Jay advances with Connersville win (10/21/06)

CONNERSVILLE - The Patriots extended their winning streak over Connersville yet again. But for the first time in a while, they didn't make the fans sweat out the final minutes.

Jay County's football team made it through the first round of the 2006 tournament comfortably Friday night, finishing off the Connersville Spartans' season 30-6.

JCHS coach Shane Hill, whose team held on for a third straight one-point win 21-20 over the Spartans during the regular season, said one of the big keys was Connersville's lack of Gary Cerqua. The senior quarterback, who injured his ribs against Anderson Highland, was on the field for just one play.

"That was huge," said Hill of Cerqua, who led his team in rushing and passing as he nearly brought the Spartans back in the first meeting. "He's the heart and soul of their offense. He's also a real athletic kid on their defense. ... I give credit to that freshman quarterback (Zack Hufferd) for stepping up in a big game and doing what he did. He just wasn't ready for a situation like that."

The Patriots, who last played a tournament game at home in the 2003 quarterfinal round, will host Muncie Central (5-5) Friday at 7 p.m. The Bearcats earned their berth in the Sectional 12 semifinal round with a 32-7 pounding of Greenfield-Central.

In other games, Delta defeated New Castle 35-14, and Pendleton Heights beat Muncie Southside 44-14.

Sophomore quarterback Billy Wellman and junior running back Sam Lyons led Jay County (6-4) to a 278-yard advantage in total offense.

It was a laser pass from Wellman which got the Patriots going after a scoreless first quarter. Facing third-and-16 from Connersville 43-yard line, Wellman was forced to scramble to his right. He fired a 32-yard pass as he ran toward the right sideline, hitting Justin Mann in the middle of four Spartan defenders.

Three plays later Michael Jobe gave the Patriots the lead on a 13-yard touchdown scamper.

Wellman, who tossed for 166 yards, hit Sean Hatzell for a 48-yard completion on the next drive, then found Mann on a 25-yard touchdown strike. Lyons, who racked up a career-high 132 yards on 17 carries in just his second significant action at running back this year, added the two-point conversion.

Hill said one of the biggest differences Friday was his team was able to move Connersville's defensive tackles, which allowed for the big day from Lyons, 10 carries for 62 yards from Corey Comer and another 22 yards rushing from Jobe. Mann added four receptions for 83 yards.

"(Lyons is) going to be that kid that we're going to ask to do that little scat stuff up inside," said Hill. "It's a good one-two combination, and it does give us fresh legs. With Jobe playing on defense, he doesn't have to turn right around and worry about the offensive side of the ball. The weapons just keep coming out, and it's my job to keep using them."

After failing on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line on its first drive of the second half, the Patriot defense cashed it. They tackled Jamie Taylor in the end zone for a safety on what was Cerqua's only play of the contest.

Wellman later threaded the needle between a pair of Spartan defenders again, hitting Mann for a 10-yard touchdown and a 23-0 lead at the end of three quarters. He passed to Comer early in the fourth, and the senior fullback took the ball in for a 19-yard score.

Wellman missed some open receivers early in the game as he finished 7-of-16, but "then he throws the ball to Justin Mann in the corner and I still don't know how that got there," said Hill. "And he had a nice touch over a linebacker's head to Justin Mann. He's progressed exactly like we thought he would. He's starting to make smarter decisions. ... He's managing the game very, very well for us now."

In addition to the safety, the Patriot defense forced five turnovers, three interceptions and two fumbles. Muhlenkamp had one of those picks, which he returned about 50 yards, to go along with four tackles, Casey

Waters finished with six tackles and Comer had four tackles and a sack.

In all, Jay County limited the Spartans to just 111 yards, and an average of just over two yards per carry.

"We were able to focus on Jamie Taylor," said Hill, again mentioning Cerqua's absence. "We knew he was a pretty good running back ... we were able to take him away. And then we knew that we could probably beat them up front if they had to pass the ball a lot. We got a lot of pressure on their freshman quarterback."

The only downside for the Patriots was the 11 penalties assessed against them for 105 yards.

Hufferd went just 8-of-22 passing for 65 yards and the three interceptions. He was responsible for the lone Spartan score on a 9-yard pass to Eric Winkler midway through the final period.

Taylor was held to just 39 yards on 14 carries, and no other Connersville back had more than 11 yards.

"We didn't get the offense going very well," said Connersville coach Scott Snodgrass, whose team finished 1-9 and has not won a sectional game since 1999. "We had a freshman kid in at quarterback. He did a great job for us, but you've got to get better in there towards the end of the season.

"We tried to put Gary in there a little bit, but he was just too banged up."

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