Roughriders spread the wealth in rout of Kenton
KENTON — Another box got checked off, with the expected result.
St. Marys scored early and often Friday as they rolled to a 48-7 victory in Western Buckeye League play.
The win is the third in a row for the Roughriders, making them 4-2 in league play and 5-2 overall.
The tone of the contest was set immediately, as St. Marys used just three plays and 25 seconds to score its first touchdown.
They added three more in the first period, then got two in the second quarter for a 41-0 lead at the break.
The second half was played with a running clock and the Roughriders rotating a large number of younger players. Each side scored once to account for the final total.
“We were able to get a lot of guys reps,” said St. Marys coach Bo Frye “We continue to try and get better.”
St. Marys outgained the Wildcats 420 to 87 on the night. Kenton was held to minus-61 rushing yards, due to a large number of sacks by the Roughriders front seven.
Braeden Hemmelgarn had six carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Colton Mabry ran six times for 58 yards and one score.
Aiden Hinkle carried four times for 26 yards and Ross Henschen got 52 yards on just three runs. Gavin Reineke, Keegan Sharpe and Carter Steinberg also scored for the Riders.
Reineke completed 4 of 7 pass attempts for 34 yards.
Catches were made by Craig Stuttler, Ryan Meier and Hemmelgarn.
For Kenton, quarterback Korbin Johnson completed 19 of 36 passes for 148 yards, with one to Grady KlemanBeazley for the team’s one touchdown.
Kooper Johnston caught 10 passes for 52 yards and Preston Collins had five catches for 46 yards.
St. Marys received the opening kickoff and set up at their own 35. Tanner Howell went to the left for 22 yards to get into Kenton territory at the 43. Hemmelgarn broke to the right and covered 29 yards. Mabry then took it left for the remaining 14 yards with less than 30 seconds of game time elapsed. Brandon Bowers tacked on the PAT.
Kenton started from the 20. After an incompletion, Stash Patterson got the first sack of Johnston for a seven-yard loss. Another incompletion forced a punt.
The kick only reached the Kenton 28. A holding penalty on first down moved the Riders back. Henschen then got back the lost ground and then some with a 33 yard rumble before being shoved out at the 5. Hemmelgarn broke through from there. Bowers added the PAT for a 14-0 lead with 10:04 to go.
Another three-andout, which included a sack by Braxton King gave the Roughriders the ball at Kenton’s 35.
Mabry ran for 19 yards, then Keegan Sharpe took care of the other 16. With 8:43 left, the visitors led 21-0, having run eight total plays.
Kenton again failed to pick up a first down and punted. St. Marys started inside the 50 again.
Reineke carried to open the drive. Three more runs moved the ball to the 26, and a penalty for a chop block on Kenton got it down to the 13. Two plays later, Brayden Sullivan scored from the 3 with four minutes left in the period. The PAT kick was off-target, leaving it at 27-0.
Starting at the 19 after the kickoff, Kenton fumbled but recovered on the first play. A couple plays later, St. Marys broke up a pass but was flagged for interference to keep Kenton in business.
Johston then completed five of his next six throws as the Wildcats
not only crossed midfield, but got to the 24 as the first period ended.
Johnston was sacked for a seven-yard loss, then threw incomplete. A catch picked up three yards, bringing up fourth down. That throw was off target, giving St. Marys the ball at the 28.
Henschen started the drive with a 13yard gain. Five plays later, Hemmelgarn went through the middle and hit the afterburners, going 41 yards for a score with 8:49 to play. Bowers’ kick pushed the lead to 34.
The Riders defense forced a three-and-out, and the punt was caught at the Kenton 41. Mabry, Henschen, and two runs by Keegan Sharpe moved to the 18. Hinkle then ran for nine to convert on third down. The next third down was at the 1, with Reineke keeping it and pushing over the goal line with 3 1/2 minutes to go. Another kick was true, making it 41-0.
Kenton held the ball for seven plays before having to punt again.
The Roughriders started at the 39. Mabry got 11 yards to midfield, then Hemmelgarn picked up a couple. Reineke completed passes on three of the next four snaps to move to the 18.
He went deep to Sharpe in the end zone, but it was just beyond his reach.
A holding call moved the ball back to the 35. Bowers would try a 52yard field goal but it was well short.
One more play sent the teams to the locker room for rest and regrouping.
As noted above, the second half was played with a running clock.
Each team punted on their first possession.
Kenton started its second drive at the 21. Two completions by Johnston plus a roughing the passer call moved them to the St. Marys 19. A short catch by Collins was followed by one by Kleaman-Beazley for a 15-yard touchdown with 36 seconds to go in the quarter, breaking up the shutout bid.
Kayden Sharpe became the main go-to on the next drive, including a 29-yard run on 4thand-short. That plus face mask penalties on Kenton on that play and the next put the ball inside the 10.
Two plays later, Steinberg hit pay dirt and Logan Rush added the PAT.
Each team had one more possession to finish off the game, with Brenden Ackley getting several carries on the Riders’ drive.
Game Notes
Kenton celebrated its Homecoming, with the queen crowned in pregame ceremonies.
Pleasant conditions for the game, with temperatures at around 80 at kickoff and cooling down as the night wore on.
In other WBL play, Wapakoneta defeated Elida 30-13; Van Wert downed Shawnee 4914; Bath edged Defiance 17-13; and Ottawa-Glandorf blanked Celina 42-0.
St. Marys (4-2, 5-2) will host Elida (3-3, 4-3) next Friday at Grand Lake Health System Field.
Score by quarters
St. Marys 27 14 0 7 -- 48 Kenton 0 0 7 0 -- 7
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
SM — Colton Mabry 14 yard run (Brandon Bowers kick), 11:35 (7-0) SM — Braeden Hemmelgarn 5 yard run (Bowers kick), 10:04 (14-0) SM — Keegan Sharpe 16 yard run (Bowers kick), 8:43 (21-0)
SM — Brayden Sullivan 3 yard run (kick fail), 3:59 (27-0)
Second Quarter
SM — Hemmelgarn 41 yard run (Bowers kick), 8:49 (34-0)
SM — Gavin Reineke 1 yard run (Bowers kick), 3:27 (41-0)
Third Quarter
K — Grady Kleman-Beazley 15 yard pass from Korbin Johnston (Parker Rarey kick), 0;36 (41-7)
Fourth Quarter
SM — Carter Steinberg 4 yard run (Logan Rush kick), 8:20 (48-7).
Game Stats
SM KEN
First Downs 25 10 Rushing Att-Yds 52-386 11-(-61) Comp-Att-Int. 4-7-0 19-36-0 Passing Yards 34 148
Total Yards 420 87 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-0 Penalties 9-96 3-27 Third Downs 6-10 2-11
Time of Poss. 19;33 22:34