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November 28, 2005 Roughrider Retrospective
Roughriders v. Columbus St. Francis DeSales Stallions, 1990
The Rider defense manhandled DeSales quarterback Brian Emmerling. Photo courtesy Andrews Photography. Click for larger image. |
ROUGHRIDER RETROSPECTIVE - by Buz Howard
“I was just afraid someone was going to catch me. I sensed footsteps behind me. There was a guy I could see standing at the fence behind the end-zone, and he was waving me on—waving his arms like a man directing a plane on the runway. I just focused on him and ran as fast as I could.”
It was arguably the most dramatic moment in the long history of St. Marys football—a 90-yard interception return by sophomore Mike Elston in the 1990 state finals against Columbus St. Francis DeSales.
Though Skip Baughman’s Roughriders had, in previous years, advanced to two OHSAA semi-final games—against Elyria Catholic in 1977, and Brookfield in 1978—this was their first shot at the championship.
The St. Marys record was a perfect 13-0. The team had outscored their opposition by an average score of 31-6. The defense had registered six shut-outs along the way.
In their playoff odyssey, the Riders had sailed past Cincinnati Northwest, 40-0; Dayton Dunbar, 35-0; and Fostoria, 21-8.
The opponents, the DeSales Stallions, had a pair of losses in the regular season, having fallen to Columbus Beechcroft in the second game and Dunbar in game six.
The Stallions, however, like all good tournament teams, had improved as the season progressed, and in the playoffs had systematically eliminated Athens, 42-0; Columbus Briggs, 20-7; and Steubenville, 13-0.
The Roughriders’ seemingly easy victory over Dunbar, the only common opponent of the two schools, suggested a St. Marys advantage, but some pundits pointed out that the DeSales win over the Steubenville Big Red, an early favorite for the championship, was a more impressive victory.
Prognostication aside, the game was certain to be an all-out slugfest. Neither team had an apparent weakness.
It was a record Division II crowd that watched the two teams square off in Massillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. The town of St. Marys, 172 miles away, was left virtually empty.
In the early portion of the game, St. Marys controlled the action. Following the opening kickoff the Riders held DeSales to a three-and out, forced a short punt, took over on the DeSales 45-yard line, and took the ball into the end-zone in eight plays. Mike Compton, a junior who had been named to the All-Ohio second team, gained 35 yards on the drive, running behind the blocks of an offensive line that featured four all-league first teamers—center Brian Wheeler, guards Tim Koons and Dave Bowman (who also was named All-Ohio first team) and tackle Steve Yahl. The touchdown came on a Fred Fry quarterback sneak behind the blocks of Wheeler and Koons.
The Riders’ opening score seemed to wake up the DeSales team, who, on their ensuing possession, moved quickly to three first downs. But then the Stallions suffered the first turnover of the game. Linebacker Vince Yahl blitzed sophomore quarterback Brian Emmerling, forcing an errant pass that was picked off by Roughrider defensive back Shane Dysert.
The game then seemed to settle into a defensive stalemate. But then late in the second quarter, DeSales managed to piece together a drive that took them from their own 36 to the St. Marys seven-yard line. The drive was halted by Elston, who knocked down a pass near the end-zone. Elston was returning to the defensive backfield for the first time since breaking his collarbone seven weeks before. The Stallions had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by John Mahle to cut the Rider lead to 7-3.
In the third quarter DeSales put together the game’s longest drive. Starting on their own 36, the Stallions, mixing the pass and the run—and also utilizing a fake punt on a critical fourth-down play—steadily moved the ball all the way to the Roughrider 10. They appeared likely to take the lead.
Then, on a first-down play, Emmerling faked a handoff, took a three-step drop, and lofted the ball into the left flat. His target was big Luke Fickell, the Stallions top player, who played a rare combination of defensive tackle/tight end. At 6’4” and 225 pounds, Fickell had already caught two passes in the game, including an effortless one-handed grab.
Sophomore Dean Miller executed a textbook rush from his defensive end position, and was in the quarterback’s face as he released the ball, hindering the follow-through. Matt Clements, the Riders’ 6’1” defensive tackle, also rushing in on the play, got his hands up and appeared to force a higher trajectory than Emmerling would have wished.
As the ball fluttered toward Fickell, Mike Elston flashed in front of him and stole the pass in full stride. Fickell made a valiant diving effort to stop him, but found nothing but air as he swiped his hand in a big arc towards Elston’s cleats. The TV replay shows Fickell’s big right paw barely missing Elston’s right foot—it couldn’t have been more than three or four inches.
 On his sprint down the field, Elston may have imagined he heard footsteps, but actually no pursuers were close as he gobbled up yard stripes with long, fluid strides, intent on reaching that man behind the end-zone, who seemed to be directing an airplane.
When recently asked to look back on the play, Elston noted: “People think I was cheating up for the interception, but actually I was playing Fickell a little soft. Then when I saw that the pass was floating, I realized I could make a play on the ball.”
Coach Baughman recalls that he wanted DeSales to pass in Elston’s direction. “Mike almost picked one off earlier,” Baughman said, “so I hoped they’d try it again.”
The 90-yard interception return was a State Playoff record.
With Greg Walter’s second PAT kick of the game, the 14-3 St. Marys lead meant that DeSales would now have to score twice to win. The Roughrider fans, sensing a victory, launched into a raucous frenzy that would last for the remainder of the game. The team, however, knew that there was still work to be done.
The defense took over.
DeSales would possess the ball four more times in the contest, but would not advance it beyond the St. Marys 40-yard stripe.
The Stallions were forced into a passing mode. They tried a halfback pass, but ends Dean Miller and John Dysert hit Steve Smith as he threw, and Shane Dysert registered his second interception of the game, putting the ball on the Roughrider 42.
After holding St. Marys to a three-and-out, DeSales tried once again to move the ball. In the first play, John Dysert again pressured Emmerling, who threw incomplete. Then linebacker Vince Yahl stayed at home on a draw play and stuffed it on the line of scrimmage. On third and ten DeSales gave up their fourth interception of the game, this time to Andy Liming.
The Rider offense again went three and out, the big third-down stop made by Fickle, who penetrated and broke up the fabled St. Marys wingback counter for a three-yard loss. Elston punted DeSales to their own 27, where they would start their final drive.
Fickle made another one-hander catch for a first down, but then Todd Liette (5’9”, 255) executed a spectacular sack of the quarterback. Liette smashed through the center’s block and took dead aim on Emmerling, who had taken a deep drop. Emmerling tried to sidestep the rush—first to the right and then to the left—but Liette, capable of agility that belied his size, stayed on track like a heat-seeking missile. He hit the quarterback dead center and drove him to his back for a ten-yard loss.
On the next play, defensive tackles Matt Clements and Kenny Waters converged on Emmerling for an eight-yard sack. Then, on third down, John Dysert flushed the passer out of the pocket, and he was gang-tackled at the line of scrimmage. On fourth and twenty-eight, DeSales was forced to punt.
The Riders, behind the running of Compton, Mike Andrew, and Chet Knous, ate up the closing minutes, and Memorial High School’s first state playoff championship was secured.
Today Mike Elston, who made the historic interception, is the co-defensive coordinator for the Central Michigan Chippawas of the Mid-American Conference. In the off-season Elston sometimes crosses paths with his old rival, Luke Fickell, who currently occupies the same position on the Ohio State staff.
“We sometimes talk about the play,” Mike says. “I worked the Ohio State camp last year, and Fickell introduced me as a speaker. He was very complimentary, but when I passed him on the way to the podium, he muttered some words to me about the 1990 game. You’d better not print what he said.”
Skip: Now we're number 1.
Presentation of the 1990 OHSAA Div II Football State Championship trophy.
1990 MHS Roughriders -- L-R, Row 1: 56 Tom Peterson, 73 Kevin Jacobs, 55 Dave Puthoff, 75 Todd Liette, 80 Ken Klosterman, 85 Chris Siebert, 87 Alex Grunden, 68 Dave Bowman, 57 Scott Chilcoat, 64 Tim Koons, 31 Shane Dysert, 30 Jeff Holtzapple, 29 Andy Liming. Row 2: 25 Rob Young, 86 Chris Wetz, 49 John Fortman, 78 Steve Yahl, 72 Greg Rupert, 88 Ken Waters, 21 Mike Andrew, 53 Sean Eaton, 44 John Dysert, 34 John Braun, 20 Tim Hisey, 81 Jason Ballinger, 54 Matt Everage, 58 Chris Bills. Row 3: 65 Aaron Braun, 83 Dave Shoffner, 90 Bill Kruse, 77 Charlie Walter, 13 Fred Fry, 50 Brian Wheeler, 82 Greg Walter, 16 Vince Yahl, 71 Matt Clements, 12 Brian Bubp, 70 Luke Hays, 74 Greg Liette, 28 Chet Knous, 32 Mike Compton. Row 4: 61 Ray Dine, 94 Mike Slone, 89 Jeff Scott, 22 Jim Bayman, 99 Jeff Mabry, 63 Jeremy Monroe, 48 Jason Luedeke, 66 C.J. Bonasera, 60 Scott Seewer, 26 Matt Finke, 14 Greg Yingling, 93 Denny Liette, 76 Jack Hensley, 17 Carlos Spitler, 19 David Burke. Row 5: 92 Blaine Smith, 46 Dean Miller, 53 Sean Eaton, 52 Tim Connerty, 84 Kevin Jackson, 67 Travis Chilcoat, 23 Mike Elston, 10 Jody Poff, 42 Mike Wahrer, 68 Dave Bowman, 62 Matt Suchland.
Photos courtesy Andrews Photography. Click for Larger Image.
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