THE SKIP -- For what more could a football fan wish? Homecoming, great defense, offensive fireworks, real fireworks, record-breaking play, an undefeated season and a one-point nail-biting win for the home team. Even the weather was perfect.
A defensive struggle between the immovable object of the Titan defense and the irresistable force of the Rider offense in the first half, the second half looked more like a fight in a Rocky movie, with both teams scoring knockout-quality punches on almost every possession.
The Titans came out of the halftime locker room on fire, taking the kickoff at their own 36 and marching 64 yards on 6 plays to the game's first score. Quarterback Taylor Kulhman's elusive option/draw gained 24 yards on two carries and he threw a 28-yard pass to Ryan Kuhlman on the drive. Taylor Kuhlman scored the touchdown on a 2-yard run, and Nolan Croy kicked the point after touchdown only 2:15 into the third quarter.
But after being held scoreless in the first half, St. Marys responded with a nine-play scoring drive of their own. Passes from Jake Taylor to a diving Aaron Homan for eleven yards and to Matt Watkins for 26 yards highlighted the possession, with Josh Zimmerman picking up the touchdown on a tough four yard plunge off the left side. Chaz Adkins added the PAT to tie the score at seven.
After holding O-G to a three-and-out, the Riders came right back with another classic scoring drive on the next possession, running ten plays and holding the ball for more than six minutes. Taylor scored the go-ahead touchdown on a quarterback sneak just a minute into the fourth quarter. Adkins' PAT was good to give St. Marys a 14-7 lead.
But after the defensive struggles of the first half, the ball was just starting to roll. The next three possessions ended in touchdowns, and it looked like whichever team had the ball last would win.
Taylor Kuhlman moved the ball up the field with opportunistic scrambles and a big 28-yard pass to Ryan Kuhlman. But a sack by the Riders' Marcus Neal and an incomplete pass in the end zone brought up a fourth and ten play at the St. Marys 12 yard line. Kuhlman cooly found Jacob Moenning in the end zone for a twelve-yard touchdown that tied the score at 14 after Croy's PAT kick, with 6:21 left in the game.
Croy boomed the kickoff and the Riders began their next possession on their own 17 yard line. A nice run by Taylor got the Rider offense some breathing room with a first down at the 27, but a sweep was stuffed by the Titans for a two-yard loss on the next play. An incomplete pass set up a tough third down conversion attempt.
On third and twelve from the St. Marys 25, Jake Taylor wrote his name in the Rider record books twice when he hit a streaking Aaron Homan in stride for a stunning 75-yard touchdown strike. The touchdown pass was Taylor's ninth of the season, which broke a logjam of a record eight TD passes in a season held by Taylor (2008), Fred Fry (1990), Jack Grant (1986), Bill Fitzgerald (1985) and Scott Humphries (1983). The play also broke Greg Urich's 38-year-old team record for longest pass completion, a 71-yard bomb to Mike "Buns" Youngs in the 1970 Sidney game (the first two-platoon Rider game, a 54-12 loss in game 21 of Sidney's 30-game winning streak).
Chaz Adkins hit his third PAT kick of the night little guessing how important it would prove to be, giving the Riders a 21-14 lead with 4:10 left.
The Titans unveiled the Kuhlman show to make the game really interesting. Quarterback Taylor Kuhlman broke loose for big runs of 24 and 18 yards, passed to Ryan Kuhlman for a nine-yard completion and hit Brent Kuhlman with a ten-yard strike for a touchdown at the 2:08 mark, making the score St. Marys 21, Ottawa-Glandorf 20. Ottawa-Glandorf coach Ken Schriner lined his team up for a gutsy two-point conversion to go for the win. St. Marys coach Doug Frye took a time out to set up the defense, and he called the right set.
Taylor Kuhlman rolled out to pass for the win, but the Riders were in his face with intense pressure. Kuhlman had to let the ball go or suffer a sack and his pass sailed over the end zone far from any possible receiver.
The Titans' Nolan Croy executed a near-perfect onside kick that traveled ten yards and bounced into the air right on cue. A pile-up of both teams' players obscured the recovery, but in the end St. Marys' Adam Lininger emerged with the ball. The Riders managed the time well, gaining an important first down on a three-yard dive by new-found running back Josh Zimmerman and a pair of "victory play" knees taken by Taylor.
The difference between the first and second halves could hardly be more stark.
The Roughriders threatened to score in impressive first and last drives of the first half, but the Titans kept them out of the end zone to keep the score knotted at zero at halftime.
St. Marys took the opening kickoff and mounted a twelve-play drive from their own 19 to the O-G 13. But a fourth-down screen pass from Jake Taylor to Aaron Homan was anticipated by the Titans, who tackled Homan for a five yard loss even though the pass was completed.
Both teams traded short possessions through the middle of the first half, run for the most part on the St. Marys half of the field thanks to booming Titan punts off the left foot of Brian Schmiedebusch.
At the 6:35 mark of the second quarter the Riders began another impressive drive at their own 17 yard line. Twelve plays advanced the ball to the O-G three yard line, but the Titans sniffed out a rare Rider end-around play on fourth and goal for a five yard loss to end the drive.
The Riders dominated the first half in every statistic except scoring and punting, racking up 176 yards of offense on 33 plays to the Titans' 39 yards on 15 plays. St. Marys gained nine first half first downs to Ottawa-Glandorf's two.
St. Marys improves its perfect record to 6-0 on the season and 5-0 in the Western Buckeye League. Rival Shawnee came into tonight's games tied for the league lead with the Riders, but the Indians were surprised at home by Defiance, 28-19. Next week the Riders travel to Van Wert, who lost to Wapakoneta tonight, 21-7.
Unofficially, Jeremy Frey just missed the 100-yard rushing mark with 99 yards on 18 carries. Cody Martin added 40 yards rushing to go with his 31 yards receiving. Aaron Homan gained only 14 yards on the ground but contributed 81 yards receiving including the big touchdown catch. Josh Zimmerman picked up 30 rushing yards for the Riders.
The big individual stat again was Jake Taylor's passing, as he completed an impressive 11 of 14 including a record-breaking touchdown. Taylor led a balanced Roughrider offense that gained 184 yards in the air and 217 yards on the ground.
Ottawa-Glandorf slips to 3-3 on the season and 3-2 in the WBL. The Titans are on the road to Bath next week before finishing out the season with three home games.
Pregame ceremonies for Homecoming featured the announcement of the MHS 2008 Homecoming Queen, Megan Schlater, and her court.
Homecoming Queen Candidates.
Homecoming Court Attendants.
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