Saturday, September 24th, 2022

Stephey's big passing night lifts Wildcats past Redskins

By Bruce Monnin
MINSTER - In a game where both St. Henry and the Minster Wildcats had trouble finding a rhythm early, it was the Wildcats that seized momentum late in the second quarter and continued on for a 31-12 victory. Eighteen accepted penalties for 162 yards slowed both offenses, as well as timely defensive plays.
Minster (4-2, 3-1 MAC) earned the first big break of the game when Connor Schmiesing intercepted a St. Henry pass at midfield and returned it to the Redskin 37. The Wildcats' drive was stopped at the 18, and St. Henry (1-5, 0-4 MAC) blocked the 35-yard field goal attempt to keep the score knotted at zero.
On the Wildcats' next series, Elijah Horstman jarred loose a fumble which was recovered by Logan Dehan at the Minster 15. Curtis Puthoff rushed for five yards then scored from 10 yards out to give the Redskins a 6-0 lead.
Neither team could score on its next two drives. At this point, St. Henry had held Minster to just three rushing yards on eight carries.
"We could not find a rhythm, and we were making mistakes we hadn't made in a few weeks," explained Minster coach Seth Whiting, "St. Henry is big, tough and physical, everything we thought they were going to be. They were not going to allow us to run the ball, as much as I was stubborn and tried to."
Midway through the second quarter, Minster turned to the aerial assault. Brogan Stephey completed four of six passes for 55 yards on the drive, which Justin Bergman finished with a two-yard scoring run.
"We had some protection issues in the first quarter, and we were able to make quick adjustments to correct them," said Whiting. "The line responded well after that, and we were able to throw the ball."
The Wildcats got the ball on a Redskins punt with 1:55 remaining in the half and went back to the air, highlighted by a 48-yard completion from Stephey to Chase Couse. Couse had been well out of bounds before catching the pass, but the officials ruled he had been pushed out and reestablished himself in the field of play in time. A Stephey one-yard run made the score 14-6 at the half.
After three punts to start the third quarter, Stephey turned to his favorite receiver, James Niemeyer. Niemeyer caught four passes on the scoring drive, including a 13-yard touchdown which increased the Minster lead 21-6.
St. Henry responded quickly with a 42-yard pass from Puthoff to Nolan Kunkler, and Harrison Wendel started the fourth quarter with a one-yard scoring run to cut the deficit to 21-12 after the two-point conversion attempt was broken up by Niemeyer.
Minster put the game away on its next possession with a little bit of flim-flam. At the Redskin 17, Stephey handed off to Niemeyer on an end around, Niemeyer pitched back to Couse on an apparent reverse, and Couse threw a touchdown pass to Stephey in the Wildcat version of the Philly Special.
With a 28-12 lead, the Minster defense stopped St. Henry's last chance at a comeback with a Noah Schwieterman interception. The Wildcats later tacked on a 35-yard field goal by Stephey for the final 31-12 score.
The Wildcats ended the game with just 49 yards rushing but threw for 335 yards. Stephey completed 20 passes, the ninth-most in a single game in school history, while his 318 passing yards were the sixth-most in school history. He also pulled off the triple of passing, rushing and catching a touchdown. The top two receivers were Niemeyer with seven catches for 87 yards and Couse with five receptions for 119 yards.
Puthoff led the way for St. Henry with 69 rushing yards and another 132 yards through the air.
Minster travels to play Parkway next Friday while St. Henry hosts New Bremen.
Additional online story on this date
CELINA - It's still a ways off, but state and local officials are already planning for a total solar eclipse that will occur on the afternoon of April 8, 2024, affording several Ohio counties great economic and educational opportunities. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
CELINA - Today's half-marathon and 5K has a behind-the-scenes individual who rarely gets praise when his delivery of an essential service goes exactly as planned.
Winkler Road at the U.S. 33 intersection is now closed while under reconstruction, according to Mercer County engineer Jim Wiechart. The road will co
West Bank Stories
America celebrated Banned Books Week this week. The freedom to read is a privilege indeed.
The American Library Association coined a slogan: "Books
Celina posts first shutout in eight years in beating Bath
CELINA - It took a while for Celina's offense to get going, but the defense played a stellar contest.
The Bulldogs took advantage of three Bath turnovers and scored 22 points in the second half to post a 29-0 shutout over the winless Wildcats in Western Buckeye League play at Celina Stadium.
VERSAILLES - Facing a fellow defending state champion, Marion Local looked vulnerable in the first half. In the second, it was back to looking like a juggernaut.
ROSSBURG - A couple of Californians graced Eldora's victory lane on Friday night as the speedway kicked off the Four Crown weekend.
St. Helena's Ri
COLDWATER - The Coldwater football team is still unbeaten on Homecoming Weekend.
Sounds about right.
The second-ranked team in Division V outgained Parkway 468-121 en route to a 49-0 win, improving to 6-0 and 4-0 in Midwest Athletic Conference play.
NEW BREMEN - No one could blame Hunter Schaefer if he needed a breather at halftime.
Not only had the New Bremen senior rushed for 172 yards and scored four touchdowns, but he also attempted five PAT kicks and kicked off six times.
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
St. Marys recorded nearly 400 yards of total offense as the Roughriders bounced back from last week's rough loss to Van Wert with a 41-14 win over Shawnee on Friday night in Shawnee Township.