11/8/2008
Delphos St. John's advances to regional final game
Blue Jays take advantage of turnovers to capture victory
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BY KIRK DOUGAL
Times Bulletin Editor
kdougal@timesbulletin.com
KENTON - On a night when turnovers decided the game, the Delphos St. John's Blue Jays were opportunistic and defeated the Carey Blue Devils, 21-14, in Division VI tournament action.
Both teams traveled into Kenton for the game at Robinson Field with reputations for hard-hitting defenses and strong running attacks. Neither were a disappointment in the contest. Carey took the opening kickoff and tried to establish its full-house option offense but quickly turned in a three-and-out.
St. John's began its first drive of the night from its own 46-yard line, getting good field position after a short punt. The Jays picked up two first downs before stalling and coach Todd Schulte sent out Jordan Rode for a 31-yard field goal attempt. The kick was up and good with plenty of leg but a Carey defender ran into Rode and St. John's accepted the roughing the kicker penalty to have a first and goal from the 8-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Wes Ulm found fullback Matt Brinkman on a short dig route and the Blue Jays had taken a 7-0 lead.
Again, Carey came out with a running attack that averaged 344 yards per game this season, but quarterback Tyler Brodman was hit as he tried to pitch the ball and it rolled free on the ground. Evan Burgei came diving in from off the corner and recovered the fumble on the Carey 25-yard line.
On what would become the most important part of the game, points off turnovers, St. John's immediately attacked. On the first play, Ulm went right on the option, faked the pitch and cut up field. He slipped two arms tackles along the way before bursting into the clear and taking the carry all the way to the house for a 25-yard touchdown and a 14-0 Blue Jays lead.
Carey took the kickoff and this time began to find its game. The Blue Devils strung together five- and six-yard gashes through the St. John's defense and moved the ball for the first time in the game. When the drive threatened to bog down on a fourth and one form their own 42, Devil coach Todd Worst went for it and kept the drive alive with a first down on the last play of the first quarter. After the second quarter began the drive did stall and Carey punted the ball away.
But now it was time for the Blue Devil defense to shine. They held St. John's to a quick three and out before taking over after a punt down to their 43-yard line. They then began an impressive 6:04, 57-yard drive that was kept alive by a key 11-yard run on third down by running back Matthew Messmer and a 9-yard completion for another first. Finally it was a big fullback Derek Stock plowing through the left side of the line for a 10-yard touchdown rumble. That closed the gap on the score to 14-7 with Delphos now clinging to a one-score lead.
The Jays tried to answer back with less than two minutes on the clock when Ulm hit Brad Hoffman for a 54-yard pass. But on the next play his pass was tipped and Carey's Cy Strahm came down with the ball to end the half.
"We were really concerned with how we were going to handle their run game because they are just so big up front," Schulte said. "Our kids kept fighting. We did give up a few here and a few there, but they did a good job."
The Jays received the ball to start the second half and the Carey defense stuffed them for a three-and-out. Tragedy struck on the third play as a Carey defensive lineman suffered a neck injury and lay on the field for a long time before being taken away in an ambulance after almost a half-hour. Both teams were allowed to warm up again after play resumed but their injured teammate seemed to rattle the Blue Devils. Brodman fumbled the ball after being hit and St. John's recovered on Carey's 35-yard line.
After two quick dashes through the line by Jays running back Jordan Leininger for 17 and 11 yards, Evan Burgei used his only carry of the game well and went around the right side for a 5-yard touchdown plunge. Delphos now led 21-7. For the rest of the third quarter, both teams traded punts.
But at the start of the fourth, Carey proved why it was still in the playoffs. With eight and a half minutes left to go in the game and the end of their season looming large in their sights, coach Worst again made a gutsy call going for fourth and four from the Devils' own 29-yard line. Brodman dove into the left side of the line on a keeper and when he wiggled through the far side, there was no one there to stop a 71-yard scamper to the end zone and a 21-14 game.
The rest of the game was just smash mouth defense as the Blue Devils forced punts and the Jays bent but did not break, taking the ball away on downs. Carey's last gasp came when it attempted a halfback pass by Messmer which was intercepted by Tyler Bergfeld to seal the game for Delphos.
"Those two turnovers, we capitalized on those and that was big," said Schulte after the game. "That was the difference. You have to get points off turnovers in hard fought games like this. I knew we were in for a dog fight tonight."
Brodman was 2-for-6 throwing the ball for Carey for only 8 yards while he rushed 17 times for 81 yards and one touchdown. Derek Stock carried the ball 16 times for 82 yards and the Blue Devils' other score.
The Jays' Wes Ulm completed 6 of 11 pass attempts for 93 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran the ball 11 times for 39 yards and a score. Running back Jordan Leininger added 57 yards on 14 carries and caught two passes for 6 yards.
The Blue Jays will take on the Ada Bulldogs next week in the Region 22 title game. The Bulldogs defeated Pandora-Gilboa 42-14 Friday evening at Bath High School.
Next Friday's game is tentatively scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start but a site has yet to be announced. The winner will advance to the state semifinals.
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