(PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
TD CATCH … Delta freshman Marcus Nagel goes over the top of a Wauseon defender for a 15-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. VIEW 180 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
WAUSEON (October 4, 2024) – The Delta Panthers upped their record to 6-1 after defeating the Indians during homecoming in Wauseon Friday night.
Delta started early, building momentum with a strong running game courtesy of senior Landon Lintermoot, who would rack up a total of 102 yards across 33 runs throughout the game. During the first drive, Lintermoot carried the ball seven times, converting a third down and two second downs, but was unable to convert on fourth and one at the Wauseon 29-yard line, turning the ball over on downs.
Wauseon got to a rougher start, catching a penalty for false start on their first play. A lateral to sophomore Xzavier Molina gained three yards, while a run by junior Julian Jasso gained none.
A pass to sophomore A’Zarrion Hicks on third and seven wasn’t able to convert, bringing up fourth and one on their own 38-yard line, when the Indians chose to punt it away.
Panther sophomore Vincent Martinez had a huge play to start the next drive, making it 19 yards with a jump over one defender, spin through another, and long reach to extend the gain as far as possible.
Delta was unable to capitalize on the initial first down, however, with a Lintermoot run, a pitch to freshman Marcus Nagel, and another pitch to Lintermoot only yielding a total of four yards. This time, the Panthers chose to punt.
The Indians were only able to gain two yards each on runs by juniors Jo Jo Flowers and Landon Ballard before Delta sophomore Malacaih Ambriz ended the quarter with a sack of Wauseon junior quarterback Kahle Albright five yards behind the original line of scrimmage.
Wauseon attempted to punt on fourth and 15 to start the second half, but the Delta defense put on the jets and blocked the punt and nabbed the loose ball to take possession at the Indians one-yard line.
Lintermoot stepped up on the following play to score the Panthers’ first touchdown of the game just 14 seconds into the second quarter. A point after by senior Brodey Roth put the score at 7-0.
What turned into a more than six-minute possession by the Indians started with a meager one-yard run by Jasso, followed up by a lateral pass to senior Wyatt Smith which he turned into an eight-yard gain.
Albright held on third and one for a five-yard gain and the first down. A 10-yard Jasso run for a first-down conversion was followed by a four-yard Ballard run, a five-yard Hicks run, and then a fumble the Indians recovered to leave them at fourth and five.
Despite seeming confusion among the Panthers defensive line, they came up with a big hit on Ballard in the next play for a loss of one, followed by a tackle of Albright for an additional loss of two, followed by a Wauseon delay of game for a further loss of five which brought up third and 18. Unable to come up with any yardage on the next play, the Indians punted it away.
Delta got started with a trio of Lintermoot runs, pushing them from their own 32 to the 43. Nagel slipped and fell on a carry during the next play for a loss of two, but immediately made it up with a 12-yard run for the first down. Lintermoot moved it a further eight before a pitch to Martinez brought another first down.
Freshman quarterback Emric Friess threw a pair of incomplete passes before the Panthers brought out their double reverse on third and 10 for a 13-yard gain to put them on the Wauseon 22-yard line.
A successful lateral to senior Richard Flores III was followed up with a pitch to Lintermoot and finally a pass to Nagel in the end zone who managed to hold on to the ball despite being in contact prior to receiving. Another successful extra point put the Panthers up 14-0.
On the opening second half kickoff, Flowers received and carried the ball a staggering 85 yards for a touchdown with just 15 seconds elapsed in the third quarter. Just as impressive, the Panthers managed to scramble into the way and block the extra point to keep the score at 14-6.
Over the next nearly nine minutes of play, the Panthers managed to slowly march down the field from their own 18 to the Wauseon 20 over the course of 15 plays and five downs, including seven runs by Lintermoot, a run by and a pitch to Martinez, two runs and a pitch to Nagel, a pass to Flores on third and eight, and a one-yard run by Friess on fourth and inches.
At that point, Martinez took over – first with a three-yard run, and then by catching a pass in the end zone for Delta’s third touchdown. After another appearance by Roth, the score stood at 21-6.
After a kickoff by the Panthers, Wauseon fumbled the ball with Delta recovering on the Indians’ 30-yard line, but their defense stepped up and forced a four-and-out to get the ball back.
A false start by Wauseon and a short, three-yard run by Hicks to put it at second and 12 was enough to end the third quarter.
An incomplete pass led to a successful 11-yard pass to Smith, which Albright followed up by carrying it another 12 yards himself.
LOOKING FOR YARDS … Xzavier Molina eludes Delta tacklers on a punt return in the first half.
More confusion on the part of the Delta defense led to a solid gain on a run by Jasso, which Flowers turned into another first down with a successive nine-yard run.
Further positive yardage on a run by Jasso and lateral to Flowers seemed to show the Indians on the hunt for another touchdown, but a fumble on the following play was recovered by Delta on their own 11-yard line.
Not wanting to give up their momentum, Wauseon forced a three and out, responding to the punt with an 11-yard run then an 18-yard run by Hicks. Jasso carried on the next play to put them in striking distance on the Panther three-yard line, when Hicks carried it the rest of the way for another Indian touchdown. Albright carried the ball on a sneak for a two-point conversion, bringing the score to 21-14.
With just under five minutes left on the clock, the Panthers got the ball back. Relying on Lintermoot for five runs, Martinez for two, and Nagel for a five-yard pitch, they ran the clock down to under a minute, with Friess taking a knee to run out the remainder of the time and take home the win.
UP NEXT: October 11 – Wauseon (2-5, 2-2 NWOAL) at Archbold (4-3, 2-2 NWOAL) 7pm; Patrick Henry (5-2, 3-1 NWOAL) at Delta (6-1, 3-1 NWOAL) 7pm
DELTA 0 14 7 0 – 21
WAUSEON 0 0 6 8 – 14
D – Lintermoot 3-yd run (Roth kick)
D – Nagel 15-yd pass from Friess (Roth kick)
W – Flowers 85-yd run (kick blocked)
D – Martinez 17-yd pass from Friess (Roth kick)
W – Hicks 3-yd run (Albright run)
DHS WHS
First Downs 18 8
Rushing Yards 55-207 23-83
Passing Yards 55 50
Passing 5-8-0 6-6-0
Total Yards 262 133
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-2
Penalties 3-15 3-15
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Delta – Lintermoot 33-102, Nagel 11-59; Martinez 9-46; Wauseon – Hicks 7-33; Jasso 6-29; PASSING: Delta – Friess 5-8-0-55; Wauseon – Albright 7-8-0-50; RECEIVING: Delta – Nagel 2-25; Wauseon – Smith 4-34
