Line play the difference as Cougars fall

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

CELINA — A fast start by Celina and line play was the difference as the Bulldogs remained undefeated on the season with a 49-28 win over Van Wert on Friday. It was the first loss of the year by the Cougars.

After forcing Van Wert to go three and out on the game’s opening possession, Celina scored twice, once on a 15-yard pass from Jett Warner to Simon Schwartz and later on a 48-yard pass from Warner to Brodee Schulte Arnold. The two first quarter scoring strikes equaled Warner’s total for the season and they gave the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead. Warner became the starting quarterback when veteran Parker Wynk went down in the season opener with a serious injury. Wynk continues to rehab from the injury.

“The fast start certainly helped us gain confidence,” Celina head coach Brennan Bader said.

“We were hoping to start out better than we did against them last year when we went down 17-0 but it seemed more of the same this year,” Van Wert head coach Keith Recker said.

However, the Cougars fought bad and tied the game 14-14 with a pair of second quarter touchdowns. The first came on a 14-play, 64-yard drive that was capped off with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Zach Crummey to Xavier Kelly, followed by the first of four Alex Benner extra points. After forcing Celina to punt on the Bulldogs’ ensuing possession, Van Wert tied the game on a 2-yard touchdown run by Crummey. The drive was highlighted by a 50-yard pass to Kelly.

Whatever momentum the Cougars had quickly disipated though, as Celina scored one play later on a 48-yard run. After forcing a Van Wert punt, the Bulldogs tacked on another touchdown with just 27 seconds left until halftime when Noah Tallmadge scored from 17 yards out, giving Celina a 28-14 lead at the break.

Once again, the Cougars fought back and tied the game 28-28 in the third quarter, with the first scoring coming on an electrifying 72-yard punt return by Kelly after the defense held on the first possession of the second half. Celina’s next series ended on downs, when on fourth and one, a errant snap led to a 14 yard loss by the Bulldogs. Van Wert turned the possession into a score when a scrambling Crummey found Kelly wide open in the back of the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown. While limited to just 16 yards rushing on 10 carries, Kelly had 12 receptions for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

“Our guys showed a lot of resilience to fight back the way they did two different times to tie up the game,” Recker said.

While Celina’s next two scores came on touchdown passes by Warner, one to Caleb Schlater from six yards out and a six yarder to Trey Anderson, it was running game that swung the game back in favor of the Bulldogs. Behind the offensive line that averages 253 points, Celina churned out 70 yards rushing on its next two drives.

“Their size and strength was a big difference and I thought their defensive line getting pressure on Zach made things very difficult for us,” Recker said. “Their quarterback got loose a couple of times when we were in good position and just couldn’t bring him down.”

“The line play was crucial, especially on the defensive side,” Bader said. “Our front four did a great job of shutting down the run game and getting pressure, particularly in the second half. That was huge for us.”

Celina’s last score came on a 35-yard interception return by Anderson late in the fourth quarter. The interception was the first one thrown this season by Crummey, who finished the game 27-of-46 for 270 yards. Micah Cowan caught nine passes for 63 yards.

Crummey was under fire all night. He was sacked seven times and the running game struggled all night, resulting in -26 yards on the ground. By comparison, Warner was 12-of-20 for 161 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 113 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Celina outgained the Cougars  369-244.

“We will definitely learn from this as coaches and players and see what we need to do to get better and play well against teams that may have size on us,” Recker said.

The Cougars (3-1, 2-1 WBL) will host Defiance on Friday. A special 90th anniversary celebration of Eggerss Stadium is planned for that night, with more details expected next week.

“Friday will be a great night as we celebrate the 90 year of Eggerss Stadium and our guys will be ready to go,” Recker said.

Scoring summary

Bulldogs 14  14   7  14 – 49

Cougars   0  14 14    0 – 28

First quarter

C – Jett Warner 15-yard pass to Simon Schwartz (Bridon Jeffries kick)

C – Jett Warner 48-yard pass to Brodee Schulte-Arnold (Bridon Jeffries kick)

Second quarter

VW – Zach Crummey 11-yard pass to Xavier Kelly (Alex Benner kick)

VW – Zach Crummey 2-yard run (Alex Benner kick)

C – Jett Warner 48-yard run (Bridon Jeffries kick)

C – Noah Tallmadge 17-yard run (Bridon Jeffries kick)

Third quarter

VW – Xavier Kelly 72-yard punt return (Alex Benner kick)

VW – Zach Crummey 18-yard pass (Alex Benner kick)

C – Jett Warner 6-yard pass to Caleb Schlater (Bridon Jeffries kick)

Fourth quarter

C – Jett Warner 6-yard pass to Trey Anderson (Bridon Jeffries kick)

C – Trey Anderson 35-yard interception return (Bridon Jeffries kick)