Ground attack, defense key Panthers’ rout
by Greg Ceilley of The Review staff
PLYMOUTH – The 1-2 running combination of Mitch Unger and Hayden Potts, and a swarming defense sparked the Plymouth Panthers to a 26-0 drubbing of Grafton here Friday night.
Unger, a senior quarterback, rushed for a game-high 161 yards on 23 attempts. Potts, a senior tailback, ran for 101 yards on 24 carries. PHS racked up 294 yards on the ground.
The nonconference win evened the Panthers’ football record at 1-1 while the Black Hawks fell to 0-2.
The Panthers’ defense held Grafton to only 81 yards in total offense, including just 47 yards rushing on 30 attempts.
“We played hard, the running backs ran over people and our defense swarmed to the ball,” said Panther head coach Dan Knaus.
“We have things we need to correct. We made too many mental mistakes on offense and special teams.
“We need to be able to be more physical inside on offense,” Knaus said.
PHS took the opening kickoff and drove 69 yards for a touchdown on six running plays. Unger burst through the middle on a keeper, made a nice cut to the outside and sprinted to the end zone. Other key plays were Potts’ 12-yard run and Unger’s 11-yard keeper.
Aaron Cantleberry added the PAT for a 7-0 lead with 9:17 left in the first quarter.
The Panthers upped their advantage to 14-0 on Potts’ 2-yard scoring plunge with 8:57 remaining in the second period. The TD climaxed a 10-play, 59-yard march on the ground. Cantleberry booted the PAT.
The score was set up by an outstanding 16-yard run by Unger to the 3 in which he broke several tackles with great determination.
Marcus Hill returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards to the PHS 30-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Ryan Hartwig zipped a 24-yard pass to B.J. Weisflog to the 6.
Plymouth took over on downs when Hartwig stepped out of bounds at the 2 on a fourth-and-goal pass attempt. Hartwig tossed an apparent TD pass to Nick Scherzer but the completion was nullified because Hartwig was ruled out of bounds before he threw the pass.
Cantleberry booted a 23-yard field midway through the fourth quarter to make it 17-0. The key play was Unger’s 16-yard run to the Grafton 12.
On Grafton’s next possession, Hartwig was sacked in the end zone for a safety by defensive lineman Geno Kiela and linebacker Matt Augustine – boosting the Panthers’ lead to 19-0.
PHS took over at the Black Hawk 35 following a free kick and a 15-yard personal-foul penalty. Unger ripped off 12- and 19-yard gains which put the ball at the 4. After Unger’s 3-yard run, Potts punched the ball in for a 1-yard score. Cantleberry’s PAT gave his team a 26-0 advantage with 3:39 remaining.
“They were focused on stopping Hayden and that left the perimeter open for Mitch. They ran extremely hard,” Knaus said.
“Our running game was great. Hayden and Brock Reichardt [fullback] blocked great, and our line did a good job with a forward push,” said Unger who switched to quarterback this season after playing wide receiver in 2009.
PHS is using the spread and I-formation on offense and allowing Unger to utilize his running skills – often from the shotgun.
“I like the shotgun. It gives me more options. Defenses can’t key on Hayden. If they do, I’ll get a lot of yards. If they key on me, Hayden will get a lot of yards,” Unger said.
“Matt Augustine, for his first varsity start, played really well. The whole defense played outstanding,” said Knaus.
| FOOTBALL
|
| GRAFTON 0 |
| PLYMOUTH 26 |
Graf Ply First downs ....5 17
| Rushing Yards…………………..47 | 294 | |
| Passing Yards ..34 | | | 48 | | |
| Comp-Att-Int………………..4-14-0 | | 3-13-1 | |
| Penalties-Yards 5-40 | | 4-30 | | |
| Punts-Averages 8-27 | | 2-38 | | |
| Fumbles-Lost………………….…2-1 | | 2-1 | |
| Grafton………………………..0 | 0 | 0 | 0 – | 0 | |
| Plymouth…………………….7 | 7 | 0 | 12 – 26 | |
Score by Quarters
Scoring
Ply – Mitch Unger 27 run (Aaron Cantleberry kick)
Ply – Hayden Potts 2 run (Cantleberry kick)
Ply – FG Cantleberry 23
Ply – Safety, Ryan Hartwig tackled in end zone by Matt Augustine and Geno Kiela
Ply – Potts 1 run (Cantleberry kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing – Grafton, Marcus Hill 18-26. Plymouth, Hayden Potts 24-101, Mitch Unger 23-161.
Passing – Grafton Ryan Hartwig 4-14-0-34. Plymouth, Unger 3-13-1-48.
Receiving – Grafton, B.J. Weisflog 1-24. Plymouth, __________ E_v_a_n_ G_u_e_l_l 2_-_3_9_. _____
