Redskins hold off Wildcats for win

ST. HENRY - Sometimes it becomes immediately apparent at the start of the game that one team is more motivated to win than the other.

The St. Henry Redskins used a lot of heart and a little help from the wind to score two first quarter touchdowns and then stopped a late rally by the Minster Wildcats to post a 21-13 victory on Friday night at Wally Post Athletic Complex.

"I've got to tell you, we're a hungry football team," stated St. Henry coach Brad Luthman. "They (Minster) are sitting at the top of the region and looking good for week 11, and we know that our backs are against the wall from here on out. We had no choice but to treat this like a playoff game. Some of our guys just played out of their brains tonight. I couldn't be prouder of them."

St. Henry won the coin toss and elected to have Minster face the headwind to start the game. A defensive stop led to an eight-yard Wildcat punt into the wind. The Redskins started only 46 yards from the end zone and they covered the distance in 11 plays. Eight consecutive runs set up an 11-yard scoring pass from Mitchel Stammen to D.J. Kunkler to give St. Henry the early 7-0 lead.

Minster fared no better on their second attempt against the minor tempest, and was again forced to punt. Nate Langenkamp broke through the Wildcat line to block the kick and the Redskins were back in business on the Minster 10-yard line. On fourth down from the one, Jesse Niekamp bulled over the goal line to make the lead 14-0.

The switch in direction during the second quarter made no difference to a fired up St. Henry defense, and when the teams left the field at halftime, they had only allowed the Wildcats 44 yards of total offense, including just nine through the air.

Minster had the wind advantage during the third quarter, so perhaps the opening Redskin drive of the second half was the most important of the game. Though it did not score, St. Henry used up over eight minutes during a 17-play drive, turning the ball over on downs at the Wildcat 29-yard line.

"There's no doubt," commented Luthman on the importance of that drive, "because the weather played a factor in this game. When we started off the game, the headwind really affected their offense. We knew coming out in the third quarter that we really needed to eat some clock, whether we got points or not. Give credit to our seniors. They grabbed the bull by the horns and did exactly what we needed them to do."

The Redskin defense held firm again on Minster's next drive, and the St. Henry lead looked secure with the ball and the wind in their favor for the fourth quarter. The Redskins were driving for a score which would have put the game away, when Jaren Thobe intercepted a pass at the Minster 15-yard line to bring the Wildcats back to life. A 17-yard run by Evan Huelsman, along with big receptions by Eli Wolf and Jacob Dues highlighted the ensuing 11-play drive, which was capped off when quarterback Josh Nixon snuck over from one yard out to close the deficit to 14-7.

A rejuvenated Minster defense forced St. Henry into a long third down play, but Stammen found Blake Hoyng open for the first down yardage. Hoyng was not finished, as he broke several tackles and then ran free down the sidelines for a 66-yard touchdown reception, increasing the Redskin lead to 21-7 with only five minutes remaining.

The Wildcat offense would not give up, however, and used nine plays to score their second touchdown of the game on another Nixon quarterback sneak. A low snap led to a missed extra point, and the St. Henry lead was now 21-13 with under three minutes left in the contest.

Mitch Schwieterman recovered the onside kick that followed, but the Minster defense was able to force a punt, giving the Wildcats one last chance. Starting at their own 13-yard line with only 1:36 on the clock, Minster moved the ball 30 yards up the field in its first five plays. At that point, the Redskin defense once again frustrated the Minster offense, forcing four straight incompletions to secure the victory.

"If God would have told me we were going to hold them to 13 points, I'd have been alright with that," summed up Luthman about his defense's performance. "That's a really good offense, one of the top three offenses in the league."

The St. Henry defense was complimented by a strong rushing game which ground out 194 yards, led by Jesse Niekamp's 140 yards on 32 carries. Quarterback Mitchel Stammen also had an efficient night through the air, completing 10-of-16 passes for another 142 yards.

St. Henry's record improves to 5-3. The Redskins remain at home to play the 5-3 Fort Recovery Indians next week. Minster's record is also now 5-3 and it will return home next week to face the 5-3 Anna Rockets.