THE SKIP -- It was a first-quarter blitzkrieg and a knock-out punch for Defiance as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-0 lead after 12 minutes and cruised to a 38-21 victory, spoiling the St. Marys Homecoming Friday at Skip Baughman Stadium.
With the loss the Roughriders fall from the ranks of the unbeaten in the Western Buckeye League at 3-1 and 3-2 overall. Defiance moved into a second place tie with the Riders, Ottawa-Glandorf and Shawnee. Kenton is the only unbeaten team in the WBL, improving to 4-0 with a 40-8 win over Elida.
Defiance took advantage of a short field for its first score when Roughrider punter Devon Fitgerald mis-handled the snap and was swarmed under at his own 16 yardline.
The Bulldogs were able to cover the 16 yards in five plays with quarterback Sean Murray going the final yard on a sneak. Joe Koesters booted the PAT with 7:56 left in the opening quarter.
After trading punts, Defiance got on the socreboard via the big play. The Western Buckeye League’s leading rusher, Aaron Swanson, broke tackles at the point of attack and then raced 55 yards for the score. Koesters’ PAT kick gave the Dogs a 14-0 lead with 32 seconds left in the quarter.
It took Defiance just 19 seconds to score again.
St. Marys quarterback Derek Roop was intercepted on the next play from scrimmage at the St. Marys 21 yard line. From there Swanson ran untouched into the end zone. Following Koesters' PAT kick, the Dogs owned a 21-0 lead with 13 seconds left in the quarter.
The Roughriders picked up their initial first down of the game in the second quarter, which eventually led to their first score. A 28-yard completion from Roop to Matt Watkins got the St. Marys "O" in gear. Seven plays later Roop and Watkins connected again, this time from 15 yards out for a touchdown.
Dan Roberts toed the extra point, cutting the Defiance lead to 21-7 with 5:43 left in the half.
After trading possessions, Defiance had a big momentum booster when German exchange student Alex Kress booted a 39-yard field goal as time expired in the half for a 24-7 advantage at the break.
The third quarter was total domination for the Bulldogs, who held the ball for more than 10 of the 12 minutes in the period. Defiance took the second half kick and marched 68 yards on 13 plays, scoring on a fluke play. Offensive lineman Kameron Shankle picked up a fumble and went 10 yards for a Defiance touchdown. Koesters' kick made the score 31-7 with 5:46 left in the third quarter.
After a three-and-out by the St. Marys offense, Defiance mounted an 11-play scoring drive with Murray tossing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Alex Nofziger on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The Roughrier offense again went three-and-out, and did not pick up initial first down of the second half until Defiance coach Jerry Buti had put in his second string.
St. Marys tacked on a couple touchdowns in the final four minutes of the game. D.J. Manning scored on a three yard run, and then, following a fumble on Defiance's next offensive play, Manning scored again; this time on a 15-yard run with 3:40 left in the game. Roberts' PAT kick capped the scoring at 38-21.
The Riders got six of their 11 first downs in the final four minutes of the game, and were led in rushing by Manning with 58 yards on eight carries. Swanson was the game's leading rusher with 133 yards on 13 carries. Defiance quarterback Sean Murray was a perfect eight-for-eight passing as the Dogs rack up 320 yards of total offense.
St. Marys will look to bounce back next Friday at Wapakoneta. The Redskins fell to 1-4 on the season with a 40-15 thumping at O-G.
This years homecoming court is as follows: Freshman - Tasha Rupard, escorted by Tyler McGlothen; Sophomore - Jamie James, escorted by Matt Muhlenkamp; Junior - Elizabeth Sampson, escorted by Paul Pfenning. This year's Senior contestants are: Abbey Craft, escorted by Nick Wilker; Emily Bayham, escorted by Josh Barns; and Rachel Dues, escorted by Scott Kinkley.
Read Homecoming 2009 by Brittany Williams on the Memorial High School web site for more.
