Wildcats sink Pirates in great HoCo finish
September 28, 2021 at 9:41 p.m.
Two homecoming games, two great comebacks. Only the names changed.
Last fall, it was Adam Kelly to Kristian Prows to complete a comeback against South Dearborn. This time, another lefty hurler in Brady Morehead hit senior Jacob Schatzle in stride with just 17.8 seconds on the clock for a 22-yard go-ahead touchdown. An 18-8 deficit early in the fourth quarter turned into a thrilling 22-18 win for the Wildcats over the Greensburg Pirates.
“We just put our best athlete on the edge and told him to go get the football, try to highpoint the ball and come down with it,” said FC head coach Wes Gillman, whose Wildcat teams have been separated by just 16 points in the past five games with the Bucs.
“He somehow got behind two defensive backs covering him tough and caught it,” he went on. “An amazing comeback. Our defense didn’t quit, got stops and our offense came up big in the end.”
Although the teams combined for over 550 yards of offense, that production was deceptive as there were 21 flags thrown and four turnovers – making the game feel more like a defensive slugfest.
The third stanza, like the opening one, yielded zero points but that would change quickly. Greensburg capped off a 10-play, 68-yard drive with fullback Oakley Best rumbling for over half those on a 35-yard score. A key play was quarterback/punter Sam West connecting with Owen Meadows on a fake punt for 17 yards. On the extra-point attempt by Grayson Newhart, FC’s special teamers got a hand on the ball to stop their third PAT of the game.
“We spend a fair amount of time on special teams,” said Gillman. “Again, it's just a testament to our kids never giving up. It's deflating to give up a score, but then to come back and defend the extra point or 2-point play with intensity isn't always the easiest thing to do.”
Trailing by 10, the Wildcats needed a spark and freshman quarterback Quinn Gillman was happy to light the fuse. Seeing his first meaningful varsity time under center, the youngster scampered for 22 yards to put FC at midfield on the next possession. He then added two completions – 8 yards to Bridger Bolos and 19 to Hunter Geis – to go with 23 more yards on the ground, including a 4-yard TD with just under 9 minutes left. The conversion pass was no good and FC faced an 18-14 deficit.
The Pirates had to deal with a two-headed QB at times, with both Gillman and Morehead lining up side by side in the shotgun formation – the former sometimes splitting out as a receiver.
“We'll continue to use both QBs as the situation allows,” said the coach. “It's nice to have both players on the field at the same time because they're two of our better athletes.
“They each have useful skill sets,” he continued. “Brady does a great job leading, always positive and loves playing, whatever the position. He also can throw the deep ball and put some heat on it. Quinn brings a certain smoothness to our offense and does a great job of throwing short, intermediate passes. He can also run the ball, as you saw (tonight).”
That said, Gillman hiccupped on FC’s next drive, throwing one into the hands of the visitors’ Eli Moore. The Wildcat defense forced a turnover on downs, giving FC the ball at its own 27-yard-line. On the ensuing drive, there were no fewer than seven flags tossed and six were marked off – the accepted included two for defensive pass interference and one for roughing the passer.
The guests seemed to avoid trouble, though, as Morehead’s pass on 4th-and-10 was picked off by Matthew Stewart.
With Greensburg starting at its own 6, FC’s defense held the Pirates to three short runs around a pair of timeouts. Gillman was surprised to see a punt on 4th-and-2 with under 30 seconds to go.
“We were saying they might run a play where the QB runs around in the backfield for a little while to kill time and then runs out of the end zone for a safety,” he noted. “The poor punt and great field position gave us a shot.”
The first four drives of the game ended in punts. Late in the first period, the Pirates found some rhythm on a short field and West – a University of Alabama baseball commit – scored on a 2-yard TD early in the second frame.
The Cats answered right back as Gillman marched his team 82 yards with the big gain being Bolos’ 54-yard rush. At the 12, Schatzle scooped up a bad snap and ran across the goal line for six. Bolos ran in to make it 8-6.
Greensburg needed just four plays to retake the lead. Bookending two runs by freshman Kaden Acton were a completion to Corbin Mathews and a 30-yard TD strike to Ethan Meadows.
Meadows later intercepted Gillman but Geis returned the favor by stepping in front of a West pass for an apparent pick 6. However, FC was called for targeting on the runback and a late first-half drive stalled deep in Pirate territory.
Bolos went over 100 yards rushing in the win. Bryce Hodapp had 2 sacks and 5 tackles. Senior Austin Hill also recorded 5 total tackles.
FC (4-2) travels to Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference foe South Dearborn Friday, 7 p.m. The Knights have the area’s most prolific rusher in senior CJ Rogers, averaging nearly 200 yards per game. Gillman likes his defense in the matchup.
“When healthy, our defense is tough against the run, playing fast and physical,” he said. “We have a great linebacking corps, a great defensive end combo and our secondary will come up and help with the run. If we play hard and stay disciplined, I like our chances.”
Wildcats 22, Pirates 18
Greensburg – 0 12 0 6 - 18
Franklin Co. – 0 8 0 14 - 22
Second Quarter
G – West 2-yard run, 11:07. Kick blocked.
FC – Schatzle 12-yard run, 8:33. Bolos run.
G – E. Meadows 30-yard pass from West, 7:03. Pass failed.
Fourth Quarter
G – Best 35-yard run, 11:52. Kick blocked.
FC – Gillman 4-yard run, 8:54. Pass failed.
FC – Schatzle 22-yard pass from Morehead, :17.8. Morehead run.
Total yards: G 238, FC 323
Passing: G 90, FC 79
Rushing: G 148, FC 244
First downs: G 9, FC 15
Fumbles/lost: G 1/0, FC 1/0
Penalties: G 11-101, FC 10-85
Greensburg – Rushing: Luke Scheumann 4-35, Best 4-31, Acton 15-45, West 15-37. Passing: West 6-15-90 (INT). Receiving: E. Meadows 2-41, O. Meadows 1-17, Mathews 1-16, Moore 1-2, Acton 1-14.
Franklin Co.- Rushing: Bolos 17-105, Schatzle 6-38, Morehead 8-34, Gillman 9-67. Passing: Morehead 2-10-41 (INT), Gillman 3-9-38 (2 INT). Receiving: Schatzle 3-52, Bolos 1-8, Geis 1-19.
(Stats should be considered unofficial)
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Two homecoming games, two great comebacks. Only the names changed.
Last fall, it was Adam Kelly to Kristian Prows to complete a comeback against South Dearborn. This time, another lefty hurler in Brady Morehead hit senior Jacob Schatzle in stride with just 17.8 seconds on the clock for a 22-yard go-ahead touchdown. An 18-8 deficit early in the fourth quarter turned into a thrilling 22-18 win for the Wildcats over the Greensburg Pirates.
“We just put our best athlete on the edge and told him to go get the football, try to highpoint the ball and come down with it,” said FC head coach Wes Gillman, whose Wildcat teams have been separated by just 16 points in the past five games with the Bucs.
“He somehow got behind two defensive backs covering him tough and caught it,” he went on. “An amazing comeback. Our defense didn’t quit, got stops and our offense came up big in the end.”
Although the teams combined for over 550 yards of offense, that production was deceptive as there were 21 flags thrown and four turnovers – making the game feel more like a defensive slugfest.
The third stanza, like the opening one, yielded zero points but that would change quickly. Greensburg capped off a 10-play, 68-yard drive with fullback Oakley Best rumbling for over half those on a 35-yard score. A key play was quarterback/punter Sam West connecting with Owen Meadows on a fake punt for 17 yards. On the extra-point attempt by Grayson Newhart, FC’s special teamers got a hand on the ball to stop their third PAT of the game.
“We spend a fair amount of time on special teams,” said Gillman. “Again, it's just a testament to our kids never giving up. It's deflating to give up a score, but then to come back and defend the extra point or 2-point play with intensity isn't always the easiest thing to do.”
Trailing by 10, the Wildcats needed a spark and freshman quarterback Quinn Gillman was happy to light the fuse. Seeing his first meaningful varsity time under center, the youngster scampered for 22 yards to put FC at midfield on the next possession. He then added two completions – 8 yards to Bridger Bolos and 19 to Hunter Geis – to go with 23 more yards on the ground, including a 4-yard TD with just under 9 minutes left. The conversion pass was no good and FC faced an 18-14 deficit.
The Pirates had to deal with a two-headed QB at times, with both Gillman and Morehead lining up side by side in the shotgun formation – the former sometimes splitting out as a receiver.
“We'll continue to use both QBs as the situation allows,” said the coach. “It's nice to have both players on the field at the same time because they're two of our better athletes.
“They each have useful skill sets,” he continued. “Brady does a great job leading, always positive and loves playing, whatever the position. He also can throw the deep ball and put some heat on it. Quinn brings a certain smoothness to our offense and does a great job of throwing short, intermediate passes. He can also run the ball, as you saw (tonight).”
That said, Gillman hiccupped on FC’s next drive, throwing one into the hands of the visitors’ Eli Moore. The Wildcat defense forced a turnover on downs, giving FC the ball at its own 27-yard-line. On the ensuing drive, there were no fewer than seven flags tossed and six were marked off – the accepted included two for defensive pass interference and one for roughing the passer.
The guests seemed to avoid trouble, though, as Morehead’s pass on 4th-and-10 was picked off by Matthew Stewart.
With Greensburg starting at its own 6, FC’s defense held the Pirates to three short runs around a pair of timeouts. Gillman was surprised to see a punt on 4th-and-2 with under 30 seconds to go.
“We were saying they might run a play where the QB runs around in the backfield for a little while to kill time and then runs out of the end zone for a safety,” he noted. “The poor punt and great field position gave us a shot.”
The first four drives of the game ended in punts. Late in the first period, the Pirates found some rhythm on a short field and West – a University of Alabama baseball commit – scored on a 2-yard TD early in the second frame.
The Cats answered right back as Gillman marched his team 82 yards with the big gain being Bolos’ 54-yard rush. At the 12, Schatzle scooped up a bad snap and ran across the goal line for six. Bolos ran in to make it 8-6.
Greensburg needed just four plays to retake the lead. Bookending two runs by freshman Kaden Acton were a completion to Corbin Mathews and a 30-yard TD strike to Ethan Meadows.
Meadows later intercepted Gillman but Geis returned the favor by stepping in front of a West pass for an apparent pick 6. However, FC was called for targeting on the runback and a late first-half drive stalled deep in Pirate territory.
Bolos went over 100 yards rushing in the win. Bryce Hodapp had 2 sacks and 5 tackles. Senior Austin Hill also recorded 5 total tackles.
FC (4-2) travels to Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference foe South Dearborn Friday, 7 p.m. The Knights have the area’s most prolific rusher in senior CJ Rogers, averaging nearly 200 yards per game. Gillman likes his defense in the matchup.
“When healthy, our defense is tough against the run, playing fast and physical,” he said. “We have a great linebacking corps, a great defensive end combo and our secondary will come up and help with the run. If we play hard and stay disciplined, I like our chances.”
Wildcats 22, Pirates 18
Greensburg – 0 12 0 6 - 18
Franklin Co. – 0 8 0 14 - 22
Second Quarter
G – West 2-yard run, 11:07. Kick blocked.
FC – Schatzle 12-yard run, 8:33. Bolos run.
G – E. Meadows 30-yard pass from West, 7:03. Pass failed.
Fourth Quarter
G – Best 35-yard run, 11:52. Kick blocked.
FC – Gillman 4-yard run, 8:54. Pass failed.
FC – Schatzle 22-yard pass from Morehead, :17.8. Morehead run.
Total yards: G 238, FC 323
Passing: G 90, FC 79
Rushing: G 148, FC 244
First downs: G 9, FC 15
Fumbles/lost: G 1/0, FC 1/0
Penalties: G 11-101, FC 10-85
Greensburg – Rushing: Luke Scheumann 4-35, Best 4-31, Acton 15-45, West 15-37. Passing: West 6-15-90 (INT). Receiving: E. Meadows 2-41, O. Meadows 1-17, Mathews 1-16, Moore 1-2, Acton 1-14.
Franklin Co.- Rushing: Bolos 17-105, Schatzle 6-38, Morehead 8-34, Gillman 9-67. Passing: Morehead 2-10-41 (INT), Gillman 3-9-38 (2 INT). Receiving: Schatzle 3-52, Bolos 1-8, Geis 1-19.
(Stats should be considered unofficial)