Licking Heights football strikes early, often against Johnstown

PATASKALA — Going into Friday night’s season opener, it was obvious the Licking Heights football team had decided edges over visiting Johnstown in size and depth.

So it was no surprise the Hornets churned out 284 yards rushing and cruised to a 42-21 win over the Johnnies in a matchup of Licking County League neighbors. Heights led 21-0 after one quarter and 42-7 early in the third quarter before coasting to the win.

“I’m really proud of our kids,” Heights coach Kele Waaland said. “They put in a lot of work starting last December when we started off-season weightlifting. Johnstown may be down a little bit, but that’s a tough program with a lot of heart. Those kids play right to the very end. We expected that, and our guys did a good job of answering the bell.”

Licking Heights picked up right where it left off after reaching the Division II playoffs a year ago. Senior quarterback Deuce Caldwell carried nine times for 115 yards and three touchdowns and also threw for 58 yards in the win.

“We have a lot of guys returning, and we wanted to come out and make a statement that we are a different Heights,” Caldwell said. “Not only do we have new uniforms, but we have a new standard. We want to be different than anybody else in central Ohio.”

Jake Lopinto and Reese Powell each had touchdown runs for Heights, and Jamaal Foster returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown as well.

“It’s a nice problem to have,” Waaland said. “We have a lot of talented kids, and we can spread the ball around and it takes some pressure off (Caldwell).”

Johnstown rallied in the second half with a pair of late touchdowns to trim the final margin. Senior quarterback Caleb Schneider carried 29 times for 113 yards and a touchdown and also threw for 77 yards and a score to Nathan Sheets.

“We went in at halftime, and we talked about being consistent on every single play,” Johnstown coach Mike Carter said. “We wanted to focus in on the good things we got accomplished and fix the mistakes we had in the first half and then execute. I told them, ‘Whatever you do, don’t ever give up. You have to fight from the beginning to the end.’

“They were able to understand and they didn’t give up," Carter added. "They didn’t quit.”

Heights had the ball to the start the game and went 80 yards in seven plays with Lopinto bulling his way to the 24-yard TD as he broke three tackle attempts. Heights’ Alieu Toursay then forced a Johnstown fumble, which teammate Michael Landry recovered at the Johnnies’ 9-yard line, and Powell punched it in with an 11-yard TD run.

Keyed by a 45-yard run by Powell, Heights pushed the lead to 21-0 on Caldwell’s 22-yard scamper late in the first quarter.

Johnstown got on the board as Schneider bulled his way down the field as part of an 82-yard scoring march. But he was dinged up and it was backup Kaynen Lindsey who capped it with a 15-yard TD run to cut the lead to 21-7.

But Caldwell had the answer. He broke off a 30-yard TD run where he cut back, broke tackles and used a spin move to get into the end zone. He added a 5-yard TD run late in the half as Heights led 35-7.

“Coming into this year, I just want to have fun because it’s my last season,” Caldwell said. “I’m just trying to play loose. Our offensive line dominated tonight.”

The Heights defense opened the second half by forcing a punt, which Foster deftly returned for a touchdown and a 42-7 lead.

Johnstown stayed with it, and Schneider scored on a 6-yard TD run and then hit Sheets for a 13-yard scoring pass in the closing minutes to cap the scoring.

“Our philosophy on defense this year is to be a little bit more aggressive, and I think it caught us a couple of times,” Waaland said. “We may have gotten too far upfield and gave (Schneider) some running lanes. He is a shifty runner. He took advantage of it.

“At the end, that’s those guys were trying to get something for their kids going forward," Waaland added. "That’s something we need to be prepared for.”

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking Heights football strikes early, often against Johnstown