Photographs by Andrews PhotographyDATELINE SEPTEMBER 19 - KENTON STADIUM - KENTON, OHIO
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The St. Marys Roughriders got serious about the game of football when they had to tonight, against a typically tough and dirty Kenton Wildcat gang. The Riders threw one pass early on, racking up an incompletion, and gave up the air game altogether in going on to amass 437 yards carrying the pig.
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The first quarter closed a scoreless draw, as both teams matched Ds. Andy Slone capped off a 74-yard march with a nine-yard trot as the Riders scored first in the second. Kurt Kill's extra point attempt was a little too low and was blocked: Good Guys 6-zip. Kenton's offense, named T.J. Metzger, returned the ensuing kickoff back to the St. Marys 20, and the season-ticket holders vociferously arose as one. Roughrider DB Kevin Doenges shut them up and sat them down on the very next play, when Kenton boldly threw the ball into his zone, which, in this instance, was the end zone, and he did his duty and then some with a highlight-reel diving interception for a touchback. Perhaps understandably, the Rider offense sputtered after so short a break, and had to punt after three. The Cats then tied the score on their best drive of the night - nine plays to a TD - fostering the misconception upon the big stands that this would in fact be a winnable contest. The Riders returned the point-after favor when Mark Scott blew in from the corner to flick away the PAT kick: Tie game 6-6.
The Roughriders' next drive was of average length in yardage but a miserable failure in terms of time of possession. Two plays into the series, John Thistlethwaite beat the hosts to the short-side corner and was next seen in the end zone at the head of a 61-yard blur. Our try for 2 was (alas) thwarted; but the good news was a 12-6 halftime advantage that was never bested the rest of the game.
Kenton recklessly put their band on the grid at halftime against the St. Marys All Brass Band, with (for the hosts) woefully predictable results. The worst part was that the SMABB had to share the 20 minute slot, and home and visiting spectators alike were deprived of the extra tune or two typically added to the St. Marys production when time permits. Sigh. SMABB's "Big Band" show featured one of my personal all-time favorites of that genre, "Big Noise from Winnetka," showcasing the the charm and precision of the SMABB majorettes, whose very appearance on the field justly induces shame in the flag-luggers and bespangled grazers the enemy vainly offers as competition.
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The Riders' first possession of the second half was another inadequacy in ball control. On the second play of the "drive," QB Rick Haines turned an option play upfield and stepped on the gas. The blistered Kenton defenders only found him in the endzone 60 yards downfield by following the treadmarks. Andy Slone carried in the two-point conversion and the Wildcats were officially tamed, 20-6. The Roughrider O did much better on their next series, though, sustaining a 92-yard drive for six-and-a-half minutes before Thistlethwaite iced it with a one-yard TD. After we got called for motion on the PAT, Doug Burke's kick was good from 25 yards out, and would have been good from 40, upping the ante to 27-6.
The D zigged when it should have zagged when, on a fourth down play near midfield, Kenton's offense (named T.J. Metzger) popped through the middle for a 48-yard TD. But when the pass for two ricocheted off the (wide-open) receiver's hands the hometeam despair was palpable, and the first-stringers began waving at the bench en masse. Jason Clark finished off one last nice Rider drive with a 2-yard TD and Burke added the PAT to close out the battle at 34-12.
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One can hear the Kentonian excuses from 50 miles away. Kenton's star QB Mike Morrison is out for the season with knee problems, or something, and THINGS WOULD BE DIFFERENT, etc. But a team can have Paul Bunyan, Goliath, Space Ghost or, as Notre Dame discovered last Saturday at Purdue (heh, heh, heh) God Himself sitting on the bench and it won't improve its chances on the field, and so it was tonight at Kenton. For even though the Wildcats amassed over 300 yards in offense it was too little against any Memorial High schoolers playing as a team, and the empty home-side stands near the end of the game were as good an indicator of the score as the scoreboard itself.
The fourth quarter at this easternmost WBL venue was sprinkled occasionally with a spitting rain, and the St. Marys faithful, facing west and braving disaster in the ramshackle Kenton visitors' bleachers, could see a powerful thunderstorm a-looming. The rain held off for the game, if not the drive home, when radio reports were heard that several area games were in fact suspended due to lightning, including the Defiance-Bath WBL matchup; a first, in this observer's recollection.
The Riders' quest now is to maintain their newly-found focus next week against an Elida Bulldog team that shows every sign of being the WBL's patsy, bringing their perfect 0-4 record into Skip Baughman Stadium for St. Marys' Homecoming game.
| GAME STATS (Stolen from The Evening Leader - Thanks, Angie Dieringer) | ||||
| St. Marys | Kenton | St. Marys Season | Opponents Season | |
| Points Scored | 34 | 12 | 132 | 24 |
| First Downs | 17 | 12 | 64 | 40 |
| Rushes-Yards | 56-437 | 29-178 | 223-1356 | 139-341 |
| Completions / Attempts - Yards | 0/1-0 | 5/18-137 | 11/22-116 | 26/65-365 |
| Had Intercepted | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Offensive Plays | 56 | 47 | 245 | 198 |
| Total Offense | 437 | 315 | 1472 | 706 |
| Punts-Yards | 5-191 | 4-137 | 8-301 | 16-547 |
| Blocked | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-0 | 2-2 | 6-4 | 6-6 |
| Penalties - Yards | 4-26 | 3-25 | 13-121 | 8-60 |
| RIDER STATS | ||||
| Rushes | Yards | Season Rushes | Season Yards | |
| 7 Rick Haines | 2 | 77 | 24 | 102 |
| 11 Aaron Seewer | 2 | 15 | ||
| 13 John Meinerding | 2 | 8 | ||
| 21 Bobby Huttis | 2 | 7 | 15 | 86 |
| 23 Andy Slone | 15 | 74 | 36 | 179 |
| 27 Brandon Meyer | 2 | 35 | ||
| 28 John Thistlethwaite | 21 | 172 | 64 | 546 |
| 30 Ken Williams | 2 | 7 | 7 | 39 |
| 32 Jason Clark | 13 | 91 | 57 | 279 |
| 34 Josh Lamb | 1 | 9 | 12 | 68 |
| Completions / Passes - Interceptions | Yards | Season Completions / Passes - Interceptions | Season Yards | |
| 7 Rick Haines | 0/1-0 | 0 | 11/22-1 | 66 |
| Receptions | Yards | Season Receptions | Season Yards | |
| 23 Andy Slone | 1 | 21 | ||
| 28 John Thistlethwaite | 5 | 47 | ||
| 32 Jason Clark | 4 | 45 | ||
| 86 Spencer Williams | 1 | 3 | ||
| Viewing Tip: If stats table is off-center, Increase Font (under "View" in Netscape). | ||||
AROUND the WESTERN BUCKEYE LEAGUE September 19...
Team ~ Game ~ Record ~ WBL ~ Yet to Play (no order)
Celina ~ Beat O-G 27-7 ~ 4-0 ~ 3-0 ~ D K SM S VW W
Defiance ~ Beat Bath 27-12 ~ 4-0 ~ 3-0 ~ Game completed 9/20/97~ C O-G SM S VW W
Ottawa-Glandorf ~ Lost to Celina 7-27 ~ 3-1 ~ 2-1 ~ D E K SM S W
St. Marys ~ Beat Kenton 34-12 ~ 3-1 ~ 2-1 ~ B C D E O-G W
Van Wert ~ Beat Shawnee 10-6 ~ 3-1 ~ 2-1 ~ B C D E K W
Wapakoneta ~ Beat Elida 44-10 ~ 2-2 ~ 2-1 ~ B C D O-G SM VW
Kenton ~ Lost to St. Marys 12-34 ~ 2-2 ~ 1-2 ~ B C E O-G S VW
Bath ~ Lost to Defiance 12-27 ~ 1-3 ~ 0-3 ~ Game completed 9/20/97 ~ E K SM S VW W
Shawnee ~ Lost to Van Wert 6-10 ~ 1-3 ~ 0-3 ~ B C D E K O-G
Elida ~ Lost to Wapak 10-44 ~ 0-4 ~ 0-3 ~ B K O-G SM S VW
Other Scores
Piqua 28 - Sidney 14
Springfield Northeastern 35 - Urbana 18
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