Riders take on Bath in last home game

Staying on the path against Bath.

The St. Marys football team will play its final home game of the 2021 regular season this Friday, as they take on the Wildcats at Grand Lake Heatlh System Field.

The Roughriders come in at 5-2 in the Western Buckeye League and 6-2 overall, and looking to extend the four game winning streak.

Bath fell to 4-3 in the league and 5-3 overall as they fell in overtime against Wapakoneta.

The Wildcats opened with a 14-0 nonleague win over Bowling Green. They were edged by Shawnee (14-7), then defeated Kenton (4313) and Elida (27-7). After being shut out by Ottawa-Glandorf (350), they got wins over Celina (35-13) and Defiance (17-13).

Last week against the Redskins, Bath had 273 yards versus 289 for Wapakoneta. They ran 40 times for 160 yards, and had 113 passing yards.

Quarterback Ian Armentrout completed 9 of his 15 attempts with two touchdowns.

Cody Vandemark had seven of those catches for 64 yards, Griffen Mikesell caught a 44yard touchdown pass, and Blaine Albright had a 5-yard grab for a score.

Armentrout is a dual threat, as he rushed 18 times for 88 yards last week. Senior Carter Parlapiano had 15 carries for 34 yards.

One of the main concerns for St. Marys coach Bo Frye is the size of Bath’s linemen, on both the offensive and defensive side.

“They are very talented in the trenches,” said Frye. “They are big on both sides of the ball, so we have to control the line of scrimmage.”

The offensive line is composed of Lucas Prichard, Xavier Griffiths and Baustin Cheney, who are returning starters, along with Tyshon Davis and Quinten Collins.

Bath’s offense is in the middle of the pack in all categories. They are averaging 241 yards total per game, with 135 yards rushing (3.9 yards per carry) and 106 yards in the air.

Armentrout has 519 yards rushing on 140 carries, averaging 65 yards per game and 3.7 per carry. He has completed 67 of 120 passes for 832 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. His average is 133 yards per game.

Senior Zeke Burkholder is the team’s leading tackler with 80. Ty Sibert (70) is also in the top ten individuals in the league. Burkholder also has two fumble recoveries.

The rush defense is second in the WBL, with the Roughriders in the top spot. Bath has allowed 91 yards per game on the ground. The pass defense is toward the bottom, allowing an average of 137 yards. Overall, they rank third behind St. Marys and Elida, with an average of 229 yards per contest. ————

As for the Blue and Gold, they continue to rely on what has worked, with the Wing-T and a large dose of ground attack.

For the season, they have over 2,000 rushing yards, with an average of 259 per game, and 27 touchdowns with their feet.

Ross Henschen leads the pack with 105 carries for 529 yards and four scores.

Braeden Hemmelgarn has 45 carries for 279 yards, with Colton Mabry (42-288) and Aiden Hinkle (42-193), along with Kayden Sharpe and Brayden Sulivan making it near impossible for defenses to focus on any one player.

Quarterback Gavin Reineke has 28 carries for 64 yards, with three TDs.

He has completed 20 of 44 passes for 325 yards, with two TDs and three interceptions. Hemmelgarn is the leading receiver with seven catches for 117 yards.

As noted earlier, the St. Marys defense is among the best in the league, allowing just 83 points total. They have yielded an average of 206 yards per game total, with averages of 85 yards rushing and 121 yards passing.

Linebacker Tanner Howell, the team’s leading tackler (and part of the gang of rushers on offense) will miss the game due to injury.

Manning the defensive line will be Dylan Giesige (53 tackles), Braxton King (52) and Stash Patterson (50). Linebackers Jace Schaefer (49), Drew Dammeyer (48) and DBs Sullivan (54) and Ty Kiehl (42) will be ready on the next level.

One factor that neither team can control is the weather. Last week saw rain falling mostly in the second half, though the game was not halted, unlike a number of others around the region.

“It seems like it rains every year when we play Bath,” said Frye. He noted that with the WIng-T, “it seems not to affect us as much as some other teams.”

As for the playoff picture, the Roughriders are virtually assured of a spot. They are currently ranked fifth in Region 12, right behind Wapakoneta. Shawnee is ninth and Elida is 17th, one spot below the cutoff. Chaminade-Julienne is ranked 12th, and would be the opponent in the first round for St. Marys.

Bath is in Region 18 of Division V. They are currently 10th, and would face the #7 team. This week, that is North Union from Richwood.