Three Second Quarter Scores Secure 28-6 Minster Win over Fort Recovery

By Bruce Monnin

MINSTER — It was Minster’s wishbone rushing attack against Fort Recovery’s passing offense Friday night, but in the end, Minster was able to add a little passing while preventing Fort Recovery from mounting any running game in a 28-6 win for the Wildcats.

Fort Recovery posted 230 yards through the air on the night, which Minster countered with 102 yards of their own. But the Indians had no answer for the Wildcat’s 328 rushing yards, as the Minster defense held Fort Recovery to -14 total rushing yards for the game.

Fort Recovery took the opening kickoff and garnered one first down before punting away to the Wildcats. Minster then ran the ball on all ten plays of a 60-yard touchdown drive, with Dan Mueller finishing off the drive with a five-yard scoring plunge.

The drive greatly pleased Minster coach Eric Belcher. “We told the kids they have to be able to go down and score that first possession,” explained Belcher. “It gives the team confidence going into the rest of the game.”

The second quarter saw most of the action in the game. After stopping Fort Recovery on a fourth down and one play inside Wildcat territory, Minster put together a 9-play touchdown drive, with Zac Boeke running 13 yards for the touchdown to give the Wildcats a 14-0 lead.

A Boeke interception gave Minster another scoring opportunity, but a fumble two plays later ended the threat. The Indians took advantage of their chance. Using 11 plays and seven completed passes, Fort Recovery hit paydirt on a 3-yard toss from Toby Metzger to Frank Thien. A blocked kick left the score 14-6 halfway through the second period.

Andrew Meyer received the ensuing kickoff and returned it to the Indian 18-yard line. Three carries later Minster gave away another scoring chance with another fumble, this one recovered by Fort Recovery at their own one-yard line. The Minster defense held Fort Recovery to one yard on three plays, but Metzger hit Michael Trobridge on a 26-yard pass during a daring fake punt from their own end zone to get out of the shadow of the Wildcat goal line.

Alas, the Indian offense could drive no farther, and when Minster received the ball again, they took only five plays to score on a 25-yard strike from Mueller to Andrew Baumer, increasing the Wildcat lead to 20-6 with just 1:49 left in the half.

After three incomplete Fort Recovery passes, Minster received the ball one last time before intermission and again took just five plays to score, this time with Andrew Meyer bulling into the end zone from 19 yards out. This turned out to be the last score in a 28-6 Wildcat victory.

Minster looked to put the game away early in the third quarter with a nine-play drive, but for the third time on the night they fumbled deep in Fort Recovery territory to stop themselves. “If we don’t hold onto the ball, we are going to lose a lot of games,” worried Belcher. “We are going to do a lot of drills on holding onto the ball.”

The Indians responded with their own 14-play drive. They converted one fourth-down play on the drive, but after achieving first down and goal at the one-yard line, the Wildcat defense stopped the Indians on four straight plays to end Fort Recovery’s last scoring threat.

Minster would drive deep into Fort Recovery territory late in the game, but after earning a first down and goal chose to take a couple of knees to run out the clock.

The win evens the Wildcats record in MAC play and gives them a winning record for the season to date. “In this league you have to win the home games,” stated Belcher. “You can’t let people come in and win in your house.”

Coach Brent Niekamp explained it from the Fort Recovery perspective. “We stepped up our play in the second half. We’re just looking for more consistency. We had chances but made mistakes here and there offensively.”

Difficult tests await both teams next week. 2-1 Minster travels Saturday to face similarly 2-1 Delphos St. Johns while Fort Recovery, now 1-2, hosts 2-1 Versailles Friday.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Minster 7 21 0 0 — 28

Fort Recovery 0 7 0 0 — 7