Having done battle earlier in the season, the Villa Angela-St. Joseph Vikings and Kenston Bombers had plenty of materials to prepare for a rematch in Division III Region 9 playoffs.
Match photos click here.
Having done battle earlier in the season, the Villa Angela-St. Joseph Vikings and Kenston Bombers had plenty of materials to prepare for a rematch in Division III Region 9 playoffs.
On Sept. 8, the Bombers had taken that battle with a huge offensive night, and python-like defensive effort in the second half, for a solid victory, 49-27.
But in this rematch Nov. 4, VASJ did the tight squeezing, especially on Bomber tailback Sean Patrick, as the Vikings got revenge with a solid 43-14 victory in Bomber Stadium.
Kenston had reached this game with a big win last week over Dover. That contest was sparked by a huge overall effort that featured running and passing from a Kenston offense that rolled to 614 yards total.
The Bombers’ opponents must have had many scouts at their previous game, a win over Dover that featured running and passing from an offense that rolled 614 total yards. With their game plan working to perfection, VASJ swarmed to Patrick like ants on a July picnic from the first play, turned big plays into turnovers early, and benefited from a stiff wind that made junior quarterback Lucas Kaltenbach’s passing game an adventure on every try.
Blessed with two 1,000-yard running backs, too, the Vikings made it a long night for the Bombers.
Kenston’s season ended with a 10-2 record that includes an undisputed Western Reserve Conference championship.
After each team went three-and-out on first possessions, Kaltenbach had the air grab a pass that Davion Taylor then grabbed at the Kenston 45 with 8:06 left in the first quarter. Five plays later, Kylan Steuball found Johnny Vulaich deep behind the secondary with a pass over the middle from 23 yards out, and VASJ drew first blood in what had the potential for an offensive night for the ages.
It was not to happen, though, as the Vikings (9-3) swarmed to anywhere Patrick went all night long, stalling his fantastic high school career.
The Bombers drove to the VASJ 20 yard line late in the first period to prove they were not having any bullying done on their home turf.
Then came the first of several missed opportunities for Kenston, which proved to be the difference in the game.
Kenston was stopped on downs at the 20 on that drive, as a Kaltenbach pass got caught in the jet-stream on fourth down. With 40 ticks left in the period, Robbie Hatcher recovered a fumble for Kenston at the Viking 14 with 40 seconds left in the period. The quarter ended when a direct snap to Patrick went wide left of its intended target, setting the Bombers back to the 35.
Kaltenbach found Patrick with a screen pass similar to the game-breakers of the previous week that destroyed Dover. This one set up a first-and-goal for Kenston at the five yard line.
Two plays later, the game began to unravel for Kenston as Patrick bulled to the one, but in a pileup that seemed to have all the players on the field fighting for the same two-foot area of turf, the ball came free and David Jones scooped it up at the eight and was off the the races down the right sideline.
Escorted by a plethora of teammates lumbering downfield with the 6-2, 210-pound lineman, Jones survived the trip to the end zone, and Kenston found itself behind, 15-0.
With 3:28 left before the intermission, one of the big play guys for VASJ got into the act.
Lamar Jackson broke over left tackle from his own 47, cut back to the right, and was again off to the races for a 22-0 lead, and the Bombers were stunned, briefly.
With the VASJ defense swarming to Patrick all night, and breezes wreaking havoc for Kaltenbach passes, it wasn’t until 50 seconds remained in the half that Kaltenbach found Brandon Bell for a seven-yard scoring pass to bring a positive to the home faithful.
Still, the Vikings had other plans. With the second half kickoff, they went 53 yards on five plays to make it a 29-7 game. A 39-yard pass from Steuball to Christian Chase capped the drive.
The final nail in the Bombers season came on the first play of the fourth period. Steuball found TJ Moore from 28 yards out to make it a 36-7 game, and while the winds were active, the air had left the sails of a fine Kenston team after a great season.
Patrick scored for Kenston with 9:30 left to play from a yard out, and VASJ burner Amani Powell went in from four yards out to close the scoring.
Controlling Patrick was the key. He gained 50 hard-fought yards on 22 punishing carries to end his high school career, but there is no doubt every Bomber left it all on the field. The defense controlled Jackson and Powell most of the night, but when they didn’t, the results were a disaster for the guys in blue.
Powell gained 132 yards on 14 tries; Jackson had 132 with only eight carries.
Kaltenbach had wide open receivers all night, but from the press box, one could see passes taking flight in wrong directions. He finished with 12 completions in 31 tries for 134 yards, but after a superb night against Dover, this one was different.
“We had some good opportunities tonight,” Kenston Head Coach Jeff Grubich said. “Sadly, unlike last week, we just didn’t capitalize on them. VASJ is a great team. We knew what to expect, although this game was totally different from when we played early in the season. But we just didn’t execute tonight.
“It all comes back on me for not having us ready to play a full game tonight. When you reach the end of the day, in a playoff game, it comes down to the coach, and I don’t think I did a good job of preparing the kids tonight.”
In a superb season on the gridiron for this Kenston team, this reporter might take a small bit of exception to Coach Grubich’s assessment about preparation. With young kids playing a tough sport, mistakes happen, but not for a single second on any plays did this Kenston team not provide full effort.
That, also, falls on the coaching staff, and this team is not a failure in any way.
They should be back next year at this level.
