; Thompson added two more touchdowns and Carter scored once in the win.
With the win, Ash Grove currently sits in third place in the Class 1, District 2 standings with 33 points. Cabool leads the district standings with 53 points, followed by Miller, 43 points; Marionville, Ash Grove, Thayer and Pierce City, all with 33 points, Sarcoxie is in seventh place with 12 points, and Diamond brings up the rear with -3 points.
Ash Grove will travel to Stockton this Friday night to take on the Tigers.