FRHS unable to slow down Rockets

FORT RECOVERY — Midway through the third quarter, on third-and-8, Anna ran an option play as quarterback Alex Shappie pitched the ball to running back Zach Osborn.

Osborn, on a race to the marker near the right sideline, was stopped just 1 yard short of the line of gain. 

It brought up a fourth-down decision for Anna. 

With the score at 28-6, Fort Recovery still could have had a chance to rally, especially with a momentum-swinging defensive stand.

Anna coach Nick Marino did not even think about punting in Fort Recovery territory and kept his offense on the field.

The Rockets ran the ball straight up the middle, picking up 2 yards and moving the chains.

Three plays later Howell hit Noah Aufderhaar on an out route to put Anna up 35-6, effectively putting a damper on any hope for Fort Recovery to come back. 

Fort Recovery High School gave up 174 yards and four touchdowns to Shappie as it fell 49-6 Friday to the Anna Rockets.

“We knew defensively we had to be sound in a lot of areas, because they have tons of weapons over there,” said FRHS coach Brent Niekamp. “We knew that they had a nice quarterback (Shappie) and their running back 31 (Osborn) were nice players.”

Fort Recovery (2-7, 1-6 Midwest Athletic Conference) struggled all night offensively outside of a 72-yard touchdown drive that saw Reece Wendel finish it off with a 32-yard touchdown to make it 21-6 with 2:03 left in the first half.

It was the only ounce of momentum the Indians got throughout the night. 

On the next drive, Anna (6-3, 4-3 MAC) wasted no time and strategically sliced through the Fort Recovery defense with a plethora of different screen passes and sweeps off the edge. Shappie ended the drive on a 7-yard passing touchdown to Keith Homan, capping off a 28-point first half for the Rockets. 

“We struggled a lot blocking their front,” said Brent Niekamp. “They did a lot of moving and a good job of getting through our gaps and getting tackles for loss.”

Fort Recovery’s defense could not get off the field throughout the night. The Rockets used a variety of different looks, scoring three times on screen plays.

“We overran the ball,” said Niekamp. “Their running back (Osborn) was able to cut back across the pursuit, and we just couldn't make the tackle.

“We were aggressive blitzing tonight, and that gave us a chance to make stops every once in a while,” he added. “But when those blitzers didn't get home, those turned out to be big plays, and that’s kind of the risk and reward on that side of the ball.” 

Anna added insult to injury, scoring two more times in the third quarter through a 29-yard Shappie touchdown pass to Osborn and a 30-yard rushing touchdown by Wyatt Howell.

The Rockets also got a touchdown on special teams as the other Shappie brother, Aaron, took an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown. 

“We blocked well tonight,” said Anna coach Nick Marino. “We protected Alex (Shappie) when we did throw it, and sealed the perimeter when we called screens, so overall tonight everything came from the guys up front.”

Strong output from his receivers and backfield aided Shappie. Osborn ran for 64 yards off of 14 carries while hauling in three receptions for 78 yards. Aufderhaar also caught the ball four times for 64 yards. 

With just 127 yards of offense from 39 plays and just one completion, Fort Recovery struggled.

Wendel was a bright spot for the Indians, rushing for 73 yards on 14 attempts as he accounted for more than half of Fort Recovery’s production offensively. 

“Reece Wendel always competes, always runs the ball hard,” said Niekamp. “When we were able to get a hat on a hat, he was able to do some good things tonight.”

Fort Recovery will look to bounce back next week in its final regular season game against Minster (7-2, 5-2 MAC).

“Our guys play hard every week,” said Niekamp. “We’ve been punching above our weight class all year, every single game. We are going to keep playing hard and keep working to get better and see how much progress we can make in these next five days.”