Sometimes the scoreboard and record of a team is not indicative of how well they have played.
Sometimes the scoreboard and record of a team is not indicative of how well they have played.
For Bombers Football this season, that is certainly the case.
To say that the Kenston Bombers football team has had a challenging schedule this year may be somewhat of an understatement.
They are currently in the midst of taking on three top teams in the state of Ohio, including the Lake Catholic Cougars, Villa Angela-St. Joseph Vikings and the Chardon Hilltoppers.
Against these top ranked teams, over the past two weeks, the Bombers have shown courage, determination, and resilience.
On Sept. 13, the Bombers took on Villa-Angela St. Joseph who is currently ranked sixth in the state in Div. III.
At halftime, the Bombers and Vikings were tied at 21-21.
Midway through the fourth quarter against the Vikings, the Bombers were within 5 points of the lead, at 40-35. However, the Vikings pulled away in the final minutes to claim a 56-35 victory.
A week later, faced with a similar task, the Bombers took on the state of Ohio’s second ranked Div. lV team, the Lake Catholic Cougars.
In this contest, the Bombers trailed 17-3 at halftime. However, after receiving the ball to start the second half, the Bombers quickly marched down the field with a sense of urgency.
That opening drive culminated in a Bombers touchdown when freshman running back Ethan Burge scored from three yards out to close the Cougars lead to just seven points.
Both squads added 10 points each throughout the rest of the third and most of the fourth quarter leading to the Bombers needing a crucial 4th down stop.
The Cougars then got the ball back with 4:41 left in the game. Starting on their own 35 yard line, the Cougars gained nine yards on three plays. The Bombers then called time out with 2:54 left in the game, right before 4th down.
Needing one yard, the Cougars were able to get two yards to pick up the first down.
The Cougars scored a final touchdown with 1:37 left in the game to make the final score 34-20.
“Credit goes to Lake Catholic,” said Kenston Head Coach Jeff Grubich following the contest with the Cougars. They got the push when they needed it. You know, I got to find a better way to get our guys to finish.”
Although they did not get the victory over the Cougars, both the offense and defense made great plays to keep the Bombers in the game.
One of the biggest plays made by the Bombers was a key interception by senior defensive lineman Sam Meeks.
With the Cougars leading 24-10 with less than 30 seconds to go in the third quarter, Meeks leaped up in front of the Cougars quarterback to intercept the football.
“We’ve worked on screens,” said Meeks. “We played another team, WG, who threw screens just like that and we just worked on it. And I saw the quarterback, he was looking at me, and I was like alright, somethings wrong, so I caught it and started running.”
Leading the Bombers against the Vikings was quarterback Lucas Kaltenbach who was 16-27 for 184 yards. Cohen Clark led the Bombers with 105 yards on 17 carries and he also had 4 touchdowns against the Vikings.
Against the Cougars, the Kenston offense focused on the run as they gained168 yards for the game. Leading the Bombers on the ground was Burge who ran for 88 yards on 24 carries and Kaltenbach who had 80 yards on eight carries.
Summing up the past two weeks against the Vikings and Cougars, Meeks spoke of the Bomber’s great effort and the importance of improving each week.
“Back to back, we’ve played great teams, they’re well coached,” said Meeks. “Them and Joe’s, they’re two good teams, and this is just going to make us better. I know it didn’t go our way, but we fought to the end. That’s all I’m proud of. So, we’re on to Chardon.”
