Leonardo
By (hippy) TED RADICK
- THE COURIER
HAMLER — Trailing 21-8 early in the third quarter Friday night, Patrick Henry took over on downs at its 24 yard line after stopping an Archbold drive. The Patriots cracked off a 14-play drive, but were stopped on the Archbold 7 as a fourth-down play fell just short. Archbold scored on its next drive and iced a 35-14 Northwest Ohio Athletic League victory at Patrick Henry.
Archbold improved to 8-0 overall and 6-0 NWOAL. Patrick Henry (7-1, 6-1) lost for the first time 28 regular-season games and saw its 22-game NWOAL winning streak end.
“If we were going to make a run at them, we had to score there in the third quarter,” Patrick Henry coach Bill Inselmann said. “Kasey (Spence) was not available at that point because he was being evaluated for a concussion. We had our wildcat quarterback (Gabe Jones) in. Archbold stopped him and give them all the credit for that.”
Jones carried 10 times during the drive, which ate more than seven minutes off the third-quarter clock. His last run picked up three yards, but came up inches short after an official measurement.
“That was a big turning point,” Archbold coach Bryan Miller said. “We had to have that stop and we got it.”
Three plays later, Archbold quarterback Garrett Morton found receiver Desmond Sleigh on a streak route down the left sideline. Sleigh beat one defensive back, shook off the attempted tackle of another and scored on a 75-yard catch and run to give the Blue Streaks a 28-8 lead with 1:47 remaining in the third quarter.
“That was a 14-point swing right there,” Inselmann said. “They are the fastest team in the league. Three fourths of their state track relay team from last year is their receiving corps. We tried to match up as best we could, but. …”
Morton and Sleigh were a deadly combination as the duo hooked up for four touchdowns. Sleigh finished with nine receptions for 211 yards. Morton was 23 of 37 passing for 368 yards and was not intercepted.
“This is just a wonderful feeling,” Sleigh said. “They’ve been the program to beat for so long, and I think now that’s us, we’re the program to beat.”
Morton and Sleigh got right to work in the first quarter. A poor punt gave the Blue Streaks the ball on Patrick Henry’s 28 and Sleigh used his 4.5 40-yard speed to turn a simple bubble screen into a 28-yard touchdown.
“Me and Garrett, we work on routes all day at practice,” Sleigh said. “We know what’s going on in each other’s minds.”
Patrick Henry answered right back with a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive. A 38-yard connection from Spence to Alex Wilhelm keyed the drive, and Spence finished it off with a 2-yard run late in the first quarter. A two-point conversion gave the Patriots an 8-7 lead.
Another Morton to Sleigh touchdown, this one for 19 yards, gave Archbold the lead. Morton hit Tyson Dietrich on a 35-yard score in the second quarter for a 21-8 Archbold lead at halftime.
Morton’s fifth TD pass of the night, and the fourth to Sleigh, covered 46 yards with 13 seconds left in the third quarter and gave the Blue Streaks a 35-8 lead. Spence hit Wilhelm for a 23-yard score in the fourth quarter to wrap up the scoring.
“We’ve been 67-3 in our past 70 games,” Inselmann said. “Tonight, they were the better team. They were more athletic and they did things better. We’ve been on the other side. I told our kids you have to be a man and admit other people were better or did things better tonight.
“We’ve got a tough Eastwood (72-0 winner of Elmwood Friday) team coming up. It’s gut-check time for the players and coaches now. We’ve got the playoffs to play for and we’re going to stay positive. It’ll be a very physical football game coming up Friday night and we have to get better.”
Lucas Rosebrook led the Patriots on Friday with 75 yards on 13 carries. Spence rushed 12 times for 64 yards and was 10 of 14 passing for 105 yards with one TD and one interception.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been in this position, 27 games,” Inselmann said of Patrick Henry’s regular-season loss. “This is going to be a test for the coaches and the kids, and we’ve all got to do it. It’s a good test in life for the kids. Things don’t go right all the time in life or in football. What matters is how you respond and persevere and get over it.”