Caldwell defense steps up late in win over Waterford
By: Ryan Finn
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MORGAN, Oh (WOUB)-Caldwell and Waterford met in a pivotal region 27 playoff matchup at a neutral site at Morgan High School.
Caldwell broke through first, thanks to quarterback Cale Bender hitting tight end Ethan Crock on a 4th down conversion to put Caldwell up 7-0.
Defense was prevalent for most of the first half. A blocked punt would put Waterford in the red zone. Colton Jones would then muscle his way to the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown to knot the game up at seven.
Right before the end of the first half, Waterford’s special teams would botch a snap and put Caldwell in prime field position. Bender would then take a designed quarterback run into the endzone to put Caldwell up 14-7 at half.
To open up the 3rd quarter, Quarterback Hayden Jones and the Wildcat offense would storm down the field with a 4-minute drive. The drive would be capped off by a tipped touchdown catch to receiver Jacob Hiess.
Caldwell would use a big rushing play to get into the Waterford redzone, and score another touchdown to take a 20-13 after a missed 2-pt conversion.
The game became a defensive stalemate moving into the fourth quarter. The Caldwell defense would stop 2 game-tying drives with a fumble and a game sealing interception to push Caldwell into the regional final.
Caldwell’s defense seemed to be too much for the Wildcats, as Caldwell would win 20 to 13.
Caldwell moves on to the regional final to play the 10-0 Easter Eagles, while Waterford’s run to the regional final is over.