Saturday, September 12th, 2020
A Titan-ic battle
Roughriders fall in double-overtime to O-G
By Dave Stilwell
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
St. Marys' Dylan Giesige (2) blocks Ottawa-Glandorf's Jacob Balbaugh 's (11) view as Hunter Fraley (29) is able to get the sack in the second quarter Friday night at Grand Lake Health System Field.
ST. MARYS - Ottawa-Glandorf converted a fourth-and-goal in overtime, while St. Marys did not.
The difference resulted in a 27-20 double-overtime victory for the Titans on Friday night at Grand Lake Health Systems Field.
After regulation ended in a 13-13 tie, St. Marys won the toss and elected to play offense in the first overtime.
It took the Roughriders just three plays to score as sophomore Aiden Hinkle scored from 11 yards out. Brandon Bowers added the extra-point kick for a 20-13 margin.
The Titans found the going a little tougher on their turn with the ball. O-G quarterback Jacob Balbaugh completed a key third-down pass and then scrambled out of trouble and fell forward to the St. Marys 1-yard line on second down.
Balbaugh went under center and tried to sneak the ball in on the next two plays but bobbled the snap each time, allowing the St. Marys defense to rise to the occasion.
On fourth-and-the-game from the 1, Balbaugh lined up in the shotgun and calmly hit Colin White across the middle for the score. Alex Macke's PAT kick sent the game to a second overtime.
The Titans had the ball first in the second overtime, and Balbaugh again went to the air for the score, this time connecting with Caleb Kaufman from 5 yards out. Macke's PAT gave O-G what proved to be the winning 27-20 lead.
Senior Ethan Wedding picked up 11 yards and a first down on the Riders first play of the second OT. But the next three plays netted just four yards setting up a fourth down. Wedding tried to sweep right, but the Titans stopped him at about the 2-yard line.
"We had it in a senior kid's hand at the end of the game, and I thought we knocked the edge off pretty good on that sweep," St. Marys coach Doug Frye said of the game's final play. "Ethan did a nice job. We just couldn't get it into the end zone. Give O-G the credit."
O-G got the scoring started as Balbaugh had a hot hand early. The Titan senior QB was six-for-six passing on his opening drive, including a 13-yard scoring strike to Will Kaufman with 4:29 left in the first quarter. The PAT kick was no good.
St. Marys was able to move the ball in the first half but had little to show for it, mainly because of seven penalties for 79 yards.
The Riders pushed the ball down to the O-G 5-yard line late in the first half, but a sack and a holding penalty forced a missed 40-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds.
St. Marys finally reached the scoreboard on the second play of the fourth quarter - a 14-yard touchdown run by Dylan Trogdlon. The PAT snap was bobbled and a kick never got off the ground as the score remained tied, 6-6.
The Titans would answer. A 44-yard run by Ian Fenbert set up a 6-yard scoring pass from Balbaugh to Fenbert out of the backfield to put O-G up 13-6 with 6:07 left in the game.
St. Marys responded with a 12-play, 60-yard drive capped off with a 2-yard scoring run by Trogdlon and a PAT kick by Bowers that tied the game with 1:23 left in regulation.
After a rough first half, St. Marys was penalty-free in the second half and finished with 326 yards rushing. Wedding led the way with 114 yards on 17 carries, while Trogdlon totaled 105 yards on 18 carries.
"I think if I could find some way to turn a switch on and this team plays four quarters of football, we'd be a decent football team," Frye said. "But so far we have not played a first half to my liking."
Balbaugh had a big night for the Titans. He finished 25-of-33 for 222 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Riders fall to 2-1 on the season and face a tough task next Friday with a road trip to undefeated Van Wert (3-0).
