All figured out

MONROEVILLE — “Figure it out!”

Those were the words shouted from the home Patriots’ sideline at the defense after giving up a 13-play, eight-and-a-half-minute scoring drive to open the game.

While the home squad still gave up 70 yards to the visiting Patriots through the rest of the first half, it got the job done to build a 14-7 advantage.

In the second half, the home Patriots certainly “Figure(d) it out,” creating four turnovers to keep control of the contest.

The Jay County High School football team punched the Heritage Patriots, which finished 13th in this week’s Class 3A Associated Press poll, but turnovers and big offensive plays powered HHS to a 35-13 victory.

“We’re getting better and we feel like we can compete with anybody we play,” said JCHS coach Grant Zgunda. “We don’t get many explosive plays, so we’ve got to execute really well. I thought we started out well defensively and played pretty well. The score doesn’t show that, but they’re a good football team and we had some shots. We just didn’t make plays when we needed. It’s the same thing from the last few months.”

Jay County (2-7, 1-5 Allen County Athletic Conference) executed on its opening drive to near perfection, marching 73 yards down field to get on the board first. Sean Bailey did a bulk of the work, rushing four times for 46 yards and going 5-for-5 for 24 yards through the air, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to Rhysin Blowers to cap off the score.

The opening drive was quiet, without excessive cheering from either fanbase and a nearly-silent Heritage defense, resulting in the “Figure it out!” line shouted by one of the coaches on the Heritage (8-1, 5-1 ACAC) sideline.

The home team didn’t manage a score on its first drive, but the defense started to figure things out to stop JCHS. Heritage then put together a four-play drive that featured a trio of runs by Lucas Weber, including a 45-yard rush to the end zone.

Two more failed drives by Jay County gave Heritage the ball with 20.3 seconds left. HHS quarterback Eli Tigulis connected with Zeke Litchfield to move the ball up 12 yards. Tigulis went back to the well, feeding Litchfield deep down the right sideline for a 66-yard touchdown to go up 14-7 at the end of the half.

The home Patriots created their first turnover of the game in the closing seconds of the first half, getting a fumble out of Vasin Ridgeway before jumping on the ball as the clock expired.

    JCHS senior quarterback Sean Bailey evades a tackle attempt by Heritage’s Max Mirelez before turning upfield for a 21-yard rush. Bailey led the Patriot offensive effort with 58 yards on the ground and 183 through the air. (The Commercial Review/Andrew Balko)
  

Heritage continued that trend in the second half, forcing four more JCHS turnovers.

The first came on the visiting Patriots’ initial drive, as Killian McBride snagged a ball intended for Brady Jetmore to give HHS the ball at the 10-yard line. Three plays later, Litchfield was in the end zone, catching a 20-yard TD pass.

Another pick in the third quarter — this time by Braden Walter — gave Heritage the ball at the 11-yard line before Walter and Weber pounded the ball into the end zone on the ground.

A third interception in the fourth quarter didn’t set up a Heritage score, but Walter’s grab at the HHS 2-yard line stripped Jay County of the chance to put a third TD on the board. (Jay County scored to end the third period with Bailey completing 5-of-5 passes for 71 yards. Benson Ward caught the 34-yard touchdown pass.)

A final turnover, a strip and recovered fumble, ended a 51-yard Jay County drive. Heritage scored on the following play with Weber breaking off a 72-yard run.

“It wasn’t really a schematic issue or a playing hard issue,” said HHS coach Jeremy Hullinger of the defensive mistake on the opening drive. “It was a man-for-man not getting the calls communicated down the line. Once we did that and got into our correct scheme. … 

“Five turnovers speak for themselves. Our guys are used to getting their hands on the ball and when they get their hands on the ball they usually come down with it.”

Heritage had a balanced offensive performance, throwing for 164 yards and two TDs and carrying for 168 yards and three TDs. Most of Jay County’s offensive work came through the air, as Bailey tossed two scores and gained 183 yards on 16-of-34 passing.

While Jay County couldn’t break through, it was in a threatening position all throughout the game.

“We came up here against a really good football team,” Zgunda said. “We had plenty of shots to be in a position to win the game and just came up short. … You’ve got to make plays to win and we’d love a couple of them back. I can’t fault anyone on those, but we’re not going to be able to win if we make turnovers like that.”

Jay County will face off against a winless Bellmont team in the sectional opener on Oct. 25 in Decatur.