Cougars hope to gallop by Roughriders

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

Friday night’s homecoming game at Eggerss Stadium will feature a pair of teams that are looking to resume their winning ways.

After a 35-21 loss at Wapakoneta last Friday, Van Wert enters the game 4-2 (3-2 WBL). The Cougars have dropped two of the last three games, with the other loss coming to Celina, 49-28, in Week No. 4. Sandwiched between the losses is a 61-28 win over Defiance. Despite last Friday’s loss, Van Wert head coach Keith Recker was able to find some positives.

“Last week we created five explosive plays on offense, which is right where we want to be with the number of plays we ran against Wapak,” Recker said.  “We also didn’t have any fumble or interception turnovers, which is another big positive.”

Wapakoneta was able to slow the Cougar running game, forcing Zach Crummey to take to the air often. The junior quarterback officially completed 35-of-49 passes for 434 yards and two touchdowns, a 56-yarder to Micah Cowan and a 48-yard toss to Keaten Welch.

“He is making some big time throws and really showing off what he is capable of doing at quarterback,” Recker said. “He is much more accurate on deep throws, his timing is very good, and he was able to put the ball in some tight spots, specifically a really nice quick throw to Cohen (Bragg) last week right down the seam.  You don’t throw for over 400 yards without being able to make a lot of different throws and Zach can make all of them.

After a 2-0 start, the St. Marys Memorial Roughriders (3-3, 3-2 WBL) have lost three of four games. It’s fair to note the three losses came to the undefeated WBL co-leaders, Celina and Ottawa-Glandorf, and to rapidly improving Wapakoneta.

“3-3 is obviously not where we wanted to be, but our guys are playing hard and finding ways to get better,” St. Marys Memorial head coach Bo Frye said. “We’ve given up too many big plays on defense so that’s something we’re working hard to fix. We have to tackle better and eliminate those big plays.”

The Roughriders suffered a big blow defensively with the injury loss of linebacker Taylor Compton, an All-Ohioan last season. Compton (6-1, 210 senior) had 27 tackles this season, including 22 in the first two games alone.

“Anytime you lose an all-state linebacker and team captain like Taylor Compton, there are going to be some growing pains,” Frye said. “We have guys working every day to step up and take over that role. On top of that, the WBL has been on an upswing, which has made things even more challenging.”

Frye acknowledged that Van Wert’s offense will be another stiff challenge.

The Cougars enter Friday’s game averaging 436 yards per game, including 287 yards passing. Crummey has completed 132-of-198 passes (67 percent) for 1,688 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. 41 of his passes have been caught by Micah Cowan for 534 yards and two scores, while Keaten Welch has nabbed 29 passes for 505 yards and four touchdowns. Xavier Kelly has 26 receptions for 346 yards and four touchdowns while Easton Putman and Cohen Bragg each have 15 receptions for 185 and 150 yards respectively. Putnam has two touchdown catches. While Kelly was held in check by Wapak (18 carries, 51 yards), he still has 92 carries for 744 yards and a WBL-leading 15 touchdowns.

“Whenever you play Van Wert, the No. 1 concern is always their skill talent,” Frye said. “They have a quarterback who can make every throw and skill players who can really run. They have some of the best, if not the best, skill talent in the league. Coach Recker has been patient and does a great job of continually finding ways to improve their program.”

While the Roughrider defense has allowed just over 380 yards of total offense per game and nearly 29 points per outing, the familiar old school offense continues to hum along.

The Wing-T offense went out of style for most teams many years ago, but not at St. Marys Memorial and why change? The Roughriders are averaging a WBL-high 304 yards per game and they’re doing it with a bevy of more than capable backs. Dylan Fink has 589 yards and four touchdowns on 84 carries, Tyler Holsinger has recorded 59 carries for 348 yards and five touchdowns and quarterback Logan Payton has 37 carries for 208 yards and six touchdowns. Tre Moore has contributed 199 yards on 33 carries and before his injury, Compton had 36 rushes for 203 yards and four scores.

“The Wing-T is just who we are,” Frye explained. “We’ve been running it at St. Marys since 1956. Your offense has to match the kids you have and we have tough kids who believe in the system. We’re pretty good at what we do, and we believe in it.”

While the Roughriders won’t be mistaken for an Air-Raid team, passing numbers are up out of the Wing-T this year. Last season, St. Marys averaged 27 yards passing per game and this season, that number has grown to 68 yards per game. Payton has completed 23-of-50 passes for 405 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. Fink leads the team in receiving with seven receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns, while Moore has four catches for 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Rushing or passing, the Wing-T can be a nightmare for opposing coaches. Simply put, it’s difficult to prepare for.

“The thing we say is obviously our scout team won’t run St. Marys offense the way St. Marys does,” Recker said. “The first thing we need to do is get aligned to their formations and understand what our job is in those alignments, such as who is the edge setter, who needs to fill inside, who is our extra player to the playside, etc.  Then once the ball is snapped on Friday it is all about attacking and tackling.  We have to attack them and not be on our heels, and we have to do a great job of tackling their ball carriers.

Like different offenses of the past, the Wing-T offense can churn out time-consuming drives, meaning possessions can limited.

“Our total focus has to be on the next play in front of us and if we do that, we will make the most of every possession we have offensively and defensively,” Recker said. “They are going to gain some yards in the run game just based on what they do, but we have to find a couple possessions in the game where we get them behind the sticks and force them into an uncomfortable down and distance. Offensively we understand we have to convert third and fourth downs, and finish drives when we get to the red zone.”

St. Marys Memorial won last year’s game 42-35. Big numbers were put up in that game, as Crummey completed 28-of-40 passes for a school record 461 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Cowan caught 18 passes for 330 yards, both school records, and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Caleb Schmidt of St. Marys had 42 carries for 315 yards and six touchdowns.

The Roughriders have won three straight against the Cougars, with Van Wert’s last win coming in 2022, 70-41.

Friday’s game will air live on WERT 1220AM/104.3FM.