High school football: Big plays, defense lift Moeller to win over East Central
NORWOOD – Moeller and East Central arrived at Shea Stadium Saturday evening with two wins apiece and a roster full of talented and explosive playmakers.
Both teams showed off their top threats with several big plays, but it was Moeller taking advantage of its scoring opportunities for a 43-14 win over East Central.
Both teams were ranked fourth in the state in their respective classes: Moeller in Ohio Division I and East Central in Indiana Class 4A. Moeller won for the second-straight season after the Trojans won in 2020.
“It was a great game,” said Moeller junior quarterback Luke Dunn. “It was a good team win. We’ll keep working and get ready for next week.”
Dunn threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns. Ryan Mechley had four catches for 90 yards and a score. Jordan Marshall, a junior running back, rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns and had a TD reception.
Marshall has 458 rushing yards, 153 per game, and six total touchdowns. Dunn has 651 passing yards and nine TDs.
For East Central, junior quarterback Cole Burton threw for 202 yards and one touchdown. Senior Josh Ringer rushed for 185 yards as EC outgained Moeller 412-400. Burton has 772 passing yards and nine TD passes.
In the first half, Moeller had 248 yards of offense to 203 for the Trojans. Dunn threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns, one each to Mechley, Marshall and Matthew Fogler.
EC rushed for 114 yards in the half, 99 from Ringer. Burton threw for an 88-yard touchdown to Ryan Brotherton.
The Trojans had aired it out with explosive passing numbers out of the shotgun spread offense in their first two games. Burton came in with 570 passing yards, 285 per game, with eight TD passes.
In the first half against Moeller, Burton spent a lot of time under center with two running backs behind him. The Trojans were able to move the ball and get chunk plays frequently as the Moeller defense tried to adjust to this new wrinkle.
The difference was the Crusaders cashing in on their scoring opportunities and taking advantage of defensive miscues by East Central. Meanwhile, the Trojans were stopped on fourth down inside the Moeller 35-yard line three times in the first half. In the second half, the Trojans continued to struggle once they reached Moeller territory, including three turnovers.
“They ran some things that we weren’t expecting,” said Moeller head coach Mark Elder. “We were on the sideline trying to make adjustments quickly. They’re a good football team and they were hard to prepare for. (EC head coach) Jake (Meiners) does a great job with them and they were a good test for us tonight.”
East Central’s first drive ended at the Moeller 32 when the Trojans’ third-down play was stopped inches shy of a first down. Burton tried to sneak for the first down, but lost his footing and was stopped short.
On Moeller’s next drive, Dunn completed a medium-range pass to Ryan Mechley, who was hit by a Trojans defender. But EC did not wrap up Mechley, and he bounced off the tackler and outran the Trojans into the endzone for a 46-yard touchdown. Moeller scored a two-pointer on a trick play, and it was 8-0 with 1:39 to go in the first quarter.
East Central answered right away after facing third-and-18 from its own 12-yard line. Burton threw a short screen pass to Ryan Brotherton in the middle of the field. The Trojans had several well-timed blocks set up, and Brotherton outran the Crusaders down the sideline for an 88-yard touchdown.
Moeller answered right away when Dunn launched a long pass while being hit by a Trojans defender, completing the pass to a wide-open Matthew Fogler for a 67-yard touchdown.
“He got behind the safety and he was wide open,” Dunn said. “I knew I was going to get hit and I was ready for that. I just wanted to get the touchdown.”
Both of East Central’s possessions in the second quarter ended with the Crusaders stopping them on fourth down.
On fourth down, Burton was sacked by Matthew Seliga for a big loss to end the threat.
After that, Moses Wheat stopped a Moeller scoring threat with an interception of Dunn at the Trojans' 20, returning it 23 yards to the 43.
Moeller got the ball back and drove 65 yards in the last three minutes of the quarter. The Crusaders scored in the final minute after a 16-yard pass to Tennel Bryant to the EC 20.
On the next play, Dunn threw up the middle to Jordan Marshall. A Trojan deflected the pass up in the air behind them, and the ball went to Marshall, who ran untouched the rest of the way for a 20-yard TD.
East Central’s struggles with scoring continued in the third quarter. On the Trojans’ first drive of the half, Burton found Aston for a 35-yard pass, Aston’s first reception of the game. He had 15 catches for 253 yards in EC’s first two games.
EC fumbled on the next play when Burton lost the handle on the ball on the snap in the middle of steady rain. Moeller took over at its own 22.
Moeller drove into EC territory, but a big sack by Connor Kuhn forced the Crusaders into their second punt of the game.
On EC’s next drive, Burton tried another long pass to Aston, but Moeller’s Karson Hobbs out-leaped Aston for the ball, grabbed the interception and returned the ball 45 yards to the Trojans’ 35.
Marshall rushed in from 16 yards out with 4:13 to go in the third quarter, and Devin Orr’s PAT gave the Crusaders a 29-6 lead.
“Our defense is bend-don’t-break,” Elder said. “We don’t care how many yards we give up as long as we keep them out of the endzone. Their first touchdown, we got caught on the screen and they made a big play. Their second touchdown, we gave them two big penalties that took up half of that drive.”
EC scored with a minute left on a one-yard run by Burton followed by two double-digit runs by Ringer and a pass interference penalty.
Moeller came right back with a big-time run by Marshall, who slipped out of the grasp of a couple of tacklers and sprinted up the middle of the field for a 64-yard scoring run.
“He makes big plays,” Elder said. “You give him the ball enough, he will eventually make things happen.”
Dunn appreciates all the targets at his disposal.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “I have guys like Jordan, Ryan, Tennel, Josiah (Love) that can make plays. Our o-line played great tonight. They gave me a lot of time. It was a great game.”
EC drove down again early in the fourth quarter, but Conlan Daniel intercepted Burton at the 1-yard line, ending another Trojans threat.
Moeller 43, East Central 14
East Central 6 0 6 2-14
Moeller 15 7 7 14-43
M – Mechley 46 pass from Dunn (Weeder run)
EC – Brotherton 88 pass from Burton (kick failed)
M – Fogler 67 pass from Dunn (Orr kick)
M – Marshall 20 pass from Dunn (Orr kick)
M – Marshall 16 run (Orr kick)
EC – Burton 1 run (run failed)
M – Marshall 64 run (Orr kick)
EC – Safety, Brayden Rouse tackle in end zone
M – Robinson 3 run (Clemons kick)
Records: M 3-0, EC 2-1.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Moeller football runs past East Central to improve to 3-0
