OTTAWA, OHIO - Forget the Titans.
St. Marys scored four second half touchdowns as Stephen Kill and Nathan Homan combined for over 400 yards rushing in the Roughriders’ 33-14 victory over Ottawa-Glandorf Friday at Ottawa.
The Riders, off to a 3-0 start on the road, will taste some home cooking for the first time next with against Van Wert Friday at Skip Baughman Stadium.
St. Marys has been a second half team all season, and that pattern held true Friday. A couple critical fumbles and a goal line stand by the Titans kept things respectable at intermission with the Riders clinging to a 7-0 lead.
The Big Blue Offense kicked it up a notch in the second half as Kill and Homan pretty much romped at will.
An O-G punt in the end zone got the Riders started on their own 20 early in the second half. Four runs by Kill and Homan netted 71 yards, giving St. Marys a first-and-goal inside the O-G 10. Homan scored on the very next play from nine yards out, and when Kill booted his second PAT of the night, St. Marys expanded its lead to 14-0.
The Titans punched back, ending a string of eight scoreless quarters pitched by the St. Marys defense. Luke Pothast broke free on a 33-yard run to the St. Marys one-yard line. Dustin Ellerbrock went the final yard, cutting into the St. Marys lead with 3:53 left in the third quarter. Dustin Alexander blocked the PAT kick as the Riders held a 14-6 advantage.
It didn’t take long for the Riders to respond. A 73-yard drive was capped by a one-yard sneak by Tyler Sampson and MHS posted a 21-6 bulge on the scoreboard.
But O-G was not ready to roll over - yet. T.J. Imm returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards to the St. Marys 7. One play later Ellerbrock found pay dirt, and a two-point conversion toss by quarterback Craig Imm got the Titans back in the game at 21-14, just 12 seconds after the Riders had gone up by two touchdowns.
Two plays from scrimmage later, Homan busted into the secondary and raced 78 yards to the end zone for a 27-14 lead just 12 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Following a three-and-out series from the Titans, the Rider offense struck again. A 29-yard gainer by Kill got St. Marys inside the O-G 20. Two plays later, Homan finished things off with a 12-yard romp and Big Ralph officially put the Titans "on the bus" with 9:11 left in the game.
O-G threatened one last time, but turned the ball over on downs at the St. Marys 14 with one minute left to play.
The first half could have been a whole lot uglier for the Titans. Homan and Kill backed up 22 and 17 yard runs to get St. Marys in the end zone first with 4:48 left in the first quarter.
St. Marys drove 87 yards on its next possession, but were unable to punch it in. An off-sides penalty ruined a first and goal at the six. Three plays later on fourth down, Homan was stopped short at the one yard line. The Riders’ next two possessions ended with fumbles in O-G’s territory.
St. Marys was able to shake its offensive woes in the second half, and rolls on with a 2-0 start in the Western Buckeye League. The Titans tasted defeat for the first time and are now 1-1 in the league and 2-1 overall.
The Riders amassed 566 yards of total offense, the bulk of which (522 yards) came on the ground. Homan carried the ball 19 times for 237 yards, while Kill rushed 22 times for 227 yards.
The Titans did most of their damage via the airways. Imm connected on 15 of 33 passes for 166 yards. Ken Karhoff was the leading target with 6 grabs for 75 yards.
