Owen J. Roberts tops Avon Grove in defensive battle
WEST GROVE—Avon Grove played some tough defense Friday night as they hosted Owen J. Roberts in a non-league contest. But the Wildcat defense was a brick wall. That stout defense combined with a grind-it-out rushing attack lifted OJR (2-1) to its second straight victory, as the Wildcats topped the Red Devils (1-2) 21-0.
“I thought it was a dominant defensive performance,” said Wildcats coach Rich Kolka. “Even though it was a low scoring game, I never felt like the game was ever out of control. I thought we were running the ball well, and the defense kept getting them off the field with three and out. I wish we could’ve scored more, finished a couple more drives, but with the way our defense played tonight, I knew it could be a one score game.”
“Dominant” almost undersells it. Avon Grove managed just 21 yards of total offense and three first downs. The Wildcats recorded five sacks, and forced three fumbles. And the special teams had a score, with Danny Cashman returning a punt 65 yards to the house.
“There was no one guy who did it for us defensively,” said Wildcats LB Derek Hinrichs. “Everyone on the defense was coming up with plays when we needed to. It’s great to pick up the win.”
But while the defense was keeping the Red Devils offense in check, the Wildcats struggled to finish drives in the early going, twice getting stuffed near the goal line.
“The defense, and the defensive staff, did a phenomenal job,” said Avon Grove coach Joe Coffey. “Everyone involved with the defense, players, and coaches, did a great job. We’ve just got to get to work and find some offense.”
The score was tied deep into the second period before the Wildcats finally broke with just 49-second left in the half, and quarterback Mike Reed connected with a wide open Mason Miller on a 26-yard scoring strike. Reed then ran for the two-point conversion to give the Wildcats an 8-0 lead at the break.
Still 8-0 midway through the fourth quarter, the Wildcats put up a couple of scores in quick succession. After Cashman’s punt return, the Wildcats forced a fumble deep in Red Devils’ territory, setting up a 9-yard run from Hunter Rhoads.
The Wildcats rolled up 207 yards on the ground, led by Hunter Rhoads’ 135 yards on 24 carries.
“I can’t say enough about the job the guys on the o-line did tonight,” said Rhoads. “We just have to be able to finish drives better. But the job our defense did tonight was amazing, and we able to get the win.”
Reed was efficient, if not prolific, through the air. The Wildcat signal caller completed 8 of 10 passes for 54 yards, and a touchdown.
The Red Devils, who ran the ball well in their week 2 win over Penn Wood, had just two rushers with positive yards, Thad Binstead, whole tallied 19 yards on seven carries, and Harrison Watson, who chipped in with 19 yards on four carries. Quarterback Owen Yoder completed just two of seven passes, for nine yards.
“I’ll want to watch the film, but obviously we still have a lot of things to work on,” said Kolka. “We have to be able to punch it in when we’re in the red zone. It’s always good to come away with a win, but we have the mentality that every week we go in 0-0.”
Owen J. Roberts 21 Avon Grove 0
Owen J. Roberts 0 8 0 13—21
Avon Grove 0 0 0 0-0
Second Quarter
OJR—Miller 26-pass from Reed (Reed run) 8-0
Fourth Quarter
OJR—Cashman 65-punt return (Bold kick) 15-0
OJR—Rhoads 9-run (kick fail)
Team statistics
OJR—AG
First downs 3—16
Rushes-yards 39-207 22-12
Passing 8-10 2-6
Passing yards 54 9
Total yards 261 21
Punts/avg 1-34 6-34.6
Fumbles-lost 1-1 4-3
Penalties-yards 3-15 2-20
Individual statistics
Rushing—OJR—Rhoads 24-135 (TD), Reed 9-24, Hinrichs 6-30, Daubert 2-16 Brower 2-2 AG—Binstead 7-19, Watson 4-19, Brown 1-(-6), Hoogerwerf 3-(-6), McKeown 1-0, Yoder 6-(-15)
Passing — OJR—Reed 8-10, 54, TD, AG—Yoder 2-7, 9
Receiving—OJR—Daubert 4-11, Cashman 2-11, Wornson 1-6, Miller 1-26, TD AG—Watson 1-4, Binstead 1-4
Sacks—Kelly (2), Garcia, Lehman (2)
