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VAN WERT -- Sometimes it helps to be lucky, even on Friday the 13th.
St. Marys struggled for most of the game, but caught a few punting breaks, converted a trick play, and kicked a field goal with 18 seconds left to play to beat the Van Wert Cougars 9-7 Friday night at Van Wert.
The win was the first of the year in the Western Buckeye League for the Riders, who are now 2-2 overall. Van Wert dropped its second straight and also stands at 2-2.
Trailing 7-0 at halftime, the Riders were in their full-fledged chorus line offense in the second half "one, two, three -- kick; one, two, three -- kick."
St. Marys failed to pick up a first down on its first five possessions of the first half. However, on Matt Helmstetter's eighth punt attempt of the night, he scooped up a low snap, bobbled it a bit but got the punt off, and was roughed.
For some reason, the ensuing penalty moved the line of scrimmage from the 29 to the 49, but a first down is a first down. A two-yard run by Justin Nagel moved the ball to the Cougar 49. On the next play sophomore Nick Yahl, playing for the injured Shawn Craft, rolled out on an apparent sweep, but instead threw to a wide open Brandt Huttis who stretched into the endzone for a touchdown.
With 5:48 left in the game, Nick Pfeffenberger's extra point attempt to tie the game never got airborne, and the Cougars held on to a 7-6 lead.
With just one timeout left, the Riders needed another break to have a chance at the ball. Van Wert picked up a quick first down, but then stalled and was forced to punt with less than two minutes to play.
Mark Fuerst, the Cougars' punter, quarterback, kick returner, safety and bus driver dropped back to punt. He bobbled what appeared to be a good snap, picked the ball up and threw to Matt Hurless, who had nowhere to go.
The Riders took over on the Van Wert 28 with 1:30 left to play. Corey Vossler lost four yards on the first play, but the Riders hurried back to the line of scrimmage. Vossler converted a pass to Matt Schlater at the 7 yard line with 46 seconds left.
After a confusing 10 seconds, the Riders called their last timeout. After Nagel was run out of bounds for no gain, Vossler ran a sneak to the seven yard line that had the looks of setting up a field goal.
Van Wert called timeout, and Pfeffenberger had a chance for redemption. His 22-yard field goal was perfect giving the Riders a 9-7 lead with 12 seconds left.
Van Wert ran the ensuing kick out-of-bounds to preserve some clock, but any miracle Cougar comeback was thwarted when Corey Vossler incercepted a Fuerst pass, and all the Riders kept their helmets on.
The Cougars got things started with a touchdown on their first possession. On a third-and-20 situation, Van Wert quarterback Mark Fuerst dropped back and tossed a screen pass to Matt Hurless, who followed his blocking 20 yards to paydirt.
Rick Ditto booted the extra point for a 7-0 Cougar lead with 7:39 left in the first half.
Other than Van Wert's initial scoring drive, neither offense mounted much of a threat in the first half.
The Riders mustered up just four first downs, and crossed into Van Wert territory just once, and that was set up by the St. Marys defense.
Andy Huber stayed home on a halfback pass, as John Smelser took a pitch from Fuerst and then attempted to pass it back to Fuerst. However, Huber picked it off at the Van Wert 46.
But from there the Rider offense managed just 16 yards before turning the ball over on downs, and the first half ended with Van Wert leading 7-0.
The Cougars won the battle of the stats, with 225 yards of total offense, compared to 186 for the Riders. St. Marys rushed the ball 44 times for 112 yards and completed two passes for 74 yards.
The Riders managed just seven first downs in the game, two of which came on penalties. The Cougers had 14 first downs, but were kept out of the red zone the entire second half by a strong Roughrider defense.
St. Marys stays on the road next week with a trip to Shawnee. The Indians were 28-14 losers to Wapakoneta Friday to fall to 2-2.
GAME NOTES: When was the last time St. Marys kicked a field goal to win a game? You have to go back to the 1990 state championship team when sophomore Greg Yingling booted a 27-yarder with nine seconds left to beat Bath 11-8 in the first WBL game of the season...
St. Marys junior fullback Shawn Craft, who was questionable for the game, suffered another injury and he was helped off the field in the second half at Van Wert...
The young Roughriders got a lot younger Friday, as three seniors, Charles Owens, Erik Grant and Wess Kellermeyer reportedly left the team. At one point Friday, the defense had six sophomores playing .
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