Versailles Quarterback, Ethan Wilker, accounted for three touchdowns in the Tigers’ win. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie McMaken Wright)
Versailles left no doubt, dominating all three phases in a 41-0 blowout, their second consecutive shutout win against Fort Loramie. The Tigers scored on all six of their drives, and forced four turnovers. Versailles Quarterback, Ethan Wilker, accounted for three total touchdowns.
Versailles, Ohio – Perfection doesn’t exist in football, no matter what Coach Herman Boone might tell you in Remember the Titans. Every team can always improve – no exceptions.
Alan Brads is a contributing columnist and writes sports at large for Press Pros Magazine.
But … if gridiron perfection were attainable, it might bear a resemblance to Versailles in its 41-0 bashing of Fort Loramie. That may not be the most jaw-dropping score on a night where Marion Local won 49-0, and Xenia slaughtered West Carrollton 66-0. But Versailles executed their trouncing with nearly flawless efficiency. The Tigers capped all six drives with a touchdown, five on the ground and one by air, but a running clock in the second half allotted them just one chance to score in the final two quarters.
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Throwing out words like “perfection” might sound hyperbolic in week 2, and maybe it is. But there’s hardly an aspect of the game the Tigers didn’t earn an “A+” in. Even the kickoffs sailed into the end zone for touchbacks.
But before the praise gets too rash, it’s worth stepping back and saying that conversely, Fort Loramie couldn’t do much right. They have some major kinks to work out on offense.
Gabe Hart took over at quarterback late last season as Max Maurer spread out wide as a receiver. Tonight, Hart didn’t look comfortable passing. He ran effectively but threw three interceptions and several screen passes into the dirt.
Ben Subler gains some yardage against Ft Loramie’s Carter Eilerman.
Meanwhile, Versailles’ Junior quarterback Ethan Wilker further answered the million-dollar question that surely hung in the Versailles air this offseason: What does the Tiger offense look like without Michael Osborne?
“These two weeks have been amazing,” Wilker said. “I’ve been with these guys for so many years, and now we’re grown up, it’s just great.”
Osborne was the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card, a player that could escape just about any jam you put him in. He’s not a player you can just replace, but Wilker has filled his shoes, and done so with confidence and competence.
“He’s getting calmer and calmer,” Head Coach Ryan Jones said. “He’s showing good poise and leadership. He responds well when he makes a mistake, and that’s the biggest thing. That’s just maturity that some of the younger guys don’t have.”
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He racked up three total touchdowns: a perfectly placed strike on a goalline slant route, a 24-yard scamper on a read option keeper, and a QB sneak.
He sees the field and connects well with pass catchers like Ben Subler, Luke Kaiser, Jace Watren and James Schmitmeyer, among others.
Ft Loramie’s Cole Timmerman tries to take down the Tiger’s James Schmitmeyer.
“We’re on the same page with Wilker,” Subler said. “We communicate well, we’re always on the same page, and we just played as a team.”
Wilker completed 10 of 12 pass attempts, and about 7 of those went for first downs.
“Developing those connections isn’t as hard for us as some people might think,” Wilker said. “I play basketball with them, I played JV with them, and we had a long season last year so that’s a lot of team building … We’ve been in the building lifting together since two weeks after the state championship. We’re hungry.”
That hunger made itself known in the first half. Baseball has the immaculate inning, a perfect side consisting of nine pitches and three strikeouts. But the Tigers pulled off what could be called an immaculate half. Before intermission, all five Versailles drives ended with six points, and all five Fort Loramie drives ended in turnovers, except the three-play drive that ended the half’s expiration.
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Landen Woody fell on a fumble on the opening Redskin drive, then Eli Keiser, Wilker and Landyn Knapke snagged interceptions to choke out the next three drives.
Versailles’ run game, broken up by efficient passing, led the way on their five first-half scoring drives. The field position and time of possession from the turnovers didn’t hurt either.
Ross Francis receives a pass from quarterback Ethan Wilker for a touchdown.
They ran most of their offense from a two tight end set that overpowered Loramie’s 3-5-3 defense. Knapke was the workhorse in the backfield. But the rush attack shared the wealth at the goalline, with Knapke, Wilker, and Ross Francis each punching it in from the 1-yard line to build a 21-0 lead.
Wilker jumped a Hart pass attempt in zone coverage for his interception, and followed it up by keeping on a read option, making a tackler miss, and scampering into the end zone from 24 yards to make the deficit 28.
The Versailles defense is no stranger to terrorizing opposing offenses. Last year they didn’t allow any team to score more than 14 points on them until the state championship game. This season they’re yet to allow a point, a feat they maintained for the first three games in 2023.
After the third interception, the Tigers finally crossed the chalk in the air. Wilker ripped a throw into Jace Watren’s chest on a slant route, who hauled it as he fell to the ground in the end zone. Wilker couldn’t have placed the ball any more accurately by walking over to Watren and handing it to him.
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Halftime gave Loramie asylum from two beatdowns, one by Versailles and the other by the sun, which only made their day more miserable, as this was not of the area’s games that kicked off an hour late to escape the heat.
The Redskins managed to get a punt off on their first drive, and stalled out on fourth down on their second and final drive of the expedited second half.
Landyn Knapke crosses the goal line for six points.
Knapke rushed in his second, and the evening’s final, touchdown from the 7-yard line.
There is good news for the Redskins, small comfort though it may be while 0-2: The offense moved the chains well when they didn’t turn the ball over. First downs typically preceded the interceptions, so if those flashes can be the norm, this offense could put teams on notice. They’ll get a chance to regroup next week against Covington, which finished winless last year, but has righted the ship and stands at 2-0 this season.
Versailles will face tougher tests in the MAC than their first two games, starting next week as Delphos St. John’s rolls into town.
“This has to be our worst game for the rest of the season,” both Wilker and Subler said, no doubt a mantra Jones instilled in them.
That’s a high bar, but the great Vince Lombardi shared the sentiment of both Ryan Jones and Herman Boone when he said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if you chase perfection, you can catch excellence.”
Tiger Logan Nerderman takes care of business with Ft Loramie’s Anderson Pleiman. Teammate Chase Monnin (18) took full advantage.
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