Trick play helps Upper Arlington beat Dublin Coffman in central Ohio Game of the Week

Upper Arlington dug deep into the playbook to keep control of its destiny in the OCC-Central Division race.

Offensive coordinator Chris Vangus called for a trick play on fourth-and-6 late in the game to set up the game-clinching touchdown as the host Golden Bears defeated Dublin Coffman 17-7 on Oct. 14.

UA improved to 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the OCC-Central to enter the final week of the regular season tied atop the standings with Coffman and Olentangy Liberty. The Patriots defeated Hilliard Davidson 21-18 on Oct. 14.

UA wide receiver Austin Stutz connected on a 30-yard halfback pass to Rocco Prati to the Coffman 2-yard line on the fourth-down play from the Shamrocks’ 32. Two plays later, quarterback James Hayek scored on a 2-yard run with 3 minutes, 6 seconds left to secure the victory.

“We practiced that all week with (wide receiver) Wally Swiney taking the pitch (from Hayek), but we tried it with Austin and he threw the ball a little better,” Vangus said. “It was the first time that we went to the left because of where the ball was positioned. It worked out, though.

Prati wasn’t sure if the play was going to work until he caught the ball.

“I couldn’t even see him, but I saw the ball come out (of the line) and he got it there,” said Prati, who caught three passes for 71 yards, including a touchdown. “Coach Chris Vangus had the greatest call in the game.”

Stutz felt the pressure of the Coffman defense, but was able to get the ball off despite some reservations.

“I knew it was a big play and I thought about tucking and running, but decided to throw it because I knew (Prati) would make the play,” he said. “I didn’t know (the play call) was coming until I heard it in the huddle. It was a good play. It was listed in our fourth-down plays.”

Coffman had turnovers on its first two possessions, leading to a quick 10-0 lead for the Golden Bears.

Will Barger intercepted Coffman quarterback Quinn Hart inside the UA 10 to set up the first scoring drive. Hayek hit Prati with an 11-yard score on the first play of the second quarter.

An interception by the Bears’ Owen Beegle at the Coffman 25 led to a 34-yard field goal by Holden Milliken with 5:08 left in the first half.

“I thought we gained a lot of energy from the turnovers,” UA coach Justin Buttermore said. “We had a couple turnovers early and that put our offense in a good position. Any time you get turnovers you have energy created on your sideline, and the defense did a good job.”

The Shamrocks cut the lead early in the second half after defensive end Will Smith Jr. forced and recovered a fumble at the UA 13. That set up a 7-yard run by Carson Cox for his team’s lone score.

“We were a bunch of zombies out there,” said Coffman coach Geron Stokes, whose team dropped to 6-3 overall. “Their bodies were here, but their heads must have been back in Dublin. That’s on me for not having them ready.

“We’re not good enough to overcome mistakes like that. That was as bad of a first half as possible from an execution standpoint, from a focus standpoint. That was putrid.”

Hayek was 15-for-17 passing for 131 yards and one touchdown, and running back Jack Ubert rushed for 27 yards on 10 carries in place of starter Connor McClellan, who suffered a hyperextended knee in practice. Swiney had three receptions for 42 yards.

For the Shamrocks, Hart completed 12 of 22 passes for 88 yards and added 64 rushing yards on 15 carries.

Here are three takeaways from Dublin Coffman at Upper Arlington in the central Ohio high school football Game of the Week:

• Both teams had 216 yards of total offense and 14 first downs. UA had 31 carries for 53 yards and Coffman had 126 rushing on 28 attempts.

• The Golden Bears held a 25:34 to 20:15 advantage in time of possession.

• After Coffman had won eight consecutive games in the series, UA has posted victories in the last two meetings.

shennen@thisweeknews.com

@ThisWeekHennen

DUBLIN COFFMAN: 0-0-7-0–7

UPPER ARLINGTON: 0-10-0-7–17

UA—Prati 11 pass from Hayek (Milliken kick)

UA—Milliken 34 FG

DC—Cox 7 run (Schramm kick)

UA—Hayek 2 run (Milliken kick)

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Upper Arlington vs. Dublin Coffman high school football