AVOIDING THE RUSH … Archbold quarterback Jarrett Rufenacht eludes the St. Henry pass rushers.
PHOTOS BY REBEKAH DELL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
HOME DEBUT … Collin Short runs with the ball in the first half of Archbold’s home opener against St. Henry.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
The St. Henry Redskins thwarted a resurgent Archbold Bluestreak football squad in the fourth quarter Friday night to take home a 27-19 victory.
Play started with both teams struggling to find their footing, with Archbold losing a yard in a three-and-out and St. Henry losing three before gaining 10 in a three-and-out.
The Bluestreaks gained nine on a pair of plays and seemed poised for progress, but were pushed back with a false start penalty, and an incomplete pass brought out the kicker again.
On their second try, the Redskins looked like it would be more of the same after a loss, then a gain of two to bring up third and 10, but a pass interference penalty against Archbold moved them across midfield and gave them the first down.
Senior quarterback Charlie Werling held on to the ball (which he would repeat throughout the game) and ran it all 47 yards to the end zone on the next play, but a holding penalty brought them all the way back to their own 41 for first and 22.
Werling would hold the ball for another 13 yards on that drive before adding 19 in the final play, when he ran it in for a touchdown. A kick by senior Owen Zimmerman put the Redskins up 7-0.
Eager to put their own points on the board, the Bluestreaks started their next drive strong, with junior quarterback Jarett Rufenacht going back to pass but seeing an opening and running straight up the middle for a gain of 19.
Unfortunately for Archbold, some fancy footwork on a pitch to junior Ryder Ryan for a gain of six was followed by a pair of plays that only moved the ball a yard as the first quarter ended, bringing the kicker back out.
Redskin junior Drew Langenkamp shone over the next several plays, as he ran the ball in back-to-back plays for a total of 12 yards, but another run for 13 yards wasn’t enough to overcome an intentional grounding penalty, and they were eventually forced to kick it away.
St. Henry got the ball back fast after another three-and-out from Archbold and seemed destined for the end zone after gaining 39 yards on four plays, but a near-interception and three-yard Werling run were followed by an actual interception by sophomore Brady Culler, who brought it all the way back to the St. Henry 16-yard line.
Archbold was unable to capitalize on the opportunity, gaining seven yards before sophomore quarterback Maddox Pinter threw an incomplete pass into the end zone, followed immediately by a pass through the hands of sophomore Anderson Bentley and intercepted by St. Henry senior Jack Huelsman, who snagged the ball with just one hand at the five.
A pair of runs, each by Werling and Langenkamp for a total of 18 yards, were followed up with a pass from Werling to freshman Owen Werling, who then threw a lateral to junior Tate Boeckman for another 16 yards.
Then, with 17 seconds left in the half, Werling threw a pass to sophomore Landon Schwartz for a 61-yard gain and a second touchdown.
Zimmerman shorted the extra point kick, putting the Redskins’ lead at 13-0. Archbold took a knee after receiving the kickoff to end the half.
On the second play of the second half, St. Henry fumbled the ball during a handoff, which was recovered by Archbold just 29 yards from the end zone, but they were again unable to capitalize on the opportunity, going three–and-out, turning the ball over on downs at the St. Henry 23.
The Redskins pushed to a first down in two plays but then caught a penalty for illegal use of hands, which put them at first and 22.
They were unable to make up the ground and punted back to the Bluestreaks. After a 10-yard run by Pinter, he handed the ball off to Ryan, who was able to find an opening and then the open field, running 69 yards for Archbold’s first touchdown of the game in a 40-second drive. This time, sophomore Bluestreak kicker Quinn Sauder shorted the extra point, bringing the score to 13-6.
Not to be outdone, Langenkamp returned the ball 74 yards on the kickoff to bring the ball to the Archbold 18. It took Werling just two runs to carry the ball in for a touchdown for a total drive of 92 yards in just 24 seconds of play. Zimmerman made the extra point for a score of 20-6.
To add insult to injury, St. Henry went on to recover the kickoff after the Bluestreaks initially let the ball fall, possibly believing it was going to bounce out of bounds.
The Redskins took over on the Archbold 21-yard line, and it again only took two Werling runs to find the end zone. Another Zimmerman kick and St. Henry was up 27-6 in a drive of only 45 seconds.
The Bluestreaks narrowly averted another three-and-out after a weak kickoff return, a dropped pass by Bentley, and a five-yard gain by Pinter immediately lost with a five-yard illegal procedure penalty on the following play, but a 21-yard pass to junior Aranjer Krieger kept them alive.
More passes to Bentley, Ryan, and Krieger brought them all the way to the St. Henry nine-yard line, but a pair of incomplete passes into the end zone going from the end of the third quarter into the beginning of the fourth resulted in a turnover on downs.
More Werling runs kept the Redskins moving in their next drive, but not far enough, and a pass swatted down by sophomore Wyatt Cline forced them to punt.
After a 15-yard return by Krieger, Ryan took a handoff for a gain of 20, and Pinter faked a handoff and threw a pass to Krieger for the remaining 32 yards for their second touchdown of the game.
Hoping to close the gap further, the Bluestreaks went for the conversion, but Pinter was stopped just inches shy of the end zone, bringing the score to 27-12.
Archbold forced St. Henry into another three-and-out as they finally started to find their groove. They moved the ball 14 yards in two plays, then gained 23 when Pinter pitched the ball to junior Isaiahs Gracia, who passed it to junior Morgan Harris.
Another set of downs brought them to the St. Henry 15-yard line, but an illegal procedure penalty pushed them back to the 20, and Pinter subsequently threw three incomplete passes, two of them nearly intercepted.
On his fourth try and under pressure, Pinter was finally successful, throwing a touchdown pass to Harris. A successful kick by Sauder brought the Redskins’ lead down to 27-19 with 2 minutes and 43 seconds left in the game.
The Bluestreaks went for a tricky onside kick, with Sauder pretending to run up only for Gracia to pass him and make the actual kick, but St. Henry was ready, and Langenkamp dove on the ball immediately as it came to him.
UP NEXT: September 5 – Archbold (1-1) at Tinora (0-2)
SHHS 13 6 14 0 – 27
AHS 0 0 6 13 – 19
SH – Werling 16-yd run (Zimmerman kick)
SH – Schwartz 61-yd pass from Werling (kick failed)
A – Ryan 69-yd run (Sauder kick)
SH – Werling 3-yd run (Zimmerman kick)
SH – Werling 24-yd run (Zimmerman kick)
A – Krieger 32-yd pass from Pinter (run failed)
A – Harris 21-yd pass from Pinter (Sauder kick)