Cougars win season finale to finish .500

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

DEFIANCE — Jacoby Kelly put on quite a show in his final football game for Van Wert. The senior speedster scored three touchdowns – one via the pass, one on the ground and one on a punt return – to spark the Cougars to a 48-7 win over Defiance on Friday.

Van Wert finished the season 5-5 (4-5 Western Buckeye League), while the Bulldogs closed at 1-9 (1-8 WBL).

“I thought we showed a lot of pride and maturity to win this game in the manner we did,” Van Wert head coach Keith Recker said. “Our guys had a great week of practice, not always easy to do in Week No. 10, and played exactly like we expected.”

Despite cold, windy and wet conditions, the Cougars seized control of the game early. After forcing a quick Defiance punt, Van Wert’s offense went to work, marching 79 yards in seven plays, ending the drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Jake Hilleary to Drew Bagley.  Jake Lautzenheiser added the first of his six PATs, and the Cougars led 7-0 with 7:24 remaining in the opening quarter.

After another Defiance punt, the Cougars moved quickly downfield and scored on a 47 yard pass from Hilleary to Jacoby Kelly to increase the lead to 14-0 with 3:53 left in the quarter.

The Cougars threatened again early in the second quarter. Hilleary hit Bagley for 48 yards and a series of runs pushed the ball to the Defiance seven yard line, but a fumble ended the drive. However, Van Wert’s defense rose up again and forced a three and out, and the Cougars took over at their own 33. Kelly raced for 27 yards on first down, and three plays later caught a 30 yard pass. James Acquaviva ended the drive with a six yard touchdown run.

The Bulldogs lost 23 yards on their next drive, and John Weisgerber’s punt was fielded by Kelly and taken back 58 yards for a touchdown, and a 28-0 Van Wert lead with four minutes remaining until halftime.

Kelly scored his third touchdown of the game at the 10:49 mark of the second quarter, when he took a direct snap from Daniel Magowan and sprinted 58 yards for a touchdown and a 35-0 lead, which started a continuous clock.

Hilleary scored on a 16-yard keeper with 3:50 left in the third quarter, then the Bulldogs got on the board when JD McNett plunged in from a yard out with 10:38 left in the game. McNett rushed for 106 yards, and went over 1,000 yards rushing for the season.

The game’s final touchdown came with six minutes left, when Rodney Calvelage scored from the one yard line.

Hilleary, who started his second straight game at quarterback (Nate Place, illness) finished the game 6-of-7 for 170 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also had 93 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries.

Bagley caught three of Hilleary’s passes for 84 yards, while Kelly had three receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown, four carries for 96 yards and a score, plus the punt return for a touchdown. Kelly would have had a fourth touchdown, but an 88-yard kickoff return was called back on a penalty.

The Cougars finished with 438 yards of offense, while holding Defiance to 161 yards, all on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Caden Kline was 0-1 passing, and was sacked three times.

“A common theme during during our senior talks this week was to have no regrets,” Recker said. “I’m very happy for them to go out on a high note and happy for our underclassmen to have confidence as we head into the off-season.”

Scoring summary:

7:24 1st qtr: Jake Hilleary 16 yard pass to Drew Bagley (Jake Lautzenheiser kick)
3:53 1st qtr: Jake Hilleary 47 yard pass to Jacoby Kelly (Jake Lautzenheiser kick)
6:20 2nd qtr: James Acquaviva 6 yard run (Jake Lautzenheiser kick)
4:00 2nd qtr: Jacoby Kelly 58 yard punt return (Jake Lautzenheiser kick)
10:49 3rd qtr: Jacoby Kelly 58 yard run (Jake Lautzenheiser kick)
3:50 3rd qtr: Jake Hilleary 9 yard run (Jake Lautzenheiser kick)
10:38 4th qtr: JD McNett 1 yard run (John Weisgerber kick)
6:00 4th qtr: Rodney Calvelage 1 yard run (kick no good)