Redskins set records in 62-0 win over Eagles

ST. HENRY - Jay Knapke returned two punts for touchdowns, Zach Niekamp and K.J. Jacobs each rushed for more than 100 yards, and St. Henry rolled past an overmatched Eaton squad 62-0 on Friday night at the Wally Post Athletic Complex.

The Redskins, now 2-0, established a school record with 48 points in the first half and added two more scores with a running clock in the second half to eclipse the record for largest margin of victory.

Despite the lopsided win, St. Henry coach Brad Luthman sees plenty of room for improvement.

"Happy to have the win. Happy to be healthy coming out of it. Happy to do what you're supposed to do," he said. "But we've got plenty to clean up. The guys know that our second quarter was not up to the standard that we need to play at next week when Delphos (St. John's) comes rolling in here."

Jaren Fishbaugh capped the Redskins' first drive with a five-yard touchdown pass from starting quarterback Sam Lefeld.

Niekamp cashed in on two one-play scoring drives - a 37-yard pass from Lefeld and a 47-yard run. Knapke capped the first quarter scoring with a 60-yard punt return for a score.

After its first drive of the game, St. Henry ran just two more plays from scrimmage in the first quarter and led 28-0.

A fumbled pitch and an interception slowed the Redskins down in the second quarter, but Knapke got his team back on track with a 37-yard punt return for a score with 5:21 left in the half.

Following an Eaton fumble, Niekamp capped another one-play scoring drive with a 26-yard run.

Just before the end of the half, Knapke nearly struck again. He returned a punt 43 yards before being forced out at the five-yard line. Two plays later, with no time left on the clock, Niekamp punched it in from one yard out for his fourth and final touchdown.

Jacobs, a sophomore, scored on runs of 50 and five yards in the third and fourth quarters respectively to round out the scoring.

Niekamp finished with 112 yards on 11 carries while Jacobs tallied 115 yards on nine carries. Lefeld completed 5-of-8 passes for 77 yards and Ethan Thieman finished the night 8-for-9 on the extra point kicks.

Eaton (0-2), with only 22 non-freshmen on its roster, struggled to mount any kind of offensive threat all night.

The Eagles punted nine times, lost three fumbles and picked up their only first down of the night on the last play of the game. Eaton finished with negative four yards passing and a net of five yards rushing.

"The defense played outstanding," Luthman said. "It's definitely fun to get the young guys out there on a Friday night a year or two earlier than they normally would. They get to play in front of parents, family, and friends that might not always get to see them play on a Saturday or a Monday."

St. Henry opens Midwest Athletic Conference play next Friday at home against Delphos St. John's.

"We've got a really proud program coming in here with a three-year starter at quarterback and some coaches that have been there and done that," Luthman added. "We're going to have to be ready to go to open up MAC play."