Coldwater quarterback Karsyn Homan passed for 44 yards, rushed for 81 and scored two touchdowns to lead a clean offensive performance. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie Wright-Daniel)
The Cavaliers scored every time they touched the ball in the first half and rolled into the second round of the Division VI, Region 24 playoffs.
Minster Bank proudly sponsors the best area sports coverage on Press Pros Magazine.com.
Coldwater, OH – Chip Otten wanted a clean game. Not the penalties and wasted timeouts that plagued Coldwater’s inconsistent offense this season. So he changed practice to create better habits.
Instead of offensive groupings casually rotating in and out, they ran in from the sideline and practiced at game speed with game purpose.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State football and basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
“Our goal was to play really clean tonight, which we did,” Otten said.
Other than some grass stains, the Cavaliers were clean. None of the five penalties could be blamed on disorganization. The Cavaliers didn’t commit any turnovers. Every time they possessed the football in the first half they scored.
Yes, the fifth-seeded Cavaliers cleaned up on No. 12 Covington awfully well for a 48-0 first-round Division VI, Region 24 playoff victory in what is likely their final home game.
Coldwater (7-4) travels to Cincinnati next Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff against No. 4 St. Bernard Elmwood Place (9-1) at Roger Bacon High School. If the Cavaliers win, the only way they get a home game the following week is if an upset pits them against a lower seed. But the Cavaliers’ mindset was to treat it like a last home game no matter what.
Coldwater’s Max Ross Buccaneer Day’Lynn Garrett.
“We really wanted to play this week, and it was the seniors’ last home game, so we wanted to make it count for them,” junior quarterback Karsyn Homan said. “They went out there and they showed they really wanted it, and we played well.”
The numbers back up Homan’s sentiment. The Cavaliers outgained the Buccs 362-124. Homan rushed six times for 81 yards, halfback Derek Dues rushed eight times for 78 yards. Both scored two touchdowns. And the defense held Covington to 34 yards in the first half and forced three turnovers for the game.
“We executed well, we played well,” Homan said. “We had a lot of confidence going in. Still a lot of things to work on. Not perfect by any means.”
The Mr. Shoppe proudly sponsors the best in high school sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.
The first half was pretty close to perfect. It proceeded at a quickly predictable cause-and-effect pace to a 34-0 halftime lead. Covington’s offense couldn’t advance much out of its own shadow. Coldwater’s offense couldn’t be stopped.
It went like this.
Covington junior quarterback put some good moves on the Coldwater defense, but there were always too many Cavaliers closing in to stop him.
Covington had the ball first, couldn’t make a first down and attempted a fake punt on fourth-and-4. But punter Day’Lynn Garrett was bumped out of bounds a yard short of a first down.
Coldwater needed only four plays to travel 25 yards and Dues scored from the one.
Covington’s next two possessions ended with junior quarterback Landin Cassel throwing interceptions. Caleb Schroer intercepted the first one and returned it 19 yards to the 15. Two plays later Homan scored from the 11. The only blemish on the half followed when ultra-dependable kicker Bryce Couchot missed the extra point that ended his streak at 99 straight.
Max Ross fielded the next interception on a deep post pattern. The Cavaliers drove 65 yards and Homan scored from the 19 late in the first quarter.
Covington punted without gaining a first down on its next two possessions. Dues scored from the one, and Caden Obringer caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from backup Schroer.
“Our goal was to not have negative yardage plays because of the penalties and all that stuff and holdings,” Otten said. “They played clean tonight.”
Coldwater’s defense made two interceptions in the first half and forced Covington’s Jordan Miller to fumble near the goal line in the second half, securing the shutout.
The starters, including Homan, got one more series to start the second half and pushed the lead to 41-0 on Karter Freed’s seven-yard run. Trent Westgerdes added another seven-yard touchdown run late in the running-clock second half.
Now that the offense is playing more consistently in recent weeks, the Cavaliers are becoming a more complete team. Since the opening 48-47 shootout win over Valley View, the Cavaliers haven’t given more than 19 points.
“We’ve played really good defense against pretty much everybody,” Otten said.
After a 14-7 loss in Week 4 to Anna, Otten and his staff made a move that to strengthen the defense and the offense. They inserted ends Nolan Gruss and Braden Gerlach and nose guard Collin Westgerdes into the lineup. That meant none of the offensive linemen had to play both ways.
Pla-Mor lanes proudly sponsors coverage of bowling on Press Pros Magazine.com
“We knew those guys would be good eventually, but we didn’t know when we should insert them,” Otten said. “We just felt like if we’re going to play better on offense, we need it. We need those O linemen to be fresh because they’re not big stout guys.”
The Cavaliers won the Division VI state championship last year. To make another deep run to give themselves another chance will require more maturation as a well-rounded team.
Coldwater’s Cadin Obringer catches a 12-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Schroer late in the first half as Covington’s Filip McMaken tries to break up the pass.
“Our defense and offense are starting to come together,” Homan said. “We haven’t played our best football yet, and it’s just going to keep coming together. Practices keep getting better and better, and I just trust everybody, and we’re going to get there.”
For Covington, the process of getting there is ongoing. Head coach Austin Morgan understands the mental hurdles that exist in Divisions VI and VII for teams outside the Midwest Athletic Conference and its combined 44 state championships.
“Football and sports in general is a mental thing,” he said. “People hear the MAC and they think powerhouse football and everything. I have full belief our guys can compete with these kinds of teams. We’ve just got to believe that too. There’s times where we show that, but we have to do it all the time and have the belief that you can play these guys.”
Lefeld Welding Supplies proudly sponsors high school sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.
The Buccs started the season 0-4, won five straight, then lost 48-34 last week to Sidney Lehman, which defeated Minster from the MAC on Friday 50-48. The best news for the Buccs is that they lose only three seniors who play.
Lots of underclassmen got valuable experience this season and Friday night, including junior quarterback Cassel. He can throw the ball deep and he is a shifty runner for his 6-foot-5 frame. However, against Coldwater as soon as he shook one defender, another, then another was there to tackle him.
“We’ve played really good defense against pretty much everybody,” Coldwater coach Chip Otten said.
Getting a playoff game gave the Buccs another week of valuable practice time, a fact that has benefited many MAC teams over the years on their deep playoff runs.
“That’s huge for these guys to get the next level,” Morgan said.
He defines that level as his players maximizing their potential. He doesn’t know what next year holds. They Buccs lost two one-point games. Can they turn those around, earn a higher seed and make a run? Morgan won’t predict that. Too many unknowns like injuries, other teams getting better and unpredictable playoff matchups.
“Our goal is to maximize what is the best you look like and how can you maximize every bit of potential you have?” Morgan said. “That’s what our goal is. We don’t really focus too much on how many wins you get, how many stats you get. I’m a big believer, if everybody can maximize who they are and be their best version, that’s a cool group to be part of.”
Maybe at this time a year from now Covington, in pursuit of reclaiming some past playoff glory, will play a clean game and get to talk about practicing and playing for another week.
Coldwater’s Karter Freed reaches for extra yardage on a night when Covington couldn’t stop the Cavaliers from gaining whatever they needed.
EB Real Estate, Darke County’s sales leader, proudly sponsors the best area sports on Press Pros Magazine.