(PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
BRINGING THE HEAT … Archbold defensive end Sean Garcia pressures Tinora quarterback Dominic Graziani. VIEW 146 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
ARCHBOLD (September 6, 2024) – A tenacious Bluestreaks squad came from behind and held on to a one-point lead in a game that came down to the final seconds against Tinora Friday night.
In a slow churn of a drive that chewed up more than eight minutes of the first quarter, Archbold fought their way downfield.
The Bluestreaks widely varied their attacks, including three runs featuring junior Ryder Ryan (who would feature prominently throughout the game), runs by Tristan Wyse, senior Evan Wendt and sophomore Jarett Rufenacht taking snaps directly for runs, and passes to sophomore Garrett Stamm and freshman Anderson Bentley.
Following a pair of incomplete passes and one successful one to junior Aranjer Krieger, junior kicker Rudy Rodger made a field goal to put the Bluestreaks up 3-0.
The Rams made a slow start with their first drive, earning only one first down and punting it away with 26 seconds left in the quarter.
Archbold’s struggles began on their second drive, when they went four and out, turning it over on downs after a failed fourth-and-one attempt via another direct hike and run by Wendt.
Tinora gained steam, pushing past midfield into Bluestreaks territory on their next drive thanks to, among other efforts, a pair of runs by senior quarterback Dominic Graziani after faking handoffs.
A pair of flags for holding in their third set of downs put them at fourth and 11 at the Archbold 49, forcing them to punt it away.
Another flag on the Rams for roughing the passer gave Archbold their only first down on the following drive, when a series of yardage losses left them at fourth and 17 on their own 29-yard line when they were also forced to punt it away.
With a better starting position, their offense starting to click, and a late flag for a personal foul on the Bluestreaks, Tinora sophomore O’Sean Smith succeeded in a trio of runs to make it from the Archbold 27 all the way to the end zone for their first score of the game and a lead of 7-3 with just under four minutes left in the half.
After another three-and-out from Archbold and with a starting position at midfield, Graziani threw an eight-yard pass to sophomore Josh Lieb before running the final 42 yards himself for a second touchdown in a sub-one-minute drive. A successful extra point from senior kicker Jacob Bishop brought their lead to 14-3.
The Bluestreaks continued to struggle, drawing a pair of flags for holding and illegal procedure before earning one first down before senior quarterback Kurt Krueger threw an interception to Tinora senior Trentin Delarber to end the half.
Tinora received the ball to start the second half, running it back to their own 32-yard line before a short run by Smith was followed up by a near-interception by Archbold.
Smith stepped up again on fourth and one, gaining the needed yard for their only first down of the drive. The Bluestreaks defense kept the Rams short of midfield and forced them to punt it away.
Archbold’s offense continued to struggle in their first drive of the second half, being forced to take a timeout immediately due to a player missing from the field.
A lateral pitch to Ryan earned them a first down, but Rams junior Dylan Schaufele swatted down one pass attempt, and Krueger was sacked by senior Alex Hornier on the following play, leading to a punt.
The Bluestreaks defense continued to put pressure on the Rams, who were able to make one first down thanks to a facemask penalty against Archbold but held them to another punt when senior Eddie Yoder chased Graziani for a loss of 11 and sophomore Parker Bixler followed up by tackling him in the backfield to bring up fourth and 23.
It was then that the Archbold offense finally started firing on all cylinders, with a trio of first downs thanks to a huge 33-yard pass caught by sophomore Morgan Harris in double coverage, a facemask penalty against the Rams, and a 16-yard run by Ryan.
Ryan followed up with a pair of runs for another first down and a third to put them in the red zone. A faked handoff to Ryan held by Krueger was brought in for the Bluestreaks’ first touchdown, although a two-point conversion was stopped to leave the score at 14-9.
Archbold followed up with what appeared to be a perfect onside kick and recovery, but an offsides player brought it back and they kicked it away.
A run by Graziani, a pair of runs by Smith, and a pass to freshman Ryan Mills brought Tinora a pair of first downs, but the Bluestreaks defense forced a loss of yardage on one play, pushed the Rams to third and 12, and forced a too-long pass by Graziani which also drew a holding penalty against Tinora. The Rams were forced to punt, putting Archbold on their own 19-yard line.
Invigorated by their prior offensive success and the dominant defensive performance, Archbold’s offense took off, with a pair of runs by Ryan giving them a first down, which was followed two plays later by Wyse very nearly reaching the open field and bringing the ball to the Rams’ 31-yard line.
On the very next play, Krueger threw a pass into the end zone where it was caught by Krieger, and after an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt, Archbold held a 15-14 lead.
Both teams’ defenses went into overdrive over the next two drives, with the Rams pushed to fourth and 21 and a punt before they held the Bluestreaks to a fourth-and-four punt, now with 1:47 left to go.
Starting on their own 29-yard-line, Tinora struck immediately with a 23-yard pass to Schaufele. A pair of incomplete passes were followed by a successful one, again to Schaufele, putting them at the 37-yard line.
With just over a minute remaining, the Bluestreaks defense again came alive, holding the Rams to no gain on the first play, supported by an illegal motion flag against Tinora on the second, and forcing an incomplete pass on the third to bring up third and 15 with 13 seconds left.
A lateral pass to Bishop brought the Rams to the 30-yard line with only four seconds on the clock and one final shot at a field goal to win the game. A Tinora timeout was followed by two consecutive time outs from Archbold before a 48-yard field goal attempt by Bishop.
Bishop’s kick appeared to just clear the crossbar, but after conferring, the two officials under the goal posts said the kick was no good, giving Archbold the win by slimmest of margins.
UP NEXT: September 13 – Archbold (2-1) at Liberty Center (3-0) 7pm
THS AHS
First Downs 13 14
Rushing Yards 29-85 39-163
Passing Yards 158 119
Passing 12-19-0 11-20-1
Total Yards 243 282
Fumbles-Lost 2-0 2-0
Penalties 5-50 8-72
TINORA 0 14 0 0 – 14
ARCHBOLD 3 0 0 12 – 15
A – Rodger 29-yd field goal
T – Smith 4-yd run (Bishop kick)
T – Lieb 42-yd pass from Graziani (Bishop kick)
A – Kruger 2-yd run (kick failed)
A – Krieger 31-yard pass from Kruger (conversion failed)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Tinora – Graziani 13-53; Archbold – Ryan 20-107; Wyse 4-44; PASSING: Tinora – Graziani 12-19-0-158; Archbold – Kruger 11-20-1-119; RECEIVING: Tinora – Lieb 4-79; Schaufele 3-44; Archbold – Krieger 5-67; Morris 1-37