By Don Bachman
MINSTER – For the
sixth successive year the margin of victory in the Versailles-Minster football game
was one touchdown, this time with the Wildcats on the short end of a 13-6
count. The Versailles victory was its
fourth straight league success and secured them of at least a tie for the
Tri-County league championship. A win
over Piqua Catholic Friday night would give the Tigers undisputed possession of
the championship. Minster finished the season
with a 3-5 record.
Seven Minster
seniors played their last high school game for the Cats and were by no means
disgraced by their performance. The Cats
outrushed Versailles 162 to 117 and registered 13 first downs to the Tigers’
11, but a 51-yard punt return and an intercepted pass proved their downfall.
The highly touted
Tigers scored the first time they got the ball.
After Minster failed to gain a first down following the kickoff, Zimmerer punted to the Versailles 21 and Bill Strobel
returned it all the way to the Minster 18 before he was pulled down from behind
by Jim Dahlinghaus.
Short jabs through the line moved the ball to the one and Turpen dove over for the score. Neargarder’s
placement was perfect, and the Tigers led 7-0.
The Cats took the
kickoff and marched from their own 31 for a first down on the Tigers’ nine-yard
line. Two cracks at center put the ball
on the four but then the defense braced, and two end runs gained only one yard
and the Tigers took over on their own three.
Versailles began to drive and picked up four first downs to the Minster four,
but the half ended before they could score.
Minster stopped a
Tiger drive on the ten early in the third quarter but late in the period Neargarder grabbed a Minster jump pass on the Cats’ 26 to
set up the second touchdown. Four plays
put the ball on the six and Keller cracked over right tackle for the
score. The point attempt was blocked.
Jon Hogenkamp returned the kickoff 25 yards to the 43 and the
Cats went 57 yards in 17 plays for the score.
Hogenkamp was the ball carrier on eight of the
plays and scored the touchdown from eleven yards out with two minutes left in
the game.
The fumbles and
penalties of most football games were completely absent from the contest with
no penalties being called and neither team losing the ball on a fumble.
Scoring by quarters:
Versailles 7 0 0 6 — 13
Minster 0 0 0 6 — 6
Team
statistics VER MIN
First
downs 11 13
Rushing
yards 117 162
Passing
yards 75 4
Comp
- att - int ?-6-0 ?-5-2
Punts
- average 1-19 1-30
Fumbles
- lost 1-0 0-0
Penalty
yards 0 0