Redskins, Tigers begin playoff runs
Tigers open against Riverdale
Time to get serious. The 2020 football season opens the next chapter in its unique journey this weekend with a modified playoff structure — everybody welcome.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association opened this year’s postseason, regardless of record, due to the fact that not all teams have been able to play the same number of games, and most leagues have not been able to play a full round- robin schedule. That made use of computer rankings to determine the field impractical.
Wapakoneta currently sits at 2- 4, having won two straight after several narrow losses. WaynesfieldGoshen is 4- 1 on the season, with one game having been called off due to Lehman Catholic having a coronavirus outbreak.
The Redskins are in Region 12 of the Division III playoffs. They are the # 18 seed, and will take on the # 15 seed, who needs little introduction, Shawnee.
The Indians went 3- 3 in the regular season. They opened with a 25- 14 loss to Kenton, then edged Celina ( 14- 6) and Defiance ( 7- 0).
As fans of both teams are aware, the Redskins and Indians met in week four at Harmon Stadium, with Shawnee pulling out a 9- 7 victory.
Since then, Shawnee fell to St. Marys 10- 7 and last week, lost to Elida by a count of 2116.
A check of the math shows that Shawnee is averaging just 11 points per game. Wapakoneta, which was limited early on due to injuries and players having to sit out because of COVID quarantine, has hit its stride, scoring over 20 points in its last two games, including a 28- 0 win over Defiance last Friday.
“We continue to grow as a football team,” said Redskins coach Travis Moyer this week. “Offensively, we’ve been able to get a lot of people involved. We have been able to mix in the pass as well.”
He noted that the team needs to continue to clean up its protection to allow time on pass plays. “Hopefully, we are clicking at the right time.” Moyer said.
He offered praise for last week’s win to both the defensive staff for creating the game plan and the players for executing it. One area of note is interceptions. The Redskins had four pickoffs against Kenton and two in the game against Defiance. Senior Noah Ambos ( 6- 0, 180) was responsible for four of those six, with two in each game.
Moyer acknowledge the unusual circumstance of facing a team for the second time in a season. “We know each other extremely well,” he said.
He stated that in the previous meeting, “you could look at a play or two in each phase, and the outcome could have been different.”
In that game, Shawnee scored early in the second quarter. They chose to go for two, but were stopped by the ‘ Skins defenders. Wapakoenta answered with a touchdown run by Jace Mullen with 2 1/ 2 minutes to go in the half. The PAT by Nikane Ambos gave them a 7- 6 lead.
The Redskins punted on their first drive of the second half, and Shawnee did the same. However, the ball got away from Wapakoneta with Shawnee recovering at the 17. Dylan Ramsdall then kicked a 30- yard field goal for the lead.
Luke Cowan would then make two interceptions for Shawnee to help preserved that lead — and eventually the win.
Cowan, a 6- 0, 180- pound junior, scored the touchdown in that game, caught two passes for 21 yards and was the return man on special teams.
Quarterback Tyler Windau ( 5- 11, 180) completed seven of 12 passes for 55 yards. The leading rusher was junior Tommy Spyker ( 5- 11, 188) with 14 carries for 47 yards.
Junior Keaton Cooper ( 6- 4, 195) made three catches for 35 yards.
Moyer said that the coaches are stressing the value of consistency. “We need to be more consistent in all three phases. We need to do little things, which can lead to big things.”
He noted that team is “as healthy as we can be” and that the team has continued to compete in spite of the challenges faced this year.
One thing he pointed out is that the Redskins have a variety of options on offense. Quarterback Braeden Goulet ( 6- 1, 180) returned last week after suffering an injury in the season opener. He ran 12 times for 54 yards, and scored three touchdowns. He completed 5 of 9 passes for 68 yards.
Sophomore Connor Meckstroth ( 6- 2, 210) was the leading rusher against Defiance ( 11 for 95), with Kaden Siefring ( 5- 11, 180) gaining 50 yards on eight carries.
Against Kenton, the leading rusher was junior Zach Rogers ( 5- 11, 165) who gained 189 yards on 21 carries. Junior Jace Mullen ( 5- 9, 170) carried 19 times for 126 yards against Shawnee.
Senior Connor McDonald ( 5- 7, 155) and junior Jacob Schroeder ( 5- 7, 170) have also been key for the Redskins at times this season.
“We’re just really excited for the opportunity and challenge. I know it’s going to be a great game,” said Moyer.
Kickoff is at 7 p. m. Tickets are limited due to health restrictions. Any tickets that are still available can be purchased through the OHSAA website on Friday afternoon.
The winner of the game will face Hamilton Badin, the # 2 seed, on Oct. 16.
Other Division III WBL teams in action in Region 12 are Celina ( hosts Dayton Carroll); Elida ( hosts Monroe); and St. Marys ( hosts Greenville). Defiance was placed in Region 10. They will travel to Bay Village.
Kenton and Van Wert are in Region 14 of Division IV, while Bath and OttawaGlandorf are in Region 18 of Division V.
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Antwerp at Waynesfield- Goshen
Waynesfield- Goshen ( 4- 1) is seeking to bounce back after its first loss, which came against rival Upper Scioto Valley last Friday. A wild few minutes in the second quarter took the game from 6- 0 USV to a 26all tie. WaynesfieldGoshen scored twice, on a pass from Cooper Roberts to Blake Barnes, then a run by Barnes. USV came back with a long and a short run for scores.
Roberts threw to Layton Campbell to tie it at 20. USV scored, then Campbell ran for the fourth W- G score and seventh overall in that 3- minutes of game time.
In the second half, the Rams scored once in each quarter and kept W- G off the board to get the 38- 26 win.
The Northwest Central Conference was split into divisions this year, with W- G winning the Dennis Division.
The team’s wins have come over Ridgedale ( 20- 16), Crestline ( 28- 7), Ridgemont ( 3414) and Hardin Northern ( 35- 7).
The Tigers are seeded 10th in Region 26 of Division VII. They will host Antwerp, who went 0- 6 in their campaign.
The Archers are members of the Green Meadows Conference. They lost to Ayersville ( 14- 6), Fremont ( 25- 15), Edgerton ( 47- 13), Tinora ( 54- 0), Fairview ( 566) and Wayne Trace
( 52- 32).
Coach Shane Wireman of WaynesfieldGoshen said that he looks at last week’s result as a good learning experience, especially for the team’s younger players.
He said that Antwerp “has played really well at times and has been in some games.”
Wireman said that the game will be a challenge because Antwerp is hungry for a win, a situation the Tigers are familiar with from a couple seasons ago.
He said that offensively, Antwerp uses a spread attack. While the quarterback is a freshman, Wireman praised his ability to move around. He also noted the Archers have some good- sized option at receiver. “They throw a lot of formations at you, which presents challenges,” he said.
Defensively, Antwerp uses a 3- 5 or 4- 4 formation and is aggressive, Wireman noted.
He said that the team has been on the edge of the postseason for the last couple of seasons. “This will be a good experience to see how ( we) respond.”
The game will get under way at 7 p. m. The winner will take on the # 7 seed, Leipsic, on Oct. 16.