Chieftains Ride Super Defensive Outing to 9-0 Shut-Out of Chillicothe

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The last time Chillicothe visited Bill Sauer Field, they put up a whopping 60 points. It's only fitting that in the following trip, the Logan defense would rebound with a shut-out. Fighting rain and mud all night, neither offense looked stellar, however Logan failed to convert on all their offensive opportunities, and still won the football game.

A steady downpour fell for the first quarter, and the Logan defense was a steady blanket all game long. Chillicothe was held to just 67 yards of total offense all night, but more impressive was the running totals. The Chieftains held the Cavaliers to just 26 yards on 28 carries. The Logan offense was much improved this week, although the scoreboard may not be the best indeicator of that. The Chieftains missed a field goal and were stopped on 4th down inside the Chillicothe 5-yard line. The game easily could have been 17-0 in favor of the Chiefs.

Logan's offense was aided all night by two key contributors. Junior Tight-End Jake Wolfe made his first appearance replacing the injured Cole Resler, and caught 3 passes for 43 yards, all three picking up key first downs. Austin Rohr was the workhorse, trudging through the mud on 28 carries. Junior Corey Spackey looked much more comfortable, as he completed 6 of 14 passes. He was intercepted once, but Chillicothe's Kevin Milliken was brilliant on the pick.

The Logan TD drive came early in the second quarter. The Chiefs marched 55-yards on 13 plays and capped the drive with a 2-yard Austin Rohr TD plunge. The Nick Poindexter PAT put the Chiefs on top 7-0. The drive was aided by a 45-yard Patrick Howe sprint that put the Chiefs deep in Cavalier territory. The touchdown snapped a 13-quarter TD-less streak for the Chieftains. The Chiefs just missed on two other scoring opportunities. One was set up by a long interception return by Junior safety Tory Kratzenburg that put the Chiefs deep in Chilicothe territory. A pass to Steve Call gave Logan a first down on the 14, however Logan was stopped on 4th down and had to turn the ball over on downs. In the fourth quarter Logan reached the redzone once again, and this time the Chiefs tried their hands at a 32-yard field goal. Poindexter's kick bounced off the cross bar, and the Chiefs were stuck at 7-0.

However, the Chiefs held Chillicothe to a 3 and out, and on the ensuing punt, the ball sailed over the punters head and in to the endzone for a safety. The Chiefs had the cushion they needed.

The Chieftain defense was the real story in the contest, especially a defensive backfield which intercepted two passes. Both safeties (Kratzenburg and Junior Jordan Walsh) both made INTs, while covermen Patrick Howe and Michael Sexton were like blankets limiting Chillicothe to 3-15 passing for 41 yards. Linebackers Steve Call, Josh Sturgell, and Justin Pack were key players as well. Steve Call made a fumble recovery and was in on a majority of tackles, while Pack and Sturgell were key in both coverage and run stoppage. Pack recorded a sack. The D-line continues to play solid, without Soph. NG Stephen Spears, the tackles Justin Coakley, Kevin Call, Jacob Bray, Jason Starr, and Rob Rose all rotated and wore out the Chillicothe offensive front. Ends Tyler Ackison and Nathan Wagner came up big as well. Wagner had a fumble recovery and a pass break up to go along with disrupting more than half of the CHS offensive plays.

Not to be outdone is the Purple and White offensive line. Tackles Jacob Bookman, Kasey Kernen, and Soph. Tyson Kratzenburg can all get the job done when they are on the field. Jesse Herring is filling in nicely at Guard, while Jared Walton was amazing, recording atleast two pancakes. Jonathan Stoneburner has filled in for Ray Robinson extremely well at Center. Corey Spackey finished 6-14 for 67 yards and one INT. He looke much more comfortable and improved his decision making. He had a coupld of nice scrambles, one for a first down. Austin Rohr finished with 84 yards on 28 carries with a TD. Howe rushed twice for 47 yards, Justin Coakley had 2 carries for 26 yards, and Steve Call had 6 carries for 23 yards and caught one pass for 12-yards. Wolfe led all receivers with 3 catches for 43 yards.

The Chiefs return to action this Friday at home against Pickerington North (1-1).

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