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Local Sports

Saturday, November 28, 2009

D-V Football Playoffs: Coldwater cools PH
Cooper Service
By Ted Radick

Staff writer

In the first half of Friday's Division V state semifinal, the Patrick Henry Patriots were able to do something no team has done this season -- stop Coldwater quarterback Keith Wenning.

The Ball State recruit had diced defenses for 2,900 yards and 33 touchdowns coming into the game, but Patrick Henry held Wenning to a modest 91 yards in two quarters.

Football games are two halves, however, and Wenning's accurate passing led the Cavaliers (13-1) to a 35-24 win over Patrick Henry (13-1) at Donnell Stadium.

Coldwater advances to play Youngstown Ursuline, a 48-6 winner over Ridgewood in the other Division V semifinal, in the state championship game at 3 p.m. Friday at Fawcett Stadium in Canton.

Wenning finished 27 of 33 passing for 334 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 222-pound senior came alive at the beginning of the second half, hitting Reese Klenke with a 46-yard bomb on the first play of the half. Wenning then connected with Adam Rammel on a 27-yard strike in the end zone on the next play.

Two plays, 73 yards and a 10-7 Patrick Henry halftime lead was wiped out.

"We just wanted to spread the field and let the receivers make plays," Wenning said. "We tried to get a lot of quick passes, and the receivers did the rest."

Coldwater scored on its next three possessions as well as the defensive pressure Patrick Henry applied in the first half melted away.

"They did a much better job on the line of scrimmage the second half," Patrick Henry coach Bill Inselmann said. "I thought we won the line of scrimmage in the first half."

Wenning was 11-of-12 passing for 124 yards in the third quarter as the Cavaliers built a 21-10 lead. He put the game out of reach on the first play of the fourth quarter, a 47-yard touchdown pass to Kurt Schoenherr.

"For us to win we had to play our best ball tonight, and we did in the first half," Patrick Henry quarterback Luke George said. "They made some changes and we never got back in the groove until late in the third quarter, early in the fourth quarter.

"They just outplayed us in the second half."

George led the Patriots on a furious comeback, hitting Justin Buenger with a 33-yard touchdown pass to make the score 28-17 with 9:54 left. Wenning, however, countered with another scoring pass to Schoenherr, a 30-yard strike.

George's late 9-yard TD run with 3:43 left brought the Patriots back to within 11 points, but a last-minute drive fizzled.

George finished 14-of-24 passing for 173 yards. He also led Patrick Henry with 121 yards rushing on 23 carries as the Cavaliers stopped Buenger (14 carries, 30 yards).

"They came out in the third quarter just blazing with that offense," George said. "They got us down and by the time we got back in the groove, it was too late."

Inselmann was impressed.

"That Wenning, he's a load," Inselmann said. "With great players who make great plays, you're going to win.

"They started going for the long ball. They made the big play, and we were there defensively a couple times."

Wenning said he noticed the Patriots were blitzing less in the second half.

"When they dropped into coverage, we were able to pick them apart," he said.

Wenning did have some success on Coldwater's first drive. He was 7 of 8 as the Cavaliers opened the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown catch by Klenke. Patrick Henry responded after George picked off a Wenning pass inside Coldwater's 40-yard line. George then scored on a 2-yard run to tie the game early in the second quarter.

The Patriots snuffed out another Coldwater possession with a defensive stand. The Cavaliers had the ball as deep as the Patrick Henry 8 before the Patriots' defense stiffened and forced a turnover on downs. A 15-play drive ended with Luke Creager's 25-yard field goal to give Patrick Henry its 10-7 halftime lead.

Coldwater's first four possessions of the second half resulted in touchdowns -- Wenning's pass to Adam Rammell, Aaron Rammel's 2-yard run and the two passes to Schoenherr.

The game had a scary moment at the end when Coldwater coach John Reed, suffering from esophageal cancer, collapsed as the Cavaliers were celebrating. Reed was attended to by paramedics but left the field and rejoined his team in the locker room.

"He's battling for his life right now. What a great man, I hope they win it all for him," Inselmann said. "I want to win state. But if there's a team that's going to win it instead of us, I want it to be Coldwater and John Reed."



Coldwater 7 0 14 14 -- 35

Patrick Henry 0 10 0 14 -- 24

First Quarter

Cold -- Klenke 11 pass from Wenning (Otten kick)

Second Quarter

PH -- George 2 run (Creager kick)

PH -- Creager 25 field goal

Third Quarter

Cold -- Ad. Rammel 27 pass from Wenning (Otten kick)

Cold -- Aa. Rammel 2 run (Otten kick)

Fourth Quarter

Cold -- Schoenherr 47 pass from Wenning (Otten kick)

PH -- Buenger 33 pass from George (Creager kick)

Cold -- Schoenherr 30 pass from Wenning (Otten kick)

PH -- George 9 run (Creager kick)

Cold PH

First Downs 20 19

Rushes-yards 20-81 37-151

Passing Yards 334 190

Comp-Att-Int 27-33-1 16-29-1

Punts-Avg. 1-37 3-33.3

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-1

Penalties-Yards 4-20 3-30

individual statistics

rushing -- (Cold) Wenning 13-65, Aa. Rammel 5-16, Bruns 1-1, Klenke 1-(-1); (PH) George 23-121, Bueger 14-30.

passing -- (Cold) Wenning 27-33-1, 334. (PH) George 14-24-0 ,173; Spence 2-5-1,17.

receiving -- (Cold) Ad. Rammel 9-84, Klenke 6-108, Schoenherr 5-93, Otten 2-20, Paynter 2-14, Westerheide 1-7, Aa. Rammel 1-6, Pohl 1-2. (PH) Buenger 5-76, Tonjes 4-38, Spence 3-42, A. George 2-17, L. George 1-11, team 1-6.

Radick, 419-425-8405

Send an e-mail to Ted Radick


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