LEXNGTON, Ohio – In the record book, Lexington’s 25-8 loss to Wooster on Friday night looks the same as last week’s debacle at Madison.
But Lexington coach Taylor Gerhardt saw something that was missing in the 59-10 loss to the Rams.
“I saw energy and I saw a willingness to fight back. I didn’t see either of those things last week,” the second-year coach said. “I love these kids. I tell them that every Friday night before the game.
“What we have here is not broken. We just have to go back to work and figure out how not to give up so many big plays and how to get our offense working the way it was (earlier this season).”
The Minutemen owned a statistical edge over the Generals with with 14 first downs and 336 yards of offense in 60 offensive plays. Wooster had 328 yards and 11 first downs on 12 fewer snaps.
The loss dropped Lexington’s record to 5-2 overall, 2-2 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference. The defending league champion Generals improved to 6-1 and 4-0 in the league, the only team with a perfect conference record.
Better Start: Against the Rams, Lexington trailed 45-3 at halftime. The scored might have been tied at 11 against Wooster if the Generals had not blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt by Lexington’s Joey Vore on the last play of the half.
“I thought we kind of limped through the first half,” Wooster coach Doug Haas said. “We got some momentum blocking the field goal and felt good to be getting the ball to start the second half.
“We hit the big play in that drive and made some adjustments on defense. We played much better after that.”
The big play Haas referenced came on a third-and-nine from Wooster’s 21. Junior QB Peyton Bennington hit sophomore receiver Calvin Blair on a quick slant and he raced 79 yards to score. The TD extended the Generals’ lead to double digits early in the third quarter.
“I wouldn’t call (that play) a backbreaker at that point, but it was a big play,” Haas said.
Gerhardt praised Wooster’s offensive tools, lamenting his team’s inability to move the ball consistently and keep the Generals’ offense on the sidelines. One of Wooster’s other scores was a 51-yard run by sophomore Trey-Quan Mathis early in the fourth quarter that put the Generals up 25-8.
“When you have the weapons they possess, you just can’t keep putting your defense on the field,” Gerhardt said.
Passing Connection: One of the bright spots for Lexington was junior wide receiver A.J. Nickoli, who had seven receptions from Vore for 155 yards, averaging better than 20 yards per catch. Included in that total was a 68-yard scoring strike on a quick slant that Nickoli took all the way, putting Lexington ahead 8-3 midway through the second quarter.
It was the first receiving TD of the season for Nickoli, who now has 21 catches for 322 yards.
The other offensive highlight was junior running back Hunter Biddle, who rushed for 90 yards on 16 carries, 72 in the second half. Other Lexington backs, including Vore, combined to gain just 49 yards on 20 carries.
“We need to stay on our blocks just a little longer,” Gerhardt said. “If we do that, we pop through the hole and gain more yards. But when you give up big plays and don’t produce on offense, it’s hard to win games.”
Up Next: Next Friday, the Minutemen travel to play winless West Holmes. Wooster returns home next Friday to meet Mansfield Senior (5-2, 3-1) in a key OCC clash.
“We have to be ready to play at West Holmes,” Gerhardt said. “We must come to the field with the same energy, but a little more discipline.”
