Waterford falls short against Garaway in the Regional Semifinals
By: Brody Montgomery
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WATERFORD, Ohio (WOUB) — Round three of the Ohio high school playoffs is underway as the Garaway Pirates travel to Beverly to take on the Waterford Wildcats. In this regional semifinal playoff game, the Pirates would win 29 to 25.
Garaway would receive the opening kick and get started on offense. On the first series of downs, the Wildcats would hold the Pirates to fourth and one. Garaway would choose to go for it and would just get enough to move the chains for a first down. From here, quarterback Grady Miller would find wideout Colson Kuemerle wide open down the field, and he would be tackled just short of the endzone at the three-yard line. On the very next play, the Pirates would fumble the football, and it would be recovered by the Wildcats inside their own five.
Following the fumble, Waterford would have tough field position to get their offense going. The drive would stall almost immediately, forcing the Wildcats to punt. On the punt, the snap would fly over the punter’s head and bounce into the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety.
Waterford would be forced to punt the ball back to Garaway, setting their offense up at the 39-yard line. The Pirates would quickly be faced with a third down, where Miller would throw another deep ball to wideout A.J. Miller for a long touchdown pass. This score would put the Pirates up by nine with three minutes left in the first quarter.
The wildcat offense would be able to pick up a few first downs, but they would be forced to punt once again.
Garaway would move methodically down the field, and after a Waterford defensive pass interference in the endzone, be set up at the three-yard line. From here, running back Matthew Frey would take the pitch in for a touchdown. This Pirate score would mark sixteen unanswered points for the Wildcats, giving Garaway a huge lead with halftime quickly approaching.
Waterford quarterback Avery Pottmeyer would throw an interception on the next Wildcat drive, giving the red-hot Pirate offense the ball right back. Garaway would capitalize on the Waterford interception as Miller would find Trey Miller in the endzone for another touchdown pass. This touchdown propelled the Pirates into a commanding 23-0 lead.
The Wildcat offense had yet to score and needed a scoring drive before halftime. After a few plays, Pottmeyer would find wide receiver Finnley Pennock wide open for a long touchdown pass before the second quarter would expire.
Waterford would start with the ball in the second half, but on the second play of the quarter the Wildcats would cough up the football. Waterford’s defense would help their offense out and get a stop of their own on the Pirates’ next offensive drive.
After getting the ball back, the Wildcats would go on an impressive drive down the field. After getting a few key penalties to keep the drive alive, Hayden Jones would score a short two-yard touchdown in the wildcat formation. Waterford would go for the two-point conversion to try and make the game an eight-point difference, but the Wildcats would throw an incomplete pass to keep the lead at ten. This touchdown would make the score 23-13.
The Wildcats’ defense would rise to the occasion once again, forcing the Pirates to punt the ball away. The punt would land in the end zone to set Waterford up at the 25-yard line.
The Wildcats offense would string together a few good running plays but would face a fourth-and-one. They would stay on the field,d and Pottmeyer would keep it himself; he would be met behind the line of scrimmage and be tackled for a loss, turning the ball over on downs.
With their back against the wall, the Waterford defense would need a big stop to keep the Wildcats in the game. Garaway would be able to put a long drive together and march down the field; they would quickly be set up inside the five, looking to put the game away. After a Miller quarterback keeper fell just a hair short of the endzone, the Pirates would hurry up and try to run a quarterback sneak before Waterford could get fully set. The rushed play would result in a bobbled snap and a fumble, which would be recovered by the Wildcats, their second fumble recovery inside their own three-yard line.
The Wildcats wouldn’t be able to capitalize on the fumble on their next drive, but they would find the end zone on their next possession. Pottmeyer would find his main target, Penstock,ck in the end zone once again to cut the lead to four. The extra point would be missed, sed keeping the score at 23-19.
With just under three minutes to play, Garaway would look to control the ball and run out the clock. The stout Waterford defense would deny the run, forcing the Pirates to go through the air. Miller would throw a deep ball, but it would be intercepted by Avery Pottmeyer, giving the Wildcats all the momentum.
Waterford would need a touchdown on this drive, and Pottmeyer would call his own number for the occasion. He would step up in the pocket, avoid a sack, and take off downfield for the biggest touchdown of the night. This score would put the Wildcats in front 25-23.
On their final drive of the game, Garaway would need to score in order to advance to the next round of the playoffs. Led by Miller, the Pirates would put together an impressive drive and score the game-winning touchdown. This score came too late for the Wildcats to do anything on the final drive of the game; the Pirates would come away with the win, 29-25.
Waterford’s season would come to an end after a very impressive second-half performance. Garaway will advance to the regional final against Monroe