Prep Football: Blue Jays end Leipsic's tourney run
By BRIAN LESTER
STAFF WRITER
LIMA -- Joe Kirkendall stood in front of his dejected Leipsic football team Saturday night and tried to get the point across that there is no reason for the Vikings to hang their heads.
Leipsic accomplished quite a bit this year, including its first Blanchard Valley Conference crown in 15 years and rattling off 10 consecutive victories after a season-opening loss to Patrick Henry.
But the Vikings' memorable season came to a halt against state power Delphos St. John's Saturday night.
The defending state champions drilled Leipsic 34-7 in a Division VI, Region 22 semifinal on a mild November evening at Lima Senior Stadium.
The Blue Jays advance to take on Ada (12-0) in the Region 22 finals Saturday at 7 p.m. at Findlay's Donnell Stadium.
"They can't take away our 10 wins and they can't take away our conference championship," Kirkendall said. "St. John's was very disciplined and they made big plays. We knew they were big and physical, but we thought we could hold up with them from an athletic standpoint. They are who they are."
Missed opportunities played a part in the demise of the Vikings (10-2). They turned the ball over three times, all in the first half, and two of those turnovers led to 14 points for the Blue Jays (12-0).
Leipsic quarterback Liam Nadler fumbled as he dropped back to throw on the Vikings' second possession and the Blue Jays needed only four plays to turn the miscue into points.
Wes Ulm faked the handoff on second-and-6 from the 15 and ran into the end zone for a 7-0 lead with 1:21 left in the first quarter.
Nadler had a pass picked off by Justin Backus on a second-down throw on the ensuing possession, and Jordan Leininger eventually scored on a 1-yard run for a 14-0 St. John's advantage.
The key play of the drive was by Ulm, who nearly slipped on the turf on second-and-13 but managed to stay on his feet and complete an 18-yard pass to Backus.
"You have to play a perfect game against them," Kirkendall said. "We were able to force a couple of turnovers but couldn't capitalize. They took advantage of our mistakes."
Ulm played a major role in the success of the Blue Jays, who took a 28-0 lead into halftime.
The senior quarterback is usually more of a threat to run but he left no doubt that he can throw as well.
Ulm was 8-of-8 passing for 134 yards. He burned the Vikings twice for TD passes, the first an 11-yard strike to Steven Metcalfe and the second a 38-yard pass to Tyler Bergfeld. The play gave the Blue Jays the 28-point lead.
The Blue Jays rolled up 418 yards of offense. Ulm's 6-yard run early in the fourth sealed the deal as his team set up a regional final showdown with Ada next Saturday at a site to be determined.
"Leipsic was bound and determined to stop the run, and our passing game really came to life tonight," St. John's head coach Todd Schulte said. "We did a great job of protecting Wes and he was able to make plays."
Kirkendall knew his team was going to have its hands full with Leininger, who ended up running for 95 yards and a TD on 21 carries. Ulm only made things more difficult for the Vikings' defense.
"We broke down on plays at times, but at other times, we couldn't get through their line and (Ulm) had time to move around and make plays," Kirkendall said. "He is an excellent high school quarterback."
The Vikings managed only 137 yards in their first setback since a 45-14 loss to the Patriots in week one. Nadler was 8-of-16 passing for 90 yards, highlighting his effort with a 15-yard scoring strike to Derrick Schroeder.
Jay Maag made a diving 37-yard catch at the 15 a couple of plays earlier to give the Vikings a chance to punch the ball in. It was the first points scored on the Blue Jays in four weeks.
While the Blue Jays will continue their march toward the sixth state title in school history, the Vikings will go into the offseason knowing 2010 can be a promising season.
"Our five seniors won three games total the first two years here. They won 16 the last two," Kirkendall said. "We have laid a foundation and hopefully we can use this game as an idea of what we need to do to get better next year."
Leipsic 0 0 0 7 -- 7
Delphos St. John's 7 21 0 6 -- 34
First Quarter
DSJ -- Ulm 15 run (Rode kick)
Second Quarter
DSJ -- Leininger 1 run (Rode kick)
DSJ -- Metcalfe 11 pass from Ulm (Rode kick)
DSJ -- Bergfeld 38 pass from Ulm (Rode kick)
Fourth Quarter
DSJ -- Ulm 6 run (kick failed)
Leip -- D. Schroeder 15 pass from Nadler (Mangas kick)
individual statistics
rushing -- Leipsic, Hernandez 11-54, Maag 1-7, A. Schroeder 2-13, D. Schroeder 2-6, Mangas 2 (-2), Nadler 4-(minus 16). St. John's, Leininger 21-95, Ulm 8-69, MacLennan 3-33, Neumeier 2-36, Williams 6-41, Clark 5-10.
passing -- Leipsic, Nadler 8-16-0, 90. St. John's 8-8-0, 134.
receiving -- Leipsic, Mangas 2-8, D. Schroeder 2-18, Maag 1-37. St. John's, Backus 2-31, Leininger 1-5, Bergfeld 2-49, Metcalfe 1-11, J. Clark 2-38.
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