Minster’s Noah Schwieterman had 55 receiving yards on 2 passes from quarterback Carson Kaylor. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie McMaken Wright)
Minster beat Anna 24-14 at home by making plays when it mattered most. The Wildcats improved shut the Rockets out in the second half, and relies on their gritty sophomore quarterback Carson Kaylor to make plays in pressure situations.
Minster, OH – “Was it pretty?” Minster coach Seth Whiting asked his players after the game.
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“No sir,” they replied in unison.
“But did you find a way to win?”
“Yes sir.”
The young group of Wildcats still has some growing to do, but against the 2-0 Anna Rockets, they made plays when they needed to most, and came away with a 24-14 win.
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Some call it the will to win, stepping up to the moment, or playing the best when the lights shine the brightest.
In a word, the Minster Wildcats were clutch.
Clutch – ESPN talk shows’ favorite buzzword … but what does it actually look like?
When Minster (2-1, 1-0) needed to answer Anna’s (2-1, 0-1) touchdown drive before halftime, Andrew Ketner converted 3rd & 10 on his only reception, a screen pass for 15 yards.Sophomore QB Carson Kaylor capped the drive with a dive, extending the football and scraping the pylon to tie the game and retake momentum. That’s clutch. Kaylor made the exact same play in the third quarter to take a 21-14 lead. That’s clutch too.
Minster’s Tyler Bergman scores the ‘Cats’ first touchdown on a 12 yard pass from Carson Kaylor.
When a shanked punt backed Minster’s defense into the shadow of its own goalpost, Wildcat safety Noah Schwieterman picked off a wayward pass at his own three-yard line. That’s clutch.
When Minster muffed a punt during the 14-14 tie that predominated the third quarter, Ketner covered it up a fraction of a second before a white and green jersey snagged it. That’s messy, but it’s still clutch.
And when Minster needed to put the game away late, Kaylor’s favorite target, Tyler Bergman, made a sliding catch on 4th & 3 to set up a field goal to go up 24-14 with under four minutes left. That’s clutch.
The field goal itself was a perfect image of Minster’s night. A 21-yarder from the left hash, it wobbled, stayed low, and barely snuck inside the right upright. Zero style points, but three football points nonetheless.
Bergman’s catch to help secure the game was his tenth and final one of the night, one short of tying the school record.
“We started off early, and we carried that throughout the game,” Bergman said. “We were on point.”
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He caught four passes for 60 yards on the opening drive, including a 12-yard touchdown.
“The first play we just hit a quick out,” Bergman said. “The second play was quick, I got the ball and my blockers did a great job so I got the outside. Then touchdown was just a hitch-and-go on the left side,” Bergman said. “Great ball by Karson, he put it in the right spot.”
Minster quarterback Carson Kaylor threw for 196 yards, completing 16 of 29 passes, and rushed for 92 yards.
He omitted the 13-yard completion on 3rd & 8. Ten catches is a lot to remember.
“We just find ways to get him the ball and let him cook,” Kaylor said of the 33-yard screen play.
Bergman accounted for 110 of Kaylor’s 196 passing yards.
Kaylor played as well as you could hope for a sophomore to play in his first game against a MAC opponent.
“He still has some young mistakes,” Whiting said. “But the pressure that’s on him … he’s following up one of the best quarterbacks [Brogan Stephey] in the history of our school. They’re two completely different types of kids in terms of style of play … He’s finding his own way right now. But what a job to find a way to get it done.”
Kaylor made on-target throws late in the game when they needed him to, and ran selflessly, taking a beating on 24 carries for 78 yards and two rushing TDs, all game-leading figures.
“I’m cramping a bit, but nothing too major,” Kaylor said. “For sure I’ll be sore tomorrow.”
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If there’s criticism to be made, at times he held the ball longer than his young offensive line could protect, but his escapability often pardoned the minor transgression.
“They were bringing a lot of pressure which was causing us some trouble,” Kaylor said. “But we found a way to get it done. But they’re a solid football team, they have a good defense.”
Anna’s Trenton Roberts scores on a 21 yard pass from Logan Ziegenbusch for the Rockets.
“He’s got work to do,” Whiting said. “He’s getting better week by week. He’s gaining confidence.”
Anna’s offense led the MAC in yards coming into the game, and started off hot, taking a 14-7 lead behind a pair of touchdowns by running back T.J. Roberts, one rushing and one receiving.
But the Minster defense roared to life in the second half, holding the Rockets to 97 yards and 0/5 on third down.
“On the offensive side, we got a little stagnant and didn’t move it as well as we needed to,” Anna Head Coach Nick Marino said.
A Ketner interception and a third-down sack by Cole Albers each ended Anna drives during the 14-14 tie in the third quarter.
The Rockets won plenty of plays and showed flashes on both sides of the ball, especially considering they’re even younger than Minster in most places. They just didn’t show up in the high-leverage moments, and didn’t play to their own standard.
Anna’s Dustin Vasko is held up by a pack of Wildcats.
“Football comes down to running plays, blocking, and tackling,” Marino said. “We gotta get better at that kind of stuff.”
Unfortunately for the Rockets, they don’t schedule like the SEC, and don’t have a mid-season cupcake up next to ease their way. They host Coldwater (2-1) next week, then travel to St. Henry (2-1), which just gave Marion Local the best regular-season run for its money since 2023.
“Hopefully this refocuses us,” Marino said. ‘We gotta practice better. That’s the biggest thing. You’re gonna play how you practice. We gotta have consistent practices, and these young guys have to learn how to do that. That’s our challenge right now.”
Minster faces Parkway (0-3) in their first road game next week.
The young Wildcats better soak up all the learning moments they can, because the famed MAC schedule kicks into full gear starting in week 5 for Minster: Coldwater (2-1), St. Henry (2-1), New Bremen (3-0), Versailles (3-0), Marion Local (3-0), Fort Recovery (2-1), then the playoffs, if they come out of that gauntlet in the top 12 (currently 13th) of Region 28.
As for the future of the Minster-Anna series, we’re in good shape.
“That was a banger,” Whiting said. “We’re gonna have some good games with them over the next few years.”
With a little help and a shove from Anna’s Grant Beckman, Minster’s quarterback Carson Kaylor hits the pylon for a Wildcats touchdown.
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