(PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
OFFENSIVE LEADER … Ryder Ryan breaks through an opening on a first half carry. Ryan finished the game with 71 yards rushing and 98 yards receiving.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
ARCHBOLD (August 23, 2024) – A two-touchdown deficit, erroneous ball placement by officials, and heavy pressure from the Genoa Comets defense couldn’t hold back a surging Bluestreaks team from a decisive 27-14 win in Archbold Friday night.
Archbold’s offense struggled to get off the blocks, going three and out on their first possession, while the Comets immediately responded with a touchdown on their first play via a pass from Myles Mollenhauer to Jaxon Magnone, both sophomores. A successful extra point attempt put the score at 0-7 less than three minutes into the matchup.
After another three and out by the Bluestreaks driven by solid Comet coverage, Genoa seemed to slip on their next play with a fumble but were able to recover the ball and keep the drive going.
A pass to Magnone and a run by Mollenhauer led to a trio of passes to junior Luke Clement, yielding 18 yards.
Two plays later, Clement caught a pitch from Mollenhauer on first and goal to score Genoa’s second touchdown. Another successful kick brought the Comets a 0-14 lead.
Archbold started to find momentum in their next drive with passes from senior Kurt Krueger to seniors Broden Piercefield and Evan Wendt as well as to freshman Anderson Bentley, with several rushes from sophomore Ryder Ryan, but a dropped handoff attempt recovered by Comet junior Ryan Routson turned the ball over on the Genoa 40-yard line.
Following a pair of flags on Genoa for delay of game and false start, the Bluestreak defense started stepping up in a trend that would build throughout the remainder of the game.
What looked like it would have been a successful quarterback sneak play on fourth and one was whistled dead due to a well-timed Archbold timeout, and when the Comets made a second attempt the defensive line held fast, turning the ball over on downs following a visit from the chain crew at the Genoa 49-yard line.
Despite the success of their defense, the Archbold offense continued to struggle under the Comets’ smothering defense, including Krueger being forced to run the ball himself under pressure in one play and being tackled in the backfield by Routson two plays later. A subsequent pass attempt to Ryan was dropped, leading to a punt.
Genoa’s offense began to have its own struggles, catching a personal foul penalty on Josah Clement for continuing to push a Bluestreaks player after already shoving him out of bounds.
Two plays later senior Alex Spencer fumbled the ball on a rushing play, which was recovered by another Comets player.
A series of plays including multiple short runs from Clement pushed the ball to the Archbold two-yard line, but Bluestreak senior Eddie Yoder stuffed Clement on a fourth down attempt to turn the ball over.
The Bluestreaks took over with just three minutes left in the half and chose to let the clock run out after making it to their own 18.
Genoa took over in the second half, launching their drive with a more than 20-yard return by Routson, but quickly ended up at fourth and four to go, opting to line up to punt.
An Archbold timeout changed their plans, however, and a pass to Magnone kept the drive alive. Following an official timeout when a leg cramp took down junior Eric Messenger, another attempted pass to Magnone was intercepted at the Genoa 49 by Archbold sophomore Isaiahs Gracia.
On the following two plays – a run and a pass play, each to Ryan – the Bluestreaks made their strongest offensive push yet to the eight-yard line, but they were unable to capitalize with the ball turning over on downs after Ryan was unable to keep hold of the ball in an end zone pass.
The Comets’ struggles only grew in their following drive, with Messenger going down from another cramp before a pass intended for Magnone was tipped and they were forced to punt.
With less than five minutes left in the third quarter, Archbold’s offense started clicking in a big way, when Krueger recovered a dropped hike on their second play and threw a 32-yard pass to Ryan, who grabbed it with just his fingertips to score the Bluestreaks’ first touchdown.
A failed extra point attempt by junior Rudy Rodger put the score at 14-6, but it would be the breaking of the dam.
Despite a drive lasting nearly five minutes and spanning into the beginning of the final quarter, Genoa would continue to struggle, with Archbold sophomore Morgan Harris blocking a pass intended for Spencer, back-to-back flags for holding and false start, the near interception of a pass intended for Clement, and Mollenhauer being forced to throw the ball away on third and 22.
A punt by Mollenhauer sailed into the end zone for a touchback, putting Archbold back on the ball at the 20.
The Comets’ woes continued during the Archbold drive, with another player going down with a cramp in one play followed by two players going down with leg cramps just two plays later.
The Bluestreaks pushed to their own 44-yard line before Genoa caught a facemask penalty which officials only assessed with a five-yard adjustment, authorized under OHSAA rules if there is a “grasp and let go.”
An eventual pass into the end zone failed to produce when Bentley was unable to catch the over-the-shoulder attempt.
A pass to senior Evan Wendt struck paydirt, with a failed pass on a two-point conversion attempt over Gracia’s head putting the Bluestreaks in striking distance at 12-14.
Genoa was headed for a three and out after three failed pushes by Clement, but Wendt dropped the ball on a called fair catch on the Bluestreaks 42-yard line which was recovered by the Comets.
Their luck was short-lived, as a pass attempt on the following play was tipped by sophomore Brayden Garcia into the hands of junior Jason Grime, who ran the ball to the Genoa 41-yard line.
In a move that baffled the crowd and went unaddressed, officials instead placed the ball on the Archbold 42-yard line.
The Bluestreaks appeared unbothered, as Krueger immediately threw a 58-yard bomb to Harris, who defied double coverage to hold onto it for a touchdown. A successful two-point conversion by Wendt put the Bluestreaks up 20-14 to thunderous cheers.
On the second play of the Comets’ next drive which began at their own 26-yard line, a sack attempt by Grime caused Mollenhauer to throw an interception to Bentley, who was able to charge all the way back down the field for another touchdown. The extra point gave the Bluestreaks a resounding lead of 27-14 with just over two minutes left in the game.
With the momentum fully reversed, Genoa was unable to put together a successful drive, with their attempts marred by a personal foul, a holding penalty, an official time out for injured sophomore Adam Knight, and an ineligible receiver penalty.
An eventual turnover on downs at the Genoa 30-yard line allowed the Bluestreaks to take a knee and run out the clock to seal their victory.
GHS AHS
First Downs 14 13
Rushing Yards 30-86 27-98
Passing Yards 253 202
Passing 16-26-3 15-23-0
Total Yards 339 300
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-1
Penalties 8-70 1-5
GENOA 14 0 0 0 – 14
ARCHBOLD 0 0 6 21 – 27
G – Magnone 45-yd pass from Mollenhauer (Agler kick)
G – Clement 4-yd run (Agler kick)
A – Ryan 31-yd pass from Kruger (kick failed)
A – Wendt 22-yd pass from Krueger (conversion failed)
A – Harris 58-yd pass from Kruger (Wendt run)
A – Bentley 26-yd interception return (Rodger kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Genoa – Clement 17-40; Archbold – Ryan 14-7; PASSING: Genoa – Mollenhauer 16-26-3-253; Archbold – Kruger 15-23-0-194; RECEIVING: Genoa – Magnone 8-158; Spenser 3-59; Archbold – Ryan 7-98; Harris 2-58
