Irish blast JCHS (10/07/06)

INDIANAPOLIS - Thanks to a first-quarter stop and a long delay, the Jay County Patriots stayed within seven points of the seventh-ranked team in the state for nearly an hour. But when the lights turned on, the Fighting Irish offense did as well.

Class 4A No. 7 Indianapolis Cathedral exploded for 35 second-quarter points, including two touchdowns in the final minute of the opening half as it rolled over the Jay County football team 70-13 Friday night.

"We apologize for the lights," were the first words out of Cathedral coach Jim O'Hara's mouth after the game. "The head coach from Arlington had the key to the lights. We apologize for that.

"We have a lot of respect for Jay County. Shane (Hill) has done a great job. The kids play hard. The score's not indicative of the ballgame."

Hill said despite the final margin, the game against one of the premier teams in the state will help his squad as it prepares for what is a wide-open sectional in two weeks. Cathedral, which has scored 139 points over the last two games, opened the season as the No. 1 ranked squad in the state and has been in the top 10 all year.

"We're not going to see another team like this," said Hill. "Now we know what it felt like to be in a battle like this and we will be able to overcome obstacles when we face them later on. We're going to learn from this. I guarantee there are going to be positive things all over the film - and then build on those as we go into the last game and then go into sectional."

Jay County gave up a touchdown on the opening drive, but stopped the Fighting Irish (6-2) for a three-and-out on the second. Cathedral was moving the ball on its third possession when the game was halted for more than a half-hour as officials worked to turn on the lights at the Indianapolis Arlington field.

When the lights were turned on and play resumed, the Fighting Irish needed just five plays to reach the end zone. And they never stopped visiting pay dirt in the second quarter.

The Patriots (4-4), who can guarantee themselves back-to-back seasons of .500 or better for the first time since 1988 with a win over Greenfield-Central (1-7) Friday night, went three-and-out on each of the next two drives and Cathedral cashed in. A three-play drive gave the Irish their second score of the quarter, ending on an 18-yard quarterback keeper out of a full-house backfield by Bobby Powers. The senior also scored the third TD of the period, taking a designed quarterback draw on third-and-13 for a 35-yard touchdown.

A fumble recovery set up another short Cathedral drive, this time four plays, capped by a Powers 7-yard pass to Glenn Miller with just 59 seconds left before halftime. But an interception gave the Fighting Irish the ball once more before the intermission and Stubbs got his second touchdown on a 13-yard run with 18.5 seconds on the clock to give the home team a 42-0 lead.

Powers finished 5-of-8 passing for 69 yards to go along with his 77 yards on the ground. He accounted for four touchdowns, three on the ground and one through the air.

Stubbs picked up 115 of Cathedral's 317 yards on the ground on his 13 carries.

"Our offensive line probably doesn't get enough credit for what they do," said O'Hara. "They really are the heart and soul of our team. William is a tough, tough back - I was happy for our offensive line, and really the whole team. We played great defense and the special teams played well.

"Powers is a quality young man. He's one of those kids who's the first one to practice, last one to leave. We believe in him and the kids believe in him."

The Fighting Irish added four more touchdowns in the second half, but Billy Wellman also served notice that

Powers was not the only talented quarterback on the field. Wellman's scrambling and making the most out of broken plays was the best offense Jay County found all night as he picked up 72 yards on his six rushing attempts. He also completed five passes for 79 yards.

The sophomore turned in a gritty effort, scrambling twice for big gains and converting a third down and a fourth down on the Patriots' first scoring drive. He capped the drive with a touchdown pass, stepping up in the pocket and finding Aaron Bogenschutz over the middle for a 14-yard score with 3:18 to go in the third quarter.

"I'll tell you what, (Wellman) is a very good quarterback," said O'Hara. "That kid throws a great ball. And he scrambled well. And we work on a scramble drill, so it's not like we don't practice against it. - He's got some poise, and He's going to be a great quarterback."

Wellman's gutty play was perhaps shown off best after he threw an interception late in the opening half.

Scrambling and trying to make a big play, he ran to his left and threw the ball just before he reached the left sideline. As he went out of bounds he ran into a member of the chain gang, but managed to hold up the defenseless worker. Then he turned his attention back to the field, where he returned to help make the tackle on the runback of the interception.

He finished with 61 of the Patriots' 164 rushing yards, and completed five passes for 79 yards. Sam Lyons gained 53 yards on the ground in the second half, and scored the second Jay County touchdown.

"(Wellman) did a great job, but I've got to give some credit to the offensive line as well," said Hill. "We had same problems early and we started getting them fixed. The pocket was starting to form around Billy, which was allowing him to step up in holes - "He played one of the smartest halves of football in that first half, and then in the second half he came out and did what we wanted him to do. In the midst of a lot of adversity, his decision making - in that first half really showed the maturity level he has developed and what kind of quarterback he can be."

Jay County was hurt the most in the second half by its own mistakes as a pair of fumbles were returned for touchdowns. The Patriots turned the ball over four times in all.[[In-content Ad]]