Kelly scores five TDs as Cougars win again

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

LIMA — Junior running back Xavier Kelly put on a show and Van Wert took advantage of numerous Bath miscues on Friday night.

After rushing for 111 yards in the first two games combined, Kelly gashed the Wildcat defense for 271 yards and five touchdowns on 21 carries, with three of those touchdowns coming on the fourth quarter as the Cougars pulled away for a 43-20 win, a victory that improved Van Wert’s record to 3-0 (2-0 WBL). 

With the score tied 20-20 early in the fourth, Kelly raced 15 yards to the end zone. Later in the quarter, Keaten Welch tackled Bath quarterback Daniel Cole in the end zone for a safety after a high snap, one of many high snaps in the game. Following the safety kick, Kelly took a handoff and sprinted 81 yards for a score, then added a 3-yard touchdown run with just under four minutes left in the game, giving him 10 rushing touchdowns through three games, plus three more on receptions. 

Kelly also scored on a 1-yard run on the game’s opening possession and added a 68-yard scoring run in the second quarter. Along with 271 yards on the ground, Kelly caught three passes for 32 yards.

“He’s just different,” Van Wert head coach Keith Recker said of Kelly. “He’s just different than the other guys – he’s special and the combination he has with the running toughness, the strength and the speed, it’s almost unmatched and I’m glad he’s on our team.”

“As the game wore on our guys continued to get better and they showed a lot of toughness and grit,” Recker said. “It was awesome by the guys up front.”

While Bath (0-3, 0-2 WBL) was able to move the ball to the tune of 500 total yards, the Wildcats also made some key mistakes that cost them dearly. In the second quarter Bath had the ball first and goal at the Van Wert five, but back-to-back penalties for illegal procedure and holding eventually turned into fourth and 20, with a incomplete pass on fourth down. On that same drive, the Wildcats had to burn two timeouts, which proved to be critical right before halftime.

After stopping Van Wert on downs, Cole launched a 47-yard pass to Isaiah Clark, which put the football at the Cougar one yard line with five seconds left. However, Bath had no time outs and in a rush to snap the ball, the center exchange was bobbled and the Cougar defense held as time ran out with the Wildcats just short of the end zone, leaving the game tied 13-13 at the break.

To start the third quarter, Bath marched downfield but came away empty handed when Keaten Welch intercepted Cole in the end zone.

“Our guys just step up when they need to,” Recker said. “It’s not always pretty and we obviously want to make it a little cleaner but in big situations they’ve stepped up.”

Cole finished the game 22-of-48 for 334 yards, one touchown and two interceptions. He entered the game as the WBL’s leading rusher but was limited to 14 carries for 52 yards and a touchdown.

Crummey completed 17-of-29 passes for 171 yards, with seven tosses going to Micah Cowan for 76 yards. Welch had four catches for 50 yards. As a team, Van Wert finished with 503 yards of total offense.

 The Cougars will play at Celina Friday night. The Bulldogs (3-0) beat St. Marys Memorial 30-28 on Friday.

“It doesn’t get any easier,” Recker said. “You from the No. 1 offense in the WBL to a tough, big physical team. It’ll be different preparation and we have to be great next week and be ready to go.”

Scoring summary

Cougars  6   7  7  23 – 43

Wildcats  0 13  7    0 – 20

First quarter

VW – Xavier Kelly 2-yard run (kick failed) VW 6-0

Second quarter

B – Daniel Cole 1-yard run (Isaiah Clark kick) B 7-6

VW – Xavier Kelly 68-yard run (Alex Benner kick) VW 13-6

B – Daniel Cole 24-yard pass to Isiah Clark (kick blocked) 13-13

Third quarter

VW – Zach Crummey 1-yard run (Alex Benner kick) VW 20-13

B – Braden Mayer 5-yard run (Isaiah Clark kick) 20-20

Fourth quarter

VW – Xavier Kelly 15-yard run (Alex Benner kick) VW 27-20

VW – Safety, Keaten Welch VW 29-20

VW – Xavier Kelly 81-yard run (Alex Benner kick) VW 36-20

VW – Xavier Kelly – 3-yard run (Alex Benner kick) VW 43-20