No answers

WOODBURN — It didn’t matter whether they were on offense, defense or on special teams.

The Patriots didn’t have an answer for one of the best teams in the state.

The Jay County High School football team got outplayed in every phase of the game Friday in a 47-6 defeat at the hands of the host Woodlan Warriors at Etzler Field.

“I’m not disappointed,” said Millspaugh, whose team has lost three straight games and dipped to 2-4 on the year and 1-3 in Allen County Athletic Conference play after the loss to the Class 2A No. 2 Warriors. “I don’t like the score, but I thought our kids played really hard. I thought we tried to execute the game plan. We wanted to try to keep them off the field as much as possible on offense. Going in we were trying to limit the big plays, but that’s so hard when you’ve got so many very athletic, very talented players.”

Six of the seven Warrior scoring plays were for 25 or more yards.

Amarion Hicks got things started for the Warriors (6-0, 4-0 ACAC) as he reached the end zone on a 33-yard end around reverse play in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Woodlan scored twice on plays that started from its side of the field.

Quarterback Justin Durkes hit Donald Guerrant over the middle for a 53-yard touchdown pass at the midway point of the second period. On the Warriors’ next possession, they actually scored twice. Durkes found a wide open Aaron Hahn over the middle for what appeared to be a 58-yard TD pass, but it was called back because of an illegal man downfield. On the next play, running back Jack Rhoades broke open a 63-yard touchdown as Woodlan led 19-0.

In the third quarter, Durkes completed a 45-yard touchdown pass to Ah’Lan Howard to cap a 60-yard scoring drive that took only 24 seconds.

The senior quarterback finished 14-of-20 through the air for 257 yards and three touchdowns. He also added a rushing score in the third quarter.

Guerrant caught 10 of Durkes’ passes for 214 yards. Four of his catches were for 26 or more yards.

The triple-headed receiving threat of Guerrant, Howard and Hicks, along with the rushing ability of Rhoades, was just too much to handle for the Patriot defense.

“We had to put four guys over there because they run bubble (screen), slants and the go (route) off of it,” Millspaugh said. “They are stretching you so many ways, then you have Rhoades, who is a great back. It is so hard to not give up those plays.”

Durkes connected with Howard for a 26-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter with the game well out of reach.

On the other side of the ball, Jay County gained a season-low 157 yards of total offense. The Patriots had 65 yards at halftime, all but one of which were on the ground.

Junior Ryan Schlechty ended as the team’s leading rusher with 34 yards on eight carries despite being knocked from the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury.

Michael Schlechty, Ryan’s twin brother, had a hard-earned 33 rushing yards on 13 carries. He also scored Jay County’s only touchdown. Facing third-and-10 and creeping in on the red zone, quarterback Holton Hill rolled to his right and found Michael Schlechty open over the middle of the field. Schlechty caught the pass running toward the right sideline, turned up field and reached paydirt for a 26-yard score.

Hill was 6-of-9 passing for 89 yards.

“The thing that we were hoping going in, we thought we had a chance to control the line of scrimmage a little bit and pound them with (Michael Schlechty) and wear them down as we were trying to possess the ball,” Millspaugh said. “They won the line of scrimmage. When you’re going up against a team that you’re trying to possess the ball, the line of scrimmage is pretty darn important. To not be able to win it really hurt.”

To add insult to injury, Woodlan’s final score came on a 76-yard punt return late in the fourth quarter. Jack Stuckey fielded the ball on the run at his own 24-yard line, ran through the middle and broke two tackles on the way to the end zone.

“They were definitely the far superior team and you definitely run into that sometimes,” Millspaugh said. “They are so sound in all facets of the game.”