Given away

WOODBURN — Turnovers had haunted the Patriots through their first five games.

They put the ball on the ground 13 times, lost five fumbles and threw five interceptions.

They doomed them once again Saturday night against the Warriors.

Jay County High School’s football team turned the ball over five times and its offense wasn’t able to capitalize when given good field position in a 32-7 loss to the host Woodlan Warriors on Saturday at Etzler Field.

The game was postponed on Friday because of thunderstorms.

“When you turn the ball over five times — in the last couple of seasons we’ve turned the ball over 11 times in a season — there’s no way we can do that,” said JCHS coach Tim Millspaugh. “That is an absolute killer. It ends our drive and gives them another opportunity to score.”

With the loss, Jay County dips to 0-6 on the year and 0-4 in Allen County Athletic Conference play. It is the first time in program history the Patriots have started a season with six consecutive losses.

After Woodlan (3-3, 3-1 ACAC) scored on its opening drive, the Warriors recovered the ensuing kickoff at the JCHS 29-yard line as the Patriots never attempted to receive a ball that was kicked between the second and third levels of the return coverage.

Jay County’s defense made its first of many defensive stops when Charlie Brunswick tipped a fourth down pass at the line of scrimmage.

The Patriots took over at their own 25-yard line, but three plays into their drive Austin Stephenson intercepted a Sam Dunlavy pass. It was Stephenson’s first of two interceptions and the Warriors’ five takeaways.

That was the only JCHS turnover that led directly to points, as Trevor Wallace later dived across the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown, his second of three scores.

Wallace caught a 19-yard TD pass from Woodlan quarterback Nathan Bradtmueller on the opening drive, and had a 9-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.

Bradtmueller finished 18-of-27 through the air for 190 yards with the two scores and two turnovers. Wallace caught six passes for 78 yards. Jacob Roemer led the Warrior rushing attack with 21 carries for 143 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Jay County put the ball on the ground on its second possession of the first period, and lost another fumble in a three-turnover fourth quarter. Keegan Jones and Stephenson both had interceptions in the final period.

“Absolute killers,” Millspaugh said of the giveaways. Jay County had a chance to get in the end zone before half but had a pass fall incomplete at the 5-yard line as the second-quarter clock ran out.

Defensively, the Patriots forced three turnovers of their own with the team’s first two interceptions of the season and another fumble recovery. Sheldon Eley picked off a Bradtmueller pass in the first quarter and Quinn Faulkner had a tipped ball fall into his hands and he returned it 58 yards. Rylee Huftel also had a third-quarter fumble recovery.

Jay County wasn’t able to gain a yard after Faulkner put the Patriot offense at the Woodlan 27, and the offense managed just one yard in the third quarter following Huftel’s fumble recovery at the WHS 39.

“Defense played well today,” Millspaugh said. “It was the offense that couldn’t get out of their way at times.”

Jay County’s scoring drive was on the first possession of the second half. On third-and-8 from the Patriot 42, Dunlavy connected with Eley for a 20-yard pass. After Huftel carried the ball for 2 yards, Dunlavy lofted a pass down the left sideline to Bailey Cox on a wheel route, and Cox caught it with his fingertips for a 35-yard gain to put the Patriots at the 2.

Cox covered the next two yards in two plays for the touchdown.

“We were very excited,” Millspaugh said. “We talked about the importance of the first drive. We got the wheel route out of the backfield with Bailey. It was a good ball. He caught it. Then we were able to punch it in so obviously we were pleased.”

Dunlavy was 7-of-16 for 111 yards, and Cox rumbled 61 yards on 19 carries. Eley added 32 yards on three catches.

Certainly the turnovers hurt, but the inability to put the ball in the end zone was critical as well.

“I’m really proud of the defense,” Millspaugh said. Jay County meets Class A No. 3 South Adams (6-0, 3-0 ACAC) on Friday in Berne. “They’ve heard quite a bit about giving up big plays. I thought they did a much better job today than they have.

“They gave us a really short field. We had multiple opportunities to score and certainly get that game really, really close, unfortunately we couldn’t do it.”