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Local Sports

Sunday, November 15, 2009

D-IV Playoff Football: Kahle-led O-G cruises past Eastwood
Diamond Mine Direct
By DAVE HANNEMAN

STAFF WRITER

Ottawa-Glandorf's offense spent most of the first half on the bench Saturday night.

It spent the rest of the time in the end zone.

O-G ran just 15 first-half plays against Eastwood. But the Titans churned out 267 yards, scored on five of those 15 plays, built a 34-3 lead and cruised to a 48-3 win over the Eagles in a Division IV, Region 14 semifinal at Donnell Stadium.

“We're getting better,” said O-G coach Ken Schriner. “And if you can get to this point in the season and say you're getting better, good things are happening,”

Saturday's win sends Ottawa-Glandorf (10-2) to the regional finals for the second straight year. The Titans will face Orrville (9-3), which edged Genoa 35-34 in the other Region 14 semifinal, next Saturday at a site to be announced today by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

All season long, it's been O-G's defense that has been considered the backbone of the team. Maybe that's because the offense doesn't spend nearly as much time on the field.

Ottawa-Glandorf had the ball for just 6:29 of the 24 minutes in the first half. But junior quarterback Nathan Kahle scored on 44- and 58-yard runs and threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Matt Peck. Sophomore running back Brandon Kuhlman added TD runs of 35 and 6 yards as the Titans took control early.

“We talked to the kids about winning the hitting game and being physical,” Schriner said. “Our defense came out and played some smash-mouth football and offensively we got some nice things rolling tonight.”

On O-G's first possession of the game, Kahle rolled left, cut back against the grain and went 44 yards for a score. After another defensive stop by the Titans, Kuhlman had two big gains on the option play, the first going for 26 yards, the second for 35 yards and a score.

“We added a new wrinkle off our option game, but I didn't think it would work that well,” Schriner said.

“Nate executed it to perfection. He came up field, brought then ends to him and made a solid pitch. (Eastwood) brought their linebackers up inside trying to shut down our power game, which is what we want to do; that's why we added some of that misdirection option.”

O-G's defense set up a third TD late in the first quarter. Under heavy pressure, Eastwood quarterback Clayton Ruch tried to shovel the ball to a teammate. O-G's Wyatt Karhoff scooped up the loose ball and returned it to the Eagles' 6-yard line. Kuhlman scored on the next play.

Eastwood (9-3) got on the board when Taylor Depew split the uprights with a 22-yard field goal midway through the second quarter. But O-G roared back with Kahle racing 58 yards on the option for one score, then lofting a pass to Peck that turned into a 53-yard catch-and-run with two minutes left in the half.

The game was taking on a familiar look for Eastwood coach Jerry Rutherford. But not in the way he wanted.

“A week ago we kicked off, we stopped them on downs and we went down and scored,” Rutherford said of the Eagles' 35-6 win over Galion in the Region 14 quarterfinals.

“This week they (O-G) kick off, we go three-and-out, and they go down and score.”

Kahle, who rushed for 166 yards and four TDs on just five carries, broke loose for 20- and 45-yard runs in the third quarter. On three of his four TD bursts, a different offensive lineman (either guards Ryan Leopold or Adam Recker or tackle Derek Rieman) threw him a key block 15-to-20 yards down field.

“The offensive line did a heckuva job. Huge holes opened up everywhere,” Kahle said.

“When I get past the line of scrimmage, they see me and they go and make great blocks all the way down the field.”

Kuhlman added 141 yards rushing as O-G churned out 351 yards on the ground and 456 yards of total offense. The Titans' defense was doing its usual job, holding an Eastwood team that had almost 400 yards rushing in its win over Genoa to just 123 yards on the ground and 165 total.

“We don't have any superstars on this team,” Schriner said. “We've got young guys, we've got veterans. We've got a good mix and we're playing a lot of people.

“It's a credit to our kids. They came out hungry, they kept hitting them and we kept after them. We came out aggressive and we were able to shut down what they wanted to do,”



Ottawa-Glandorf 19 15 14 0 -- 48

Eastwood 0 3 0 0 -- 3

First Quarter

O-G -- Kahle 44 run (Bendle kick)

O-G -- B. Kuhlman 35 run (kick failed)

O-G -- B. Kuhlman 6 run (pass failed)

Second Quarter

EAST -- FG Depew 22

O-G -- Kalhe 58 run (Peck pass from Kahle)

O-G -- Peck 53 pass from Kahle (Bendle kick)

Third Quarter

O-G -- Kahle 20 run (Bendle kick)

O-G -- Kahe 45 run (Bendle kick)

Eastwood O-G

First Downs 10 16

Rushes-yards 43-123 31-351

Passing Yards 42 105

Comp-Att-Int 4-11-1 5-8-0

Punts-Avg. 1-38 3-41.7

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1

Penalties-Yards 0-0 1-5

individual statistics

rushing -- Ottawa-Glandorf, Kahle 5-166, Parsons 1-0, B. Kuhlman 13-141, C. Rieman 3-6, Delgado 8-36, McFarland 1-2. Eastwood, Seifert 10-8, Connor 15-60, Tijerina 13-29, Richardson 2-4, Keyes 1-1, Schmeltz 2-21.

passing -- Ottawa-Glandorf, Kahle 5-8-0, 105 . Ruch 3-7-1, 37; Schmeltz 1-4-0, 5.

receiving -- Ottawa-Glandorf, R. Kuhlman 3-41, Peck 2-64. Eastwood, Rogers 1-8, Tijerine 1-24, Rolf 1-5, Bockbrader 1-5.

Hanneman: 419-427-8408,

Send an e-mail to Dave Hanneman


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