Stigleman stars in W

MONROEVILLE — Backed up after a penalty and a 9-yard sack, the visiting Patriots were facing second-and-30 from their own 37 yard line.
Cole Stigleman, who already had two touchdowns on the evening, was just trying to get as many yards as he could.
He didn’t stop until he reached the end zone.
Stigleman, a Jay County High School junior, rushed for more than 100 yards for the second consecutive game and scored all four of his team’s touchdowns Friday as Jay County High School defeated Heritage 28-14, spoiling the host Patriots’ senior night.
“It’s always the (offensive) line,” said Stigleman, who followed up his 173-yard rushing performance last week against Marshall with a 144-yard effort Friday. “Line is a big factor when you’re running the ball. They blocked very well tonight.”
His 63-yard scamper, which put the Patriots up 20-0 late in the second quarter, was simply a run he and his coach were hoping to get a few positive yards on for a manageable third down.
“We got in a bad predicament with some of our plays we were running,” said JCHS coach Tim Millspaugh, whose team finishes the regular season 6-3 overall and 4-2 Allen County Athletic Conference for third place. It marks just the third time in the last decade the Patriots have won six games.
Class 2A No. 1 Woodlan (9-0, 6-0 ACAC) scored a 28-16 win over Class 1A No. 4 Adams Central (8-1, 5-1 ACAC) to secure the conference title.
“We were trying to get some yards, seeing if we can get a first down,” Millspaugh said. “Worst case scenario we’ll put the ball and it will pin them.”
But Jacob Geesaman and Michael Schlechty executed their kick blocks perfectly, and Stigleman sprinted through the middle of the Heritage defense, cut down the right sideline and outran the host Patriots (3-6, 2-4 ACAC) to the end zone.
“Turned out there was a lot more space than I thought there would be and just kept running and went into the end zone,” Stigleman said. It was the first time in his career he had four total touchdowns.
He scored the first TD of the game late in the opening quarter on a 14-yard pass from Holton Hill. The junior quarterback rolled to his right and hit Stigleman open in the flat, and the running back made a juke at the sideline to dodge a defender and absorbed contact from two more Heritage players as he crossed the goal line.
“I just kind of leaked out, knew I was open,” he said. “Once he threw the ball I kind of figured I was going to score. I just had to make a cut and go. Just get in there.”
Midway through the second quarter Stigleman ran up the middle for a 5-yard touchdown to cap a 12-play, 80-yard drive. The visiting Patriots began the possession after Jay County’s defense made three straight stops inside its own 5-yard line and Heritage kicker Jonathan McNeal missed a 23-yard field goal.
Heritage, which had not lost to Jay County on its home field in the previous three meetings, managed only 112 yards of total offense in the first half. The home team punted on three of its first four possessions, and was close to reaching the end zone but ran out of time in the second quarter.
“They struggled moving the ball on us early,” said Millspaugh, whose team hosts Greenfield-Central (5-4) in the Class 4A Sectional 22 quarterfinal on Friday. “We got the ball back and were able to methodically go down and score and I think that set the tone for the first half.”
After halftime, however, the host Patriots adjusted defensively, forcing Jay County to a three-and-out on its opening possession. It was the only punt of the game for the visitors.
On the ensuing drive, a steady diet of running backs Evan Knapke and Jeshua Foster got Heritage back inside the Jay County 5-yard line, and quarterback McNeal called his own number for a 4-yard touchdown to make it 20-7.
Stigleman and Jay County answered, as the junior scored on an 11-yard run. Michael Schlechty out-jumped a Heritage defender in the right corner of the end zone for the 2-point conversion to put Jay County on top, 28-7.
Hill finished the game 5-of-11 passing for 64 yards and two interceptions. His first pick was on a deflection late in the second quarter, and the other was during the fourth quarter and resulted in a Heritage touchdown drive.
“Hats off to Heritage, they did a nice job making adjustments and coming out to play in the third quarter,” Millspaugh said.
But Friday was about the visitors on the scoreboard, who reached another goal of winning six games and finishing in the top three in the conference.
“You always want to have momentum going into the tournament,” Millspaugh said. “We have that.”
And Stigleman reiterated something he said after last week’s thumping of Indianapolis Marshal.
“Six-and-three … finally got it,” he said.