Field Position, Defense Lead to Minster 41-13 Victory over Sidney Lehman

By Bruce Monnin

SIDNEY — The statistics didn’t look impressive at first glance, as the Minster Wildcats only outgained the Sidney Lehman Cavaliers by 21 yards for the game. But field position and two scores by an opportunistic Wildcat defense resulted in a resounding 41-13 win for Minster over Lehman.

The first drive made it appear it would be an easy night for the Wildcat offense. After a short pooch kickoff by the Cavaliers (the first of three they would try unsuccessfully on the night), Minster used only 1:30 of clock in driving 59 yards for a touchdown, capped off by a 12-yard Troy Kaufman run. Lehman answered late in the quarter with a 72-yard drive of their own, tying the score at 7-7 when Andrew Westerheide caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Dan Davis.

Perhaps the turning point of the game occurred on the next Cavalier possession. An incomplete pass attempt sailed backwards, and an alert Korey Schultz scooped up the ball and ran 20 yards for the go ahead score. Seemingly energized by the play, the Wildcats also scored on their next two possessions, with Schultz scoring on a 20-yard run and Adam Niemeyer going over on a quarterback sneak to make the halftime score 27-7.

Lehman started the second half with the ball, and the Minster defense struck again. While the Wildcat defensive line applied pressure to Lehman quarterback Davis, Jay Eilerman picked off the ensuing pass and cruised 32 yards for the second Minster defensive touchdown of the game.

The teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the final 41-13 score. Lehman scored on a two-yard Skylar Brown run, and Minster responded with a 22-yard screen pass from Niemeyer to Kaufman.

Despite the score, Minster only gained 254 yards compared to 233 yards for Lehman. This was mainly due to the fact that the Cavaliers’ average starting position for its own drives was their own 23-yard line, while the Wildcats average starting position was across midfield on the Lehman 47-yard line.

Minster coach Nate Moore noted some areas where his team needs to improve. “We’re happy to get out of here with a victory, but we need to get a lot better the next eight weeks. We also had some penalties (7 for 55 yards) we’re not going to be very happy with this week.”

Moore also found some areas where he was pleased with his team’s performance. “We didn’t turn the ball over this week,” he noted, “and anytime you score on defense or special teams it is a big momentum swing.”

Next week Saturday Minster (2-0) remains on the road to face the defending division six state champions, the 0-2 Delphos St. Johns Blue Jays.

Score by quarter 1 2 3 4 Total

Minster 7 20 7 7 41

Sidney Lehman 7 0 0 6 13