Jets fly by Patriots

MONROE — Just when the Patriots had an answer for Drew Schultz, the Jets raced around the outside.
On the rare occasion the speedy running backs got stopped, quarterback Andrew Hammond faked a handoff, dropped back and threw downfield.
A steady mix of power between the tackles, speed on the outside and timely passing plays helped the Adams Central football team to a 33-7 victory Friday over the Jay County Patriots.
“We were much more competitive this time than a year ago,” said JCHS coach Tim Millspaugh, whose team fell 43-7 when the team’s met in 2015. “We know that to get to the top of this conference and to compete in our sectional we still have a ways to go.”
Michael Mosser, whose Flying Jet team is defending a sectional championship and ranked fourth in Class 1A, was pleased his team was able to use a more balanced attack than normal.
“We wanted to work on the pass a little bit, which is what we really need to do because we haven’t been able to do much of that before,” said Mosser.
The Jets (4-0, 1-0 ACAC) had attempted just 12 passes through their first three games, but Friday night Hammond was 8-for-12 for 170 yards.
“We’re not just a run-heavy team and if we need to pass we can do so,” he said.
Adams Central’s running game, led by 6-foot, 3-inch, 238-pound fullback Drew Schultz, set up the plays through the air. After forcing the Patriots (2-2, 1-1 ACAC) to punt on the game’s opening drive, the Jets got the ball at their own 36. Schultz carried the ball twice for 19 yards. Later in the drive, facing third-and-15 from the Jay County 37, Hammond found Logan Macklin for a 34-yard strike, and Schultz went up the middle for the first score.
Schultz finished with 69 hard-fought yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. Macklin also scored twice, both in the second quarter, on runs of 8 and 15 yards respectively as Adams Central led 20-0 at half.
Millspaugh agreed it was challenging for the Jay County defense to bring down a running back with Schultz’s size.
“I think it’s even more difficult when you have the guys up front that they do,” he said. “A lot of their offensive line is coming back from a year ago.
“They’ve got (Schultz) and then the Macklin kid is just fast as all get out.”
Blake Bauman — he had a 5-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter to give the Jets a 33-0 advantage — and Macklin were the speedy guys around the edge. Macklin totaled 65 yards, Bauman had 43 as the Jets racked up 241 yards on the ground.
“It is a good mix,” Millspaugh said. “They are a good football team.”
One week removed from having three 100-yard rushing performances against Southern Wells, the Jay County offensive line struggled against an oversized Adams Central defensive front.
The Patriots punted on each of their first five possessions and had their last drive of the opening half end on an interception. They had just 70 yards of total offense in the first 24 minutes.
“Again, it is the trenches,” Millspaugh said.
Four Patriots finished with negative rushing totals, and they were held to no gain or pushed backward a dozen times.
“We have to consistently win the point of attack,” Millspaugh added. “That is one of the better defensive fronts that we’ll see all season. They had a very difficult front to block and it showed at times.”
Junior Cole Stigleman led the Patriots with 130 yards on the ground, the bulk of which came on his team’s only scoring play.
After Adams Central scored for the final time, Stigleman returned the kickoff 41 yards to the Patriot 45-yard line. His next carry went to midfield, and on the subsequent run, a sweep to the right, he found the right edge against the Jets’ junior varsity defense and sprinted down the sideline for a 50-yard score.
It was his second 100-plus yard rushing game this year and 10th of his career. But aside from Stigleman, Ryan Schlechty had the next highest rushing total, reaching 22 yards on six carries.
“I was really pleased with the way our defense played,” said Mosser.
The only true blemish for the Jets was the fact they put the ball on the ground six times and lost three of those fumbles.
One was on the Jets’ second drive of the game when Schultz mishandled a handoff and Brandt Pearson jumped on the loose ball. Caden Stant recovered a fumble in the second quarter after Hunter Lotter had it dislodged following a completion, and Dawson Frasher gave his team possession by coming up with a free ball late in the fourth quarter.