Minster quarterback Brogan Stephey rushed 12 times for 77 yards, passed 18-26 for 197 yards and one touchdown. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie McMaken Wright)
Two months ago on a soggy night Minster beat St. Henry 12-7 in a nailbiter. But in cleaner conditions, Minster’s talent and wealth of offensive weapons prevailed, and the Wildcats earned a third consecutive regional semifinal bid. Minster outrushed St. Henry 299-17 in the 42-14 victory.
Alan Brads is a contributing columnist and writes sports at large for Press Pros Magazine.
Minster, Ohio – Third down, money down.
The Minster offense bankrupted St. Henry in a 42-14 win in the second round of the playoffs.
The Wildcats faced 10 third downs, nine of them eventually became first downs for Minster.
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Minster was far from perfect. Penalties and drops constantly put them at or behind the sticks in the first half, but like Houdini from a straightjacket, the Wildcats escaped.
“We just have a motto of ‘next play,’” running back Connor Schmiesing said. “Whatever happened, happened. We can’t go back and change it. Whether it’s 1st and 10 or 4th & 10 we gotta play with the same aggression. So when we dug ourselves in those holes, it was a next play attitude.”
Brogan Stephey runs through the tackle attempt of a St. Henry defender for a score.
The increasingly healthy Minster offense has too many options to guard when the offensive line is playing well, and it almost always does. The Brogan Stephey-James Niemeyer connection is back. Niemeyer caught 7 passes for 53 yards and a TD, plus a pair of interceptions in the fourth quarter.
“It feels good to get back into it,” Niemeyer said about returning from injury. “The first couple weeks I was kinda scared of getting hit, but now I’m feeling good. It was just a good feeling to help my team win again.”
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The Redskin defense keyed in on Stephey’s run game after a 30-yard rush TD on the opening drive, but that opened lanes for Connor Schmiesing and Dylan Heitkamp, who each rushed for 100+ yards, and combined for three TDs.
“We know where everyone’s eyes are,” Minster Coach Seth Whiting said. “It’s not rocket science that when you’re playing us you gotta take 12 (Stephey) and 15 (Niemeyer) away from the football game. Fortunately for us, there’s Schmiesing, and Heitkamp, and Dominick Meyer, and Tyler Bergman, and Noah Schwieterman, and Cole Albers, and a bunch of others.”
Minster’s Dylan Heitkamp rushed for 100 yards on 7 carries.
Stephey completed passes to seven different targets in the first half.
Explosive runs, likely a symptom of Minster’s time of possession advantage, put the game out of reach for the Redskins. In the second half, Schmiesing ripped off a 77-yard TD run, and Heitkamp followed suit with a 66-yarder.
A 299-17 advantage in rushing yards helped Minster earn another bid to the regional semifinals, where last year it fell to Marion Local. This season, the ‘Cats get a more favorable matchup than playing the Flyers, and will face off against third-seeded Cincinnati College Prep.
“We’re excited to go play somebody different,” Whiting said. “That’s part of the fun of playoffs is to travel and play new teams.”
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They’ll hope to start faster than they did against St. Henry. On the second play from scrimmage, a fumbled handoff nearly caused a turnover. But the Wildcats recovered. Stephey ran 300 yards around the left end to take a quick 7-0 lead.
James Niemeyer reaches for an interception during Friday’s win over St. Henry.
St. Henry’s offense was a one-trick pony from the get-go … But boy was that one trick impressive. Carter LaGuire started his night with a 45-yard catch on a 1v1 jump-ball catch and ended the night with seven receptions for 119 yards, and a 60-yard kickoff return.
LaGuire’s monster catch on the Redskins’ first drive put them in the red zone. But on 4th & 3 from Minster’s 7-yard line, they opted for a field goal that sailed wide left.
Penalties and drops should’ve ended the Wildcats’ next drive, but somehow they kept finding a way. After a few 3rd and 4th down conversions, Schmiesing waited patiently for a hole to develop from the 4-yard line, then slipped into the end zone for a 14-0 lead.
LaGuire again gave St. Henry a spark, returning the kickoff to Minster’s 16-yard line. And this time, The Redskins converted when quarterback Charlie Werling scored with his legs.
The see-saw tilted even further St. Henry’s way as it finally got a stop on third down, forcing 4th & 16. But a roughing the punter penalty extended Minster’s drive.
Niemeyer caught a TD on 4th & goal from the two on a nice outbreaking route, showing he and Stephey haven’t lost their timing.
Minster’s Connor Schmiesing breaks up a pass intended for St. Henrys Jack Huelsman.
Caleb Couse’s fifth interception of the season gave Minster a chance to go up three scores before the half, but St. Henry’s Brody Schwartz recovered a Stephey fumble on the goalline to preserve the 21-7 deficit.
The Minster defensive line went rabid in the second half, sacking Werling four times. St. Henry netted -18 rushing yards after halftime.
“We were really physical up front in stopping the run, and that’s huge because they’re a running team,” said Schmiesing, who moonlights as a linebacker.
Schmiesing, a patient runner, went back on offense and gashed the Redskins for his 77-yard score just moments after an assistant coach exhorted him to “run into the hole like a dude.”
Werling answered with another rushing touchdown to make it 28-14 late in the third, but too little too late, plus the ‘Cats weren’t done running wild.
Minster’s Gabe Bornhorst sacks St Henry quarterback Charlie Werling.
Kole Richard put the whipped cream on top – catching an 11-yard slant pass for a TD. Then, the cherry – Dylan Heitkamp took over running back duties in the fourth quarter and darted down the sideline for a 66-yard TD to seal the 42-14 win.
St. Henry finishes its season 7-5, a step forward from last year’s 5-8 mark.
“I’m so proud of this senior group,” St. Henry Coach Josh Werling said. “I’ve been preaching changing the culture and mentality of what we do, and they have embodied that the whole way through … We’ve taken strides forward and it’s because of the buy-in of those 11 guys.”
Werling has his squad trending in the right direction after just one season. It won’t be long before close losses become close wins.
Coach Seth Whiting addresses his team after Friday’s playoff win over St. Henry.
The trust and relationship building between team and coach hasn’t been a long or difficult process.
Coach Werling’s daughter suffered a serious fracture in her arm this week requiring surgery, and his team came through.
“Our Ring doorbell camera kept going off this morning,” Werling said. ‘The full team had got her a care package. If you want to talk about culture shifting and caring for people, that speaks volumes. That’s all I can think about.”
If you believe in Karma, watch out for the Redskins in 2025.
Beckham Stephey nailed all six of his extra points in the Wildcats’ win.
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