September 5, 2005 Roughrider Retrospective
Roughriders v. Defiance Bulldogs, 1998
QB John Meinerding and HB Andy Slone combined to set a team passing record. |
ROUGHRIDER RETROSPECTIVE - by Buz Howard
This is the fifth installment of a series designed to look back on memorable games in St. Marys football history. Each article, to be posted in Ridertown on Mondays, will deal with a key game from the series with the upcoming opponent.
On Wednesday each week we will post a follow-up article providing an overview of the entire competitive series between the two schools, focusing on further highlights through the years.
Even though it was the eighth game of the season, to most observers the St. Marys-Defiance game of 1998 really didn’t mean much.
Both teams were mired in the middle of the WBL standings, which would see the Kenton Wildcats win their second consecutive championship.
But Coach Doug Frye, in his first year at the helm of the Roughriders, had different feelings about the trip to Defiance. “We knew we were out of the playoffs," said Frye, “but we were playing the defending state champions and had a chance to knock them out of the playoffs. So this, in a sense, was our playoff game.”
And what a game it turned out to be. With four well-played quarters of dead-even action, a dramatic conclusion to regulation, and no less than three intense overtimes, it was a night that left fans dazed and emotionally spent.
Late in the season the Riders had found themselves playing musical chairs with their fullback position. Two weeks before the Defiance game Josh Lamb was lost to a season-ending knee injury against Bath. Kenny Williams, his replacement, then went down the following week against Celina. Frye then turned to sophomore Eli Holsinger to make an emergency switch from linebacker to fullback. Holsinger would be called on to carry the football for the first time in a varsity game.
The two teams matched touchdowns, tit for tat, throughout the night. The Roughriders opened quickly, with junior quarterback John Meinerding hitting Jason Homan twice on slant passes, the second of these a 36-yard touchdown.
Defiance answered in their first possession with a 69-yard drive in ten plays, halfback Josh Hacker taking it in from the three.
The Bulldogs went ahead late in the first quarter on a 46-yard fumble return by Mike Nutter, but a Roughrider one-yard score by Joe Young knotted the score again.
Both teams now settled into their ball-control games and again exchanged TDs.
Defiance staged a 16-play, 77-yard drive. Hacker, who would eventually total 167 yards in 41 rushes, carried the ball on almost every down, but surprisingly turned receiver at the end of the drive with an 11-yard touchdown catch.
St. Marys drove the field to tie the score once again, the drive highlighted by 40-yard Holsinger run and a three-yard touchdown by Bob Huttis.
In the waning minutes, Defiance drove the ball all the way to the two-yard line, where Coach Jerry Buti was faced with a tough decision on fourth and goal. Buti opted for the field goal attempt, and Brock Dodrill hit on the 19-yarder to give the Bulldogs a 24-21 lead with only 2:14 remaining.
Roughrider teams have traditionally disdained the pass, but, through the years, have demonstrated that, when absolutely necessary, they actually can pass the ball effectively. In the next two minutes, John Meinerding passed on 13 consecutive plays, hitting on 10 of them. Most of the passes were short gainers to Huttis and James Mabry on the sidelines, but one key toss went to the rangy Jason Homan for 35 yards, moving the ball to Defiance’s ten. From there, two short Meinerding passes, again to Huttis and Mabry, put the ball on the three with just eight seconds left.
 Kurt Kill scored 9 clutch points. |
Enter Kurt Kill, who was on his way to the game of his life. He faced a twenty-yard kick, the same distance as an extra point, and Kill had already kicked three of those. But this kick, if good, would tie the game. It would be the only field-goal attempt in Kill’s career. He kicked it through, to send the game into overtime.
Overtime #1
St. Marys won the flip and opted to play defense to open the initial overtime. Defiance methodically ground out the 20 yards needed to score, using seven straight running plays, five of these by the durable Josh Hacker, who finalized with a five-yard touchdown. It would be the first of six overtime touchdowns for the two teams. Dodrill’s PAT was good, and Defiance led, 31-24.
The Riders tied it quickly. On the second play of the possession, an eighteen-yard halfback pass from Andy Slone to Huttis, followed by Kill’s conversion, again deadlocked the game at 31-31.
Overtime #2
Defiance’s touchdown in the second overtime would be a controversial one. Faced with a fourth-and-goal on the one-yard line, Coach Jerry Buti rejected the field-goal try, calling on the hard-running Hacker once again. The Roughrider defense was waiting and appeared to stop him short of the goal line. One official signaled no score, but apparently was overruled by another member of the crew. The officials huddled, and then signaled touchdown. Dodrill’s kick was good, and Defiance led, 38-31.
The Roughriders, aided by two pass interference calls, held serve with a two-yard run by Bob Huttis on a well-timed option pitch from Meinderding. Again Kill converted the PAT. Score: 38-38. The game continued.
Overtime #3
On a fourth and seven, Bulldog quarterback Drew Price completed a clutch pass to his favorite receiver Nate Drown (5 catches, 117 yards) to move the ball to the one-yard line. Hacker took it in for his fifth touchdown of the night. Then came the break St. Marys fans were waiting for. Brock Dodrill, reliable all night long, kicked the ball just outside the left upright. Defiance now led, 44-38. The door was open, but the Roughriders needed seven points for the victory.
Holsinger carried three times for 10 yards and a first down. Holsinger followed with a fourth straight carry, but this time for no gain. Huttis then took his turn with a big seven-yard carry, followed by a three-yarder for the score. Again, the stage was set for Kurt Kill. The senior ran onto the field and calmly put the ball through the uprights, rounding off his perfect night and giving St. Marys the 45-44 win.
It was a strange game with many heroes. Like all big wins, it required the proverbial team effort.
Eli Holsinger, in his first game as fullback, picked up 75 hard-earned yards in 18 carries. The following year he would be suspended for his entire junior season, but persevered to come back for a solid senior campaign in which he ran for over a thousand yards.
Andy Slone completed two key halfback passes to Mabry and Homan, respectively, for a total of 45 yards.
John Meinerding’s l5 pass completions and 169 yards passing were both short of school individual passing records, but, added together, the passing stats of Meinerding and Slone produced the Roughrider team record for passing yardage in a game (204 yards).
Meinerding was recently asked to reflect on the Elway-like drive that put the game into overtime. He said: “What I remember most is the first play of the drive when I was running for my life in the end zone, and almost got tackled for a safety.”
But Meinerding sidestepped a tackler, escaped the end zone, and managed to throw the ball away. The whole Roughrider team managed to sidestep fate many times during the course of the evening. It was that kind of night.
See Ridertown Wednesday, September 7, for an overview of the St. Marys-Defiance series.
Next week: Wapak
Left: #31 Eli Holsinger debuts at the fullback position. Right: #85 Jason Homan caught a key 35-yard pass during "The Drive."
Photos courtesy Andrews Photography.
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