(PHOTOS BY RENEA KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
ACROBATIC GRAB … Wauseon receiver Wyatt Smith makes a 49-yard catch in the first half with a defender in his face. VIEW 69 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
INDIAN SOPHOMORE … Xzavier Molina runs through the middle of the Bellevue defense last Friday at Harmon field.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
WAUSEON (August 29, 2024) – The Wauseon Indians took a 28-7 home field loss at the hands of Bellevue’s Redmen in non-conference play Friday night.
Bellevue would set their formula early, with sophomore quarterback Ike Brown running the ball himself for more than half the plays of their first drive and amassing 15 yards as they marched from their own 33-yard line to Wauseon’s 43.
A pass to senior Joel Ray gained them an additional 17 yards before Brown fumbled on the next play and the Indians recovered.
Despite the defensive success, Wauseon would set their own early trend by going three and out after gaining only five yards, punting it back to the Redmen who returned it to their own 49.
The Redmen running game held strong during their next drive, with Brown gaining another 12 yards and junior Holden Dorobek rushing for 20 yards, but Brown would throw three incomplete passes including a near interception before turning the ball over on downs at the Wauseon 19 after another pass to senior Cooper Moyer in the end zone was ruled incomplete when he landed out of bounds.
In a repeat of their first drive, the Indians went three and out after netting five yards, downing their own punt at the Bellevue 33-yard line.
Brown continued his one-man war on the Indians defense in their next drive, which would cross into the second quarter.
With the exception of an 8-yard pass to senior Mason Flicker and a pair of handoffs to Dorobek for eight yards each, Brown faked hand-offs or outright held the ball for 31 yards of progress including a three-yard touchdown run, which junior Reid Claus capped off with a successful extra point to give them a 7-0 lead.
The Wauseon offense started at its own 29-yard line, but ended a yard behind that after three plays, again forcing them to punt on fourth down.
This time, junior Sean O’Connor juggled the ball on a bad snap and was forced to hold onto it, barely making it back to the 29 before being taken down by Bellevue sophomore Caden Cramer and turning the ball over on downs.
Despite the missteps of its offense, the Indians defense stepped up in a big way during the next drive of the Redmen.
Bellevue managed only one first down before Wauseon stuffed a trio of runs by Brown and senior lineman Ashton Vonier sacked him for a loss of five and a turnover on downs at the Wauseon 20-yard line.
Wauseon’s offense heated up on its next drive, when after a trio of plays pushed them 15 yards forward, junior quarterback Kahle Albright threw a 49-yard bomb to senior Wyatt Smith who managed the catch in tight coverage.
However, the Indians were again unable to capitalize on the opportunity, first losing ground before making it to the 10-yard line, with Albright being forced to throw it away under pressure on fourth down.
The Redmen nearly took off immediately with a 30-yard pass to senior Mason Flicker, but he was unable to bring in the over-the-shoulder catch attempt.
On the following play, junior Indian Logan Peaslee picked up an interception before being brought down at the Bellevue 6-yard line.
This time the Indian offense was ready, with a three-yard pickup by junior Landon Ballard followed two plays later by a fake hand-off held by Albright who ran it in for a touchdown. A successful point after attempt from junior Collin Mennetti tied the game at 7.
The Redmen pushed for yardage with the 81 seconds they had left on the clock, but only made it to roughly midfield before time in the half ran out.
Despite their end-of-the-half comeback, Wauseon struggled to find their offensive stride again in the second half.
A pair of runs from Ballard and one from junior Julian Jasso garnered one first down and runs from Albright and junior Jo Jo Flowers earned a second, but stumbles on the third including a pass dropped by Smith in a wide-open field near the red zone led to a turnover on downs at the Bellevue 35.
The Redmen stutter started as well, with Brown tripped on a two-yard run and taken out for a play with cramping, a nearly intercepted pass, and a flag for illegal procedure, but they quickly regained their feet with a 17-yard pass to Ray on third and 14.
The next five plays took them from midfield to the Wauseon 6-yard line, where a run first by Dorobek followed by two from Brown – all straight up the middle – ended in a touchdown. Claus failed in his kick attempt, putting the Redmen up 13-7.
Wauseon’s subsequent drive turned into a cavalcade of calamities, with a flag for holding against the Indians on their punt return bringing the line of scrimmage from the midfield line all the way back to the 22.
Albright was then forced backward under pressure for a loss of 11 on the second play, a failure to move the ball at all on second down, and a third-down pass to Ballard only gaining 9 of the 21 needed yards.
The strife continued on the Indians’ punt, with three personal fouls called – two against Bellevue and one on Wauseon.
After the penalties, the Redmen found themselves on the Wauseon 47-yard line. A pair of runs by Dorobek and a run by Brown pushed them to the 36-yard line and the end of the third quarter.
When play resumed and after a one-yard run by Flicker, Brown threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Flicker for their third touchdown, followed by another pass to Moyer for the conversion and a score of 21-7.
With pressure mounting, the Indians fell back into their prior challenges, losing three yards on first down and making them back on the next before an eight-yard pass to Flowers was followed by a bad snap to Albright on fourth down, causing a turnover on downs at the Wauseon 48.
The Redmen seized their momentum and marched back down the field to the 10-yard line, where controversy arose when a flag for encroachment was thrown by an official in the backfield, leading to Bellevue being moved to the five-yard line.
A run by Dorobek gained no yardage, but a pair of runs by Brown led to the next Redmen touchdown, with the point after successfully made by Claus for a score of 28-7.
Wauseon will next face Eastwood at home on September 6, with their first NWOAL game against the Bulldogs in Swanton on September 13.
