Frank C. Dawson

Ravenna Southeast - September 15, 2017

In what some would say, "It wasn't pretty", Coach Josh Ludwig and his battling Potters fell to an outstanding Ravenna Southeast Pirate team 33-7 on a beautiful night for football in Diamond, Ohio, and, sorry, it wasn't pretty.  

Winning the coin toss, Coach Patrick Youel and his team elected to defer, and despite a short kick to Payton Adkins who called for a fair catch on his own 36, the Blue and White struggled. Initially a  ten-yard run by Jalen Momum was made to look easy, but three plays later, the big fullback fumbled, and the host team took over on the EL 41.

With senior Dylan Rogers at the controls, his team marched to the 35 from where the 6’3” QB found classmate Cole Bailey, and it was 6-0 a little over three minutes into the game. The conversion kick by Johnny Wise was good. 

The never-say-die Potters, undaunted, received another short kickoff, but again failed to move the ball with Adkins once more punting to their hosts’ 28.

The seesaw exchange continued until, with 58 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Jack Rohal picked up an EL fumble and rambled 59 yards to the promised land, with Wise converting to make it 14-0.

The next score for the Maroon and Gold came at the conclusion of a seven-play drive with 7:47 remaining in the first half, when Rogers found Camden Procter from two yards out and it was 21 – 0, following Wise's conversion.

The Potters finally got on the board just prior to the intermission with a 19-yard throwback pass from Jalen Moman to QB Payton Reed who had initiated the play. Dominik Vallera converted to make it 21-7, and it appeared as though the Blue and White had new life.

Not so fast sport fans; the Pirates would nail 14 additional points to the scoreboard before it was over. A 15-yard sprint to the house by Kaleb Wright at 7:17 in the third quarter and a two- yard plunge by Wright with 10:17 left to play made it 33-7, the final score following a pair of conversion kicks by Wise.

COACH'S COMMENTS:

“We were prepared for the short kickoffs, but couldn’t capitalize. After Payton Adkins took in the initial one on our 36, we got a good start with Jalen Momum picking up ten yards on his first carry, but then the wheels fell off the wagon,” said Head Coach Josh Ludwig.

“Once again, we need to go home and work on fundamentals. With Beaver Local on the schedule next Friday, it won’t get any easier, but we will be ready,” the head Potter concluded.

DIGGER'S DUGOUT:

It was nice to see Larry and Linda Kehres honored before the game at the school where he played when it was known as Diamond High School. As the head football coach at Mt. Union, the personable Kehres won 332 games while losing only 24 and tying two for a remarkable percentage of .929, the highest in college football history.