CELINA -- A new traveling trophy has been added to the Rider trophy case.
The Algae Cup, a tongue-in-cheek "tribute" to the water quality of Lake St. Marys, will be awarded to the winner of the annual "Battle of the Lake". Let it be noted that this dubious perpetuation of the area's infamy over the past summer began in Celina. Ridertown will heretofore refer to the hardware as the "Lake St. Marys Cup," and Celina Stadium as the "Algae Bowl."
St. Marys controlled the ball for only 3 of the first 13 minutes of the game, and found themselves ahead 14-0.
Three big plays set up Roughrider lightning despite perfect 70 degree gametime weather. Cody Martin returned the opening kickoff 58 yards to the Celina 27. Then on the Riders' first play from scrimmage, sophomore D.J. Manning ran a sweep to the Celina one yard line, where Logan Deitsch took it in on the next play. After Dan Roberts' PAT kick, St. Marys led 7-0 with 11:21 left to play in the 1st quarter.
It was all the scoring the Riders would need, 39 seconds into the game.
Celina appeared to be moving the ball well on their first possession, when Andy Sutter's second fumble of the drive was recovered by Brandon Craft at the St. Marys 42. The Riders could not capitalize on the good field position, though, and went 3-and-out.
Celina next mounted an eight minute, 17-play drive that stalled out on the St. Marys 28 yard line. St. Marys took over on downs and ran a 14-second, one-play drive that finished with Kyle Puschel in the end zone on a 72-yard sweep. Dan Roberts' point after touchdown kick made the score 14-0.
After a first down, St. Marys quarterback Derek Roop faked a dive handoff and threw over the top downfield to Matt Watkins for a 33-yard strike to the Celina ten yard line. When a procedure penalty and a stubborn Celina defense stopped D. J. Manning two yards short of the end zone on 3rd and 11, Dan Roberts was called in to kick the first Rider field goal of 2009. It was good from 19 yards out and made the score 17-0 in favor of the visitors.
Celina's junior quarterback Ryan Paulus was injured on the next series as he scrambled toward the sideline trying to avoid a sack, and did not return to the game.
Sweeps by Puschel with rushing help from Manning and Deitsch (and a Bulldog facemask penalty) led to Puschel's second touchdown of the game, a three-yard sweep with 1:00 remaining in the half. The PAT failed when Roop took a high snap and tried to run it in for a two-point conversion.
But St. Marys was not finished scoring in the first half yet. Dan Roberts pooched the kickoff and Celina fumbled, with Puschel recovering the ball at the St. Marys 25 yard line. Three quick plays netted 8 yards, and, with time running down, Allan Broyles came in to attempt a 36-yard field goal. Reminiscent of Nick Pfeffenberger's school-record 40-yard game-winner at Celina in 2003 (without the drama), Broyles boomed it through with no time left on the clock for a 26-0 St. Marys lead at halftime.
Celina came out determined in the second half. Quarterback Adam Pickering connected with receiver Caleb Fickert on a couple of key passes, one a 53-yard completion to the St. Marys 3-yard line. Pickering took it in from there on a play-action rollout. The Riders blocked Kyle Fink's PAT kick attempt to keep the score at 26-6 at the 9:14 mark of the third quarter.
That blocked kick seemed to awaken the Algae Bowl football demons. Dan Roberts fumbled St. Marys' next possesion away at the Celina 42. Matt Watkins intercepted Pickering's pass on the very next play, only to fumble it back to Celina during his return run. On Celina's next play, Roberts redeemed himself with an eleven-yard sack of Pickering, who two plays later threw another interception, this time to the Riders' Cody Martin. During Martin's return, a Bulldog 15-yard facemask penalty moved it forward to the Celina 21; St. Marys ball, first and ten.
The Riders should have been in business, but a holding penalty and two short runs set Roop up for a Celina sack on 4th and 19. The demons seemed to be satisfied with the havoc they had wrought, and things settled down after that.
Following the Bulldog three-and-out, the Riders mounted their final scoring drive of the game. Nice runs by Manning and Martin set up D.J. Manning's first career touchdown, a ten-yard scamper on the first play of the fourth quarter. Roberts' PAT kick was good to finish out the scoring at 33-6.
The Rider defense kept the Bulldogs' top running back Andy Sutter bottled up all night. Sutter had eight first-half carries for only 20 yards and finished the game with 12 carries and 30 yards rushing for a 2.5 yard-per-carry average, well below his 6.3 average through the first three games.
Senior linebacker Keith Perry recorded two fourth-quarter sacks, and Matt Watkins and Cody Martin each made an interception.
Running back Kyle Puschel continued his tear, rushing for two touchdowns and 133 yards on 12 carries for an 11-yard-per-carry average. D.J. Manning averaged more than nine yards a carry with 82 yards in nine plays, with a touchdown.
For Celina, starting quarterback Ryan Paulus was 7 for 14 and 77 yards passing before leaving the game late in the second quarter. Six of those completions were to Cale Knapke.
The Bulldogs continue to look for their first 2009 win next week at Van Wert, while the Riders host a Defiance team fresh off their 48-7 pasting of Wapak tonight.
