Cougars fall behind early, lose in OT

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

A furious fourth quarter comeback by Van Wert sent Friday night’s game against Celina to overtime but the Cougars came up short, losing in the extra session 38-37. After a 2-0 start, it was the second straight loss by the Cougars (2-2, 1-2 WBL).

A tackle-breaking 28-yard touchdown run by Parker Bertke and PAT by Bridon Jeffries put Celina ahead 31-17 with 8:12 left in the fourth quarter. Van Wert answered with a 10-yard touchdown run by Xavier Kelly four minutes later but after Celina narrowly recovered an onside kick, the Bulldogs seemed poised to simply run out the clock and were able to drive inside the Cougar 35. However, a fumble by Bertke went right into the hands of Van Wert’s Geary Hilleary, and the Cougars took over at their own 34 with 1:38 left in regulation. Zach Crummey completed 4-of-5 passes on the drive for 53 yards, including a 27-yarder to Micah Cowan. Xavier Kelly had a 17 yard run and Crummey capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 32 seconds left, and Griffin McCracken’s extra point tied the game 31-31.

“Guys just did a good job making plays,” Van Wert head coach Keith Recker said of the game-tying drive. “We were on a roll and finally got things going. I’m proud of them for not giving up, because it would have been easy to give up the way we started, but they gave great effort and gave themselves a chance to win it.”

Recker was asked if any consideration was given to going for two and the potential win after Crummey’s touchdown.

“Obviously we weren’t stopping Celina very well but after getting that turnover late and going down and getting the score we felt like we had momentum and we felt pretty good going into overtime,” he said.

The two teams went to overtime and the Cougars went on offense first and scored on the third play, a 7-yard run by Kelly. However, McCracken’s PAT attempt was wide right, leaving the score 37-31. To make matters worse, Van Wert was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play, and Celina’s ensuing possession began at the 10-yard line instead of the 20. On the third play Parker Wynk fired a 5-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Schlater, and Jeffries ended the game with an extra point, giving the Bulldogs (1-3, 1-2 WBL) their first win of the season.

“I was proud of how our kids responded to the adversity when our backs were against the wall,” Celina head coach Brennan Bader said. “I’m very proud of our players and coaching staff for staying together in those late moments and finding a way to win. I thought we played a really good first half but in the second half, Van Wert made plays. They are a good football team and they’re very well coached.”

“We knew they would make a run,” he added.

The first quarter and much of the first half was dominated by Celina, who set the tone offensively and defensively and raced out to a 17-0 lead. The Bulldogs forced the Cougars into 3-and-out on their first two possessions while scoring on their own first two possessions – a 25-yard run by Brodee Schulte-Arnold and a 30-yard field goal by Jefferies. Van Wert fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, the first of two special teams miscues, and Celina turned it into a score when Wynk connected with Schlater for a 2-yard touchdown.

“It was important for us to get off to a fast start,” Bader said. “We didn’t do that the previous three games.”

“They’re big and physical and they spent some time in the weight room and they were more physical than we were for sure especially at the line of scrimmage,” Recker said. “We’ve got to find ways to combat that. We’re not gain a bunch of weight over the next five or six weeks so we have to figure out what we can do combat those big teams.”

Van Wert’s offense found its rhythm on the next drive, marching 57 yards in 10 plays and scoring on a 19-yard touchdown run by Kelly with 6:29 left until halftime. The Bulldogs tried to increase their lead on the next possession but came away empty handed when a 36-yard field goal attempt by Jeffries was short. The Cougars then mounted a promising drive, only to see it end in Celina territory on a 14-yard sack and an incomplete pass at the goal line as the half ended. 

The Bulldogs received the second half kickoff and put together a time consuming drive that was capped off with a 1-yard touchdown run by Wynk, increasing Celina’s lead to 24-7. Van Wert answered with a touchdown drive that included a loss of 17 on a high snap, then back-to-back completions by Crummey of 21 yards to Micah Cowan and a 20-yard completion to Kelly for a touchdown. After forcing a Celina punt, Van Wert put together another drive that ended with a 22-yard field goal by McCracken, making it 24-17 early in the fourth quarter. Bertke’s bruising touchdown run on the next drive made gave the Bulldogs a two touchdown lead.

Entering the game, Celina averaged just 67 yards rushing per outing, but the Bulldogs piled up 306 yards on the ground, including 201 on 25 carries by Bertke. Noah Talmadge added 48 yards on six carries. Wynk completed 11-of-16 passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

Crummey finished 19-of-34 for 213 yards and a touchdown, with nine completions going to Kelly for 105 yards and a score and six to Cowan for 89 yards. Kelly also rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns.

Van Wert will return to action Friday at Defiance. The Bulldogs lost to St. Marys Memorial 41-0 on Friday.

Scoring summary

First quarter

7:52 C – Brodee Schulte-Arnold 25-yard run (Bridon Jefferies kick)

0:57 C – Bridon Jefferies 30-yard field goal

Second quarter

9:54 C – Parker Wynk 2-yard pass to Caleb Schalter (Bridon Jeffries kick)

6:29 VW – Xavier Kelly 19-yard run (Griffin McCracken kick)

Third quarter

6:18 C – Parker Wynk 1-yard run (Bridon Jeffries kick)

3:12 VW – Zach Crummey 20-yard pass to Xavier Kelly (Griffin McCracken kick)

Fourth quarter

10:06 VW – Griffin McCracken 22-yard field goal

8:12 C – Parker Bertke 28-yard run (Bridon Jeffries kick)

4:16 VW – Xavier Kelly 10-yard run (Griffin McCracken kick)

0:32 VW – Zach Crummey 1-yard run (Griffin McCracken kick)

Overtime

VW – Xavier Kelly 7-yard run (kick wide right)

C – Parker Wynk 5-yard pass to Caleb Schlater (Bridon Jeffries kick)