DEFIANCE -- It was a mudders' track at Fred J. Brown Stadium in Defiance for the showdown between the Bulldogs' #1 league ranked rushing defense and the St. Marys Roughriders' #2 league ranked rushing offense. The hosts' defense held St. Marys to just 108 rushing yards but their offense could not hold on to the football, as the Riders converted three Defiance turnovers for touchdowns and a 20-6 win.
Despite the bad footing, the Riders played up to their potential with no turnovers, only two penalties and a balanced attack that gained more yards passing than rushing. Six of Roughrider quarterback Jake Taylor's 14 passes came on first down, forcing the Defiance defense off the line and allowing the Riders to outgain their stingy hosts on the ground.
Both teams traded 3-and-outs for a couple of possessions to open the game until Bulldog running back Alex Perez lost the handle on the ball. Rider senior linebacker David Long recovered the ball at the Defiance 38 yard line.
It looked like the Riders were trying to return the favor on the very next play. Jeremy Frey lost the ball on a sweep and both teams batted the ball downfield for 18 yards before senior guard Justin Felver recovered it for the Riders at the Defiance 20.
But St. Marys senior quarterback Jake Taylor found time to get a pass off on the next play, and found Tyler Menker open for a 20-yard touchdown with 4:32 left in the first quarter. Chaz Adkins kicked the PAT for all the points the Riders would eventually need.
The teams continued to struggle to move the ball in the first half, although the Riders mounted a scoring threat just before halftime. Following a punt at the 3:31 mark in the second quarter, St. Marys had the ball on their own 35 yard line. Jeremy Frey broke a dive open for 16 yards up the middle, and three plays later Taylor hit a wide open Cory Dammeyer for a 33 yard pass play that took the ball to the seven yard line. But the Defiance defense held on three runs and an incomplete pass to the back of the end zone, and took over on downs at their own 4 yard line with 0:31 left to halftime.
On Defiance's second possession of the second half, the fumble bug bit again. Senior quarterback Jordan Gonzales fumbled the ball away to the Riders' Adam Lininger at the Defiance 39. Eight plays later, the Riders caught Defiance in a blitz on a perfectly timed Taylor screen pass to Frey, who broke a couple of tackles to bull into the end zone. Adkins PAT kick gave the Riders a 14-0 lead at the 4:32 mark of the third quarter.
On Defiance's next possession, Cory Dammeyer played center field on an overthrown Gonzales pass, picked it off at the 7 yard line and returned it out to the 44. A 31-yard Taylor to Cody Martin pass set up a 15-yard fade pass to Paul Lauth, who took it out of defender Alex Nofziger's hands for a circus catch and a touchdown. Adkins' PAT was wide right but the Riders led 20-0 eleven seconds into the fourth quarter.
Incompletions stalled Defiance's next possession, and St. Marys played possum on a three-and-out to give the Bulldogs the ball at their own 30 yard line after a Derek Freewalt punt. Quarterback Jordan Gonzales pitched the ball to Craig Gutman on a perfectly executed flea-flicker, and he threw the ball about fifty yards in the air to a streaking Alex Nofziger for a touchdown just like that. The 70-yard scoring drive lasted one play and 12 seconds. Andrew Call's PAT kick attempt was no good to make the final score 20-6.
Defiance had two more possessions but didn't mount a serious challenge on either, and Jake Taylor took a couple of knees to seal the win and keep the Roughriders the only undefeated team in the WBL after four games so far.
Rider quarterback Jake Taylor completed 8 of 14 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns, suggesting a trivia question: what was the last game St. Marys had more yards passing than rushing? Aaron Homan and Frey shared rushing honors with 54 yards each. Travis Spitnale led Defiance with 50 yards rushing. Defiance narrowly outgained St. Marys in total offense, 251 to 244, but their two lost fumbles and one interception were too much to overcome.
Rider punter Derek Freewalt averaged 33 yards on a whopping 8 punts in the game, but despite the mud, the game was clean with St. Marys only being whistled for 15 yards on two penalties and Defiance for 30 yards on three.
The win over Defiance now puts the Riders in a three-way tie for the WBL with Van Wert and Shawnee and games scheduled against them in weeks seven and eight, respectively. They were both winners tonight and are undefeated in the league and 3-1 overall.
St. Marys plays Wapakoneta in the Hall of Fame game next Friday at Skip Baughman Stadium, while Defiance travels to Van Wert.
