The Daily Standard
Story Archive
St. Marys defensive lineman Caleb Turner tackes Wauseon running back Ryan Friend on Friday.
ST. MARYS - St. Marys coach Bo Frye could not have imagined a better start to the playoffs.
The Roughriders ran 15 of the game's first 16 plays from scrimmage and led 14-0 with most of the first quarter gone.
The fast start and 391 yards of rushing offense added up to a 42-14 victory over Wauseon in the opening round of the Division IV, Region 14 playoffs Friday night at Grand Lake Health System Field in St. Marys.
St. Marys (7-4) won the coin toss and elected to play offense first. Carter Steinberg took the opening kick at his own 7, ran through a big opening in the middle of the field, the raced to the end zone for a 93-yard TD return.
"We've been working that kickoff return for weeks, and we just haven't been able to hit it," Frye said. "We haven't scored a special teams touchdown all season, so that was a big goal for us."
Wauseon (6-5) countered with a decent kickoff return out to its own 40-yard line. But on the Indians' first play from scrimmage, quarterback Trey Parsons was intercepted by Jacob Kessler at the St. Marys 27.
From there the Riders launched a patented St. Marys ground-and-pound drive going 73 yards in 15 plays - all on the ground - while chewing up just under eight minutes off the first-quarter clock.
St. Marys running back Colton Mabry breaks free on a run against Wauseon in the Division IV playoff opener at Grand Lake Health System Field on Friday.
Dominik Osborne and Colton Mabry took turns doing most of the damage on the drive, with Osborne going the final three yards for the score. Logan Rush, who was 6-for-6 on the night kicking PATs, gave the Riders a 14-0 lead with 3:43 left in the first quarter.
The long scoring drive established St. Marys' dominance in the trenches and set the tone for the rest of the game.
"Physicality puts the game away," Frye said. "When you're physical, great things happen, and we weren't early in the year. Now we are."
St. Marys stretched its lead to 21-0 on a 22-yard scoring run by Mabry on the second play of the second quarter.
Following Kessler's second interception of the game, the Roughriders marched 62 yards in 10 plays and went up 28-0 on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Cody Wallace with 2:58 left in the half.
St. Marys was successful in getting pressure on Parsons all evening, forcing the Indians QB to scramble and throw on the run just about every time he dropped back.
"We were playing with a lot of energy," Frye said. " Coach (Nick) Yahl coaches our defense and does a great job. We weren't giving up the big play, which is what we wanted to happen. When you get to the playoffs you have to keep the ball in front of you."
St. Marys twice started a running clock in the second half, but the Indians answered each time.
Osborne put the Riders up 35-0 with an eight yard run at the 7:11 mark in the third quarter. Parsons answered with back-to-back 31-yard completions to Tyson Rodriguez, the second of which went for a score.
Mabry put the Riders up 42-7 with 6:32 left in the game, but Rodriguez returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to once again thwart the running clock.
Mabry and Osborne, who both finished the regular season with more than 1,000 yards rushing, maintained their averages in Week 11, as Mabry tallied 177 yards on 23 carries, while Osborne netted 127 yards on 22 totes.
St. Marys' Tre Moore gets through the defense on a reverse as guard Tanner Mele delivers a big block to Wauseon's Ty Davis.
Having started the season at 0-4, St. Marys has now stretched its winning streak to seven.
"I didn't sleep much at all. No one did," said Frye, looking back on the start of the season. "We weren't good. We were a bad football team, but our kids stuck together. Our coaches stuck together. It's a testament to our kids and the program."
The Riders now must travel to Sandusky Perkins next Friday to take on the top-seeded and third-ranked Pirates. Perkins (10-0) defeated Vermilion 44-6.
Frye said his team will be ready for the challenge.
"Every week's a different week," he said, "and we play in a pretty good conference, so we're pretty well prepared for this playoff run."
