Worthington Christian knocks off Mount Gilead in playoff opener
WORTHINGTON — Friday night wasn't the night for reflection, but soon it will be for members of the 2022 Mount Gilead football team.
They put together the best season since winning seven games in 2004. More importantly they qualified for and participated in the high school football playoffs for the first time ever.
"Step back and reflect on the journey. There’s not many people who thought we would be here tonight," second-year Mount Gilead coach Mike Reid told his team following Friday night's 55-20 loss at Worthington Christian to open the Division VI, Region 23 playoffs.
"The guys fought to the bitter end," he added. "Regardless of the scoreboard, there is no other bus I would rather be hopping on tonight."
The Indians were seeded No. 11 in the region, while Worthington Christian came in at No. 6.
"It’s playoff football. They are a very good and well disciplined and a very fast team. They have tremendous team speed across the board," Reid said of the Warriors.
WC showcased it all early and often Friday night at home.
Gibby Wilson came into the game with two punt returns for touchdown, and Ethan Albert had three kickoff returns for TDs. Both added to their totals against the Indians. Wilson scored the game's first touchdown midway through the first quarter on a 37-yard punt return, then Albert produced a gut-punch of an 80-yarder halfway through the second period.
"We definitely have some talented players for sure," Worthington Christian coach Jeff Hartings said. "We have guys who work hard in practice. They’ve done a really good job of preparing themselves for this opportunity. They took advantage of the opportunity."
Two plays after the punt return started the scoring, the Warriors' Jacob Corbin intercepted a pass to set his team up at the 45. Less than two minutes later it was 14-0 when Hobie Raikes hit Luke Hermiz for a 9-yard touchdown.
To start the second period, WC made it 21-0 when Cameron Robinson scored on a catch-and-run from 44 yards.
"We kind of ran into a buzzsaw," Reid admitted. "Maybe it’s on me, but the guys were kind of jittery there at the beginning. They were excited to be in the atmosphere."
It took the Indians a quarter and spotting the Warriors 21 points before they settled down enough to sustain a drive. The Indians put together a 13-play, 69-yard series that ate nearly five-and-a-half minutes off the clock. It was capped by Matthew Bland's 12-yard run and then his 2-point pass to Gabe Simpson to cut the lead to 21-8.
But any good feelings the Indians had were as fleeting fast as WC's skilled players. That's when Albert ran back the kickoff to again stretch the lead to three scores at 28-8.
Worthington Christian got the ball back with 3:45 left in the half and essentially put the game away with a 9-play series that was ended by an 11-yard touchdown pass from Raikes to Robinson for a 35-8 hafltime lead.
Mount Gilead managed just 107 total yards and six first downs, while WC had 149 yards and eight first downs, getting help by the explosive plays in the passing game and special teams.
"We talk about preparation just like all the Ohio football coaches do," Hartings said. "They did a really good job of preparing. The coaches did a really good job of preparing. They played the way they were capable of playing. Our quarterback played very well tonight. It’s a testament to the work they put in this week and the extra work they put in. I always tell them you prepare and it will show up in your performance."
Four plays into the second half, the Warriors scored again, this time on a 17-yard pass to Wilson. Mount Gilead turned off the running clock after a four-play, 65-yard drive was keyed by a 33-yard catch by Simpson, a 22-yard run by Garrett George and a 12-yard TD from George.
But as they did all night long, the Warriors had a quick answer. Robinson took a 40-yard quick slant for a touchdown and a 48-14 lead. with 5:51 left in the third.
Anthony Hendrix scored WC's final TD on a 13-yard pass from Raikes, while George ran a touchdown 75 yards with no time left on the clock for the Indians.
Raikes was 14 of 20 passing for 291 yards and six touchdown passes to four different receivers. Robinson had four catches for 104 yards and three TDs, while Correll Amsbaugh ended with five catches for 95 yards. The Warriors (8-3) finished with 17 first downs and just one penalty for five years. They did not turn over the ball.
As for Mount Gilead (6-5), it held the hosts to 47 yards rushing on 21 carries, plus it finished 312 yards of total offense and 13 first downs. George ran it 22 times for 167 yards, while Bland was 6-for-9 for 109 yards passing but was picked off three times. The Indians were penalized three times for 12 yards.
"At some point ― maybe not tonight ― they’ll be able to sit back and reflect and say we did something this year," Reid said. "It’s a building block for future generations. I don’t know how long I’ll be in the game, but hopefully as the years at Mount Gilead go by and we build on this, I can look back at these guys and say these are the guys who got it started."
rmccurdy@gannett.com
419-610-0998
Twitter @McMotorsport
Instagram @rob_mccurd_star
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Worthington Christian knocks off Mount Gilead in playoff opener
