Rams get their hooks in Eagles
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HANOVERTON -- United and Mineral Ridge slugged it out like it was the playoffs on Friday night, but it was some trickery that got the Rams over-the-hump.
A hook and ladder on a 4th and 17 kept a game winning drive going and one of the Rams’ quarterbacks Ethan Deley ran it in from 9 out with 1:32 to give Ridge a come-from-behind 31-28 win.
Mineral Ridge coach Andy Hake thought United was going to be one of the toughest tests on his schedule and it showed.
The Eagles had a 28-17 lead with 1:56 left in the third quarter at one point.
“I don’t want to doubt any other team we are going to play, but (United) had a lot of guys back, they’re well coached and they have a real program and a real standard,” Hake said. “I give them a lot of credit. They actually kicked our butt in the second half when the second half started.”
Mineral Ridge’s game-winning drive started at the Eagle 15 after a Liam Jones’ missed 25-yard field goal with 6:28.
The hook and ladder play came with 4th and 17 from the Ridge 30.
“We called timeout and told them that’s the exact play that was coming and we didn’t execute,” Ogilvie said. “It’s that simple.”
The Golden Eagles, who play nine games this season, fall to 1-1. Mineral Ridge is 2-0.
The game took on playoff atmosphere at points and both teams showed they could reasonably be in the final 12 in Div. VI, Region 21 at the end of the season.
“Those are two quality playoff calibre teams and I hope we get to see them again,” United coach D.J. Ogilvie said.
In the first half, Mineral Ridge scored first on an opening drive that took more than five minutes to make it 7-0. United ran just five offensive plays in the first quarter and 15 overall in the first half. A Tom Brown to Kota Shasteen 40-yard touchdown pass gave United its lone offensive highlight in the first half.
Ogilvie said he knew something had to change with Ridge up 10-7 at the half.
“We changed our blocking schemes a little bit and talked to the line,” Ogilvie said. “I thought we played much better in the second half.”
United opened the third quarter with a 13-play, 70-yard drive that ended on a go-ahead Brown 3-yard touchdown run with 5:18 left in the third quarter.
A Shasteen 75-yard punt return with 3:29 left in the third quarter extended the Eagle lead to 21-10.
Chandler Busse’s 2-yard run pushed Mineral Ridge within four with three minutes left in the third quarter, but Brown showed his big-play capability with a 64-yard trot which had United up 28-17 with 1:56 left in the third.
The crazy scoring pace extended into the fourth quarter with Deley hitting Gavin Harding on a 12-yard strike to make it 28-24 with 11:19 left.
United got down to the Ram 8 on their next drive before a missed field goal set in motion the final drive.
“We just had to keep playing hard,” Hake said. “There was no quit in us. It was like when Clemson plays Alabama or Ohio State plays Michigan, you just have to keep fighting. That’s an awesome program. (Ogilvie) is as good as a coach in the area. They just don’t quit, but that was an epic win for Mineral Ridge.”
United did get the ball back with 90 seconds left but Brown threw an interception to Owen Sylak to end the game. The pass was one of two thrown for United in the second half.
Brown ended the game with 106 yards rushing after rushing for -1 yards in the first half. M’Kyan Haynes aided the running effort
United will be at Crestview next Friday.
The Rams relied mostly on Deley for the first half at quarterback in a mostly run-heavy attack before giving way to 6-2, 215-pound junior Preston Kline in the second half. Kline ended up with 190 yards passing.
Western Reserve transfer Tim Serensky had eight carries for 36 yards for the Rams.
Mineral Ridge opens its home slate with Crestwood next Friday.
NOTES
• It’s not usual you see four missed field goals in a high school game. Mineral Ridge’s Steven Gutierrez missed on attempts of 37 and 35 in the first half. Jones also missed from 45 at the end of the second quarter.
• Shassteen had a kick-off return for a touchdown called back due to a penalty shortly before his punt return for a touchdown.
MR: 7-3-7-14 -- 31
UN: 0-7-21-0 -- 28
MR -- Derrick Rackich 1 run (Steven Gutierrez kick)
UN -- Kota Shasteen 40 pass from Tom Brown (Liam Jones kick)
MR-- Gutierrez 35 FG
UN -- Brown 3 run (Jones kick)
UN -- Shasteen 75 punt return (Jones kick)
MR -- Chandler Busse 2 run (Gutierrez kick)
UN -- Brown 64 run (Jones kick)
MR -- Gavin Harding 12 pass from Ethan Deley (Gutierrez kick)
MR -- Deley 9 run (Gutierrez kick)
TEAM STATS
MINERAL RIDGE
First downs: 15; Total yards: 368; Rushes-yards: 33-124; Passing: 244; Comp-Att-Int. 16-24-0; Punts 2-31; Fumbles-Lost 0; Penalties-Yards 8-61
UNITED
First downs: 9; Total yards 235; Rushes-yards 35-191; Passing 44; Comp-Att-Int. 2-5-1; Punts 4-44; Fumbles-Lost 0; Penalties-Yards 4-60
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING -- Mineral Ridge, Ethan Deley 16-62, Tim Serensky 8-36, Chandler Busse 7-23; United, Tom Brown 19-106, M’Kyan Haynes 13-73.
PASSING -- Mineral Ridge Ethan Deley 5-8-54-0, Preston Kline 11-16-190-0; United, Tom Brown 2-5-44-1.
RECEIVING -- Mineral Ridge, Owen Sylak 5-64, Chandler Busse 4-30, Nic Anderson 2-54, Gavin Harding 1-12; United, Kota Shasteen 1-40, Jordan Kidder 1-4.
INTERCEPTIONS -- Mineral Ridge, Owen Sylak