Big plays, and a lot of them…Cavalier receiver Cadin Obringer stretches to haul in this 44 yard touchdown in the first quarter. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Motivated by the loss of teammate Cale Wenning, Coldwater rallied behind a big night from Baylen Blockberger, big plays from new faces, and the certain presence of their friend to shut out Valley View in the season opener.
Coldwater, OH – If you’re a person of faith – belief – you almost certainly felt the emotional lift and overtone of Cale Wenning’s presence, like a twelfth man overlooking Coldwater’s 38-0 blasting of Valley View in Friday’s season opener.
If you’re not a person of belief, you still cannot deny that Coldwater made big plays, at big moments, and played with a purpose far greater than that of just wanting to win their opening game. They wanted to win it for Cale Wenning.
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Whichever, it was an emotional Coldwater team that quarterback Baylen Blockberger later admitted had some anxiety over not playing well with so much in their hearts…anxiety over letting their missing teammate down. Wenning, a senior center, passed away on Thursday after suffering traumatic head injuries in a biking accident ten days ago.
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A capacity home crowd turned out to witness and support. There were tears and hugs, and yes, a certain sense of the community feeling that same anxiety. Surely they had to win for Cale. For nearly all must have felt, indeed, that he loomed to provide a spark to his team and community.
“Yeah, there was that twelfth man feeling,” said coach Chip Otten. “And we were a little concerned that they were so jacked up they wouldn’t be able to do what they capable of doing. But of course, when you make plays that helps you to relax. And a bunch of guys touched the ball tonight, and some guys that we weren’t quite sure whether they were Friday Night lights guys, yet. But they really, really showed up tonight.”
And they did make plays.
Cavalier sophomore Braxton Taylor ran for 68 yards and this first half touchdown.
Senior quarterback Baylen Blockberger provided certain leadership by throwing for 163 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 10 for 12 efficiency…and ran for 36 yards on five carries.
Sophomore Braxton Taylor ran for 68 yards and a touchdown on 9 carries, and averaged 7 yards per tote.
Sophomore Caleb Schroer added 51 yards on a seven carries.
Schroer, Caden Obringer, Ethan Elander, and Mason Welsch caught a touchdown each, accounting for 122 of Blockberger’s passing yards.
Aaron Kaup provided a key interception in the first quarter that sparked Obringer’s touchdown, giving Coldwater breathing room at 14-0.
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And the defense, an anonymous, no-name group, shut down Valley View’s vaunted ability to run the ball and control clock, limiting the Spartans to just 100 yards on 20 carries. And worse, they denied Valley View time of possession by controlling possession, themselves. Coldwater ran 49 plays from scrimmage, compared to just 34 for Valley View, and 131 yards, total.
Quarterback Baylen Blockberger through for 163 yards and four touchdowns…and ran for 36 more. Note the tribute on the toe of his shoe.
“That’s a good football team, tonight was a terrible situation, and I just feel for the community,” said Spartan coach Matt King, magnanimous – classy – after such a disappointing performance. “It’s a tight-knit community and I can’t imagine what they’re going through. But they played well. We did not. And they’re going to win a lot of games. They don’t make mistakes and we knew that coming in. We knew we had to play pretty near perfect, and we were far from that.”
On their first possession Valley View ran aground at their own 45 yard line, and on fourth down shanked a punt that traveled four yards from the line of scrimmage and set up Coldwater at midfield. Seven plays later Blockberger found Elander in the corner of the end zone from 12 yards out to go up 7-0.
On their second possession Valley View quarterback Anthony Valenti had a pass deflected and intercepted by Kaup, again setting Blockberger up with perfect field possession on the Spartans’ 44 yard line. It took one play this time, at 4:36 of the first quarter, Blockberger to Obringer for 44 yards and a touchdown…14-0.
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Braxton Taylor followed with a beautiful 12-yard run at 6:53 of the second quarter to expand the lead to 21-0.
Two minutes later Mason Welsch hauled in a 37-yard strike from Blockberger, his third TD throw of the half, to push the score to 28-0 at halftime.
Cavalier receiver Caleb Schroer crosses the goal line with Baylen Blockberger’s fourth TD pass of the game.
Taking the opening kickoff in the second half, Blockberger again moved the ball down the field, this time hitting Schroer from eleven yards out to push the game into a running clock…35-0.
The final score came on a 32 yard field goal from Bryce Couchot at 8:42 of the fourth quarter.
Five different players – Obringer, Elander, Taylor, Welsch, and Schroer – making plays to complement Blockberger’s efficiency to account for 35 of their 38 points.
Blockberger was an even better version of himself from a year ago, when he led the MAC in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Bigger, stronger, and more composed, the game has slowed down for him.
“He’s more experienced, he’s bigger, stronger, and he can sling it with better touch,” says Otten. “And running the ball, he’s way better than last year because when he’s scrambling he doesn’t panic. He’s able to extend plays until he finds an open receiver and then puts it right on the money.”
Baylen Blockberger is the epitome of adolescence done right. Yes sir, no sir, and thank you, sir…his sense of respect for people, his teammates, and the game is uncanny for his age, and for the age in which we live.
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“I know what I’m looking for now,” he said, postgame, after accumulating 362 total yards. “Last year there were nerves, freaking out, and not knowing where I was going with the ball. This year things have slowed down, I’m bigger and stronger, I trust my legs more…it’s just an easier game than last year.”
“When you make plays that helps you to relax. And a bunch of guys touched the ball tonight.” – Chip Otten
And how did he handle the obvious emotional stress that loomed at the beginning of the game…that sense of his missing teammate?
“It’s been emotional all week,” he said. “A lot of tough feelings to overcome. But we have a good senior group, we’ve stuck together well, and we had a great conversation before the game to make sure we came out and did this for him [Cale]. We’re definitely missing him.
“And there was a little anxiety,” added Blockberger. “But we were confident that we were going to win. We talked about settling down and not getting too hyped up. And a lot of guys made plays, all over the field…running backs, receivers, back-up receivers…everybody was connected. We have an opportunity to go and win some more games, now.”
Hundreds of people were dressed in black and orange shirts with the number ’70’, in honor of Wenning.
The Valley View players, coaches, and fans showed up wearing his name and number, but in their own school colors…blue and white.
Someone outside the locker room said that his light would forever shine, that his spirit would burn throughout the year and in the hearts of his teammates for the rest of their lives.
And you felt that…his jersey on his chair in front of his locker, his gloves and helmet, as if he was close enough to actually suit up, but yet, in spirit only.
“We see through a glass dimly,” the Apostle wrote in the New Testament. “And that all things will be revealed in time.”
And if there’s any consolation in those words…on opening night the Coldwater Cavaliers and the community got just a glimpse of things to come.
While others play with eleven, they’ll be playing with twelve…all year long.
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