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 Wapak defensive lineman Mike Bogan (66) chases after Kenton QB Maty Mauk during Friday's game. Staff photo/William Laney By CHRIS VOLOSCHUK
Sports Editor
With a 34-14 victory at Harmon Field Friday, the Kenton Wildcats (8-1, 8-0 WBL) earned an outright Western Buckeye League title, their seventh in school history.
But the Wapakoneta Redskins (1-8, 1-7 WBL) made sure they earned every yard, every point and every accolade in a hard-fought game that was closer than the final tally.
If his team was going to lose, Wapak varsity coach Doug Zimmer said the effort displayed was great to see.
“Our kids had nothing to lose. They laid it all on the line,” he said. “Our kids played hard. There was nothing to put their heads down about. There were a lot of kids playing with a lot of pride and they have nothing to be ashamed of.”
The Redskins’ max effort was on display from the very start of the contest, where they elected to come out of their corner swinging.
On their first possession of the game, the Redskin offense moved the chains 66 yards and ate up six minutes of the clock. While it kept Kenton’s potent offense off the field, it also resulted in a touchdown when quarterback Jordan Martin connected with receiver Alex Parker for a 12-yard strike with 5:55 to play and an eventual 7-0 lead.
Wapak’s early momentum then carried over to the defensive side immediately after. On Kenton’s first play from scrimmage, sophomore QB Maty Mauk dropped back, threw to his left and had the pass intercepted by Redskin safety Connor Metz.
“We certainly didn’t come out with a very good offensive first quarter,” Kenton varsity coach Mike Mauk said. “That’s a credit to [Wapak’s] players and coaching staff. They came out ready to play and made plays early in the game.”
The Redskins continued to chew up clock and move the ball on their sudden second drive. In 10 plays, they covered 42 yards and Martin found wideout Greg Stoll in the end zone for another touchdown. A Padraig Murphy extra point made it 14-0 Redskins.
It was essentially the perfect quarter for the home team.
“[Wapak] had a great game plan,” Mauk said. “They came out and made a lot of plays early.”
Kenton answered almost right away on their next drive. In less than two minutes, Mauk was able to scramble for 40 yards and then, from the Wapak 3-yardline, complete a screen pass to wideout Daniel Lombardo for a touchdown and a 14-6 difference.
On the next two drives, both teams turned the ball over on downs, and Wapak set itself up in great field position when a Mike Bogan punt was fumbled and recovered by Josh Morey at the Kenton 16. On fourth-and-three from the 10, Murphy attempted a 27-yard field goal that bounced off the left upright and no good, allowing Kenton to escape.
From his own 20, Mauk led a five-play, 80-yard drive for a touchdown, the big strike being a 64-yard TD reception by Lombardo in which he caught the ball over the middle of the field, avoided two tacklers and sprinted nearly untouched to the end zone. A successful two-point conversion tied the score at 14.
“Tying the ballgame at the half was really important for us,” coach Mauk said.
After a first half that could hardly have gone any better, the Wildcats (454 total yards) took over in the final 24 minutes and secured their league crown.
With 5:27 to go in the third quarter, Mauk threw across his body to Morrison, who kicked in the afterburners and sprinted 27 yards for one of his two TDs on the night and a 20-14 lead. Kenton’s drive lasted nine plays and covered 39 yards.
At the 11:44 mark of the fourth quarter, Mauk threw a home run ball to Morrison on a fade route down the left sideline that went for 62 yards and a touchdown to make it 26-14. After Wapak turned the ball over on downs, Mauk led a eight-play, 77-yard drive that culminated in a 10-yard TD pass to Dustin Howell. Another two-point conversion led to the 34-14 final.
“[Kenton’s] going to throw the ball, we told [the team] that,” Zimmer said. “They’re going to throw a lot and I thought our kids played well and kept things in front of them. They made stops when they had to. [Kenton] just had a couple of plays there at the end.”
Mauk finished the game having completed 28 of 48 passes for 401 yards, five TDs and the one interception. He also accounted for all 53 of his team’s rushing yards. Morrison finished with 10 catches for 178 yards and two TDs, while Lombardo hauled in seven passes for 105 yards and two scores. Howell also chipped in with five catches for 85 yards and a score.
But to get to those final numbers, Kenton didn’t punt a single time or attempt an extra point kick. They also turned the ball over on downs three times as Wapak’s defense applied hard hits and made life tough for Mauk’s receivers.
“Kenton’s 8-1 for a reason,” Zimmer said. “Again, it was one of those games where we fought hard, we played hard. I can’t fault the effort.”
The Redskins put up 211 yards of total offense (78 passing, 133 rushing) and were led by Martin, who went 7-for-19 with 71 yards, two TDs and an interception. His favorite target, Alex Parker, caught four passes for 46 yards and a score. Stoll’s only catch was for 11 yards and a TD.
Welcomed back to the offense Friday night was injured tailback Logan Erb, who pounded his way to 53 yards on 16 carries. Connor Pickens and Brendan Wilson, who were both injured in the second quarter, chipped in 12 carries and 46 combined yards.
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