By Brian Hemminger
The Daily Chief-Union

BUCYRUS — Allen East made it interesting early in the fourth quarter, but
the Wynford football team made some big plays down the stretch to pull away
for a 31-13 victory Friday night in a non-conference match-up.

Allen East (1-2) made Wynford nervous early in the fourth quarter on a 19-yard strike from quarterback Tyler Clum to wide receiver Cole Fletcher for a touchdown. The two-play 29-second drive also featured an impressive 54-yard pass from Clum to Fletcher and brought the Mustangs within 5 points of Wynford for a score of 18-13.

Seizing the momentum, Allen East then successfully converted an onside kick, giving the Mustangs a chance to take their first lead of the game.

But Wynford’s (2-1) defense stepped up, sacking Clum and forcing a three-and-out. Allen East was kept out of the end zone from that point on.

“When our back was against the wall on the short kickoff recovery, our kids responded and I was very proud of them for that,” Wynford coach Gabe Helbert said.

A pair of aggressive calls from Helbert helped give the Royals an edge in the second half, converting a fourth and short in their own territory in the third quarter, and then pulling off an onside kick of their own following a score in the fourth quarter.

“We have to make plays and be aggressive to try and win football games,” Helbert said. “Same thing goes with the fourth and 1. We have to make plays to win games instead of playing not to lose. Our kids responded.”

After not touching the ball offensively in the first half, it was sophomore running back Cody Taylor who received the majority of the touches in the second half for Wynford.

Taylor finished with 15 rushes for 86 yards and a touchdown, leading the Royals in rushing. He repeatedly blasted through the small holes made by the offensive line and occasionally made something out of nothing by breaking tackles or juking past defenders.

“(Cody Taylor) was a difference maker,” Helbert said. “Cody came in the second half and he was a spark. Talking at halftime on an adjustment standpoint, Cody gives you a different look because he¹s quick and low to the ground.”

Wynford made it look easy in the beginning of the game, intercepting the first pass Clum threw. Just four plays later, Kendall Blair punched in a 1-yard rushing touchdown to give the Royals a 6-0 lead following a failed 2-point conversion.

After trading punts, Taylor gave Wynford its second touchdown of the game, this time defensively. An Allen East receiver bobbled the ball into Taylor’s hands and he scampered 35 yards for a defensive score to give Wynford a 12-0 lead heading into halftime.

“(Cody) had the huge defensive play for a score and we needed that,” Helbert said. “He made a huge play when we were stagnant offensively.” Allen East responded in the third quarter with some more big plays from the passing game, culminating in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Clum to fellow
sophomore Bradden Crumrine to whittle Wynford’s lead to 12-7 following the extra point.

Wynford responded with its lone passing touchdown of the game, a perfect 13-yard strike from quarterback Dustin Brady to a wide-open Toby Butterfield.

While Helbert was pleased with the way his team responded down the stretch to adversity, he was not happy about the big plays Wynford gave up in the passing game. Clum completed four separate passes of 40 yards or more during the game and it could have been worse if not for a few slips and dropped
passes.

“There were tremendous breakdowns that we have to shore up,” Helbert said. “It¹s about being disciplined, staying in your coverage responsibility. They had several other big plays that just missed whether they were short or dropped. We got lucky on a few of those.”

Allen East was left wondering what might have been. The team committed four turnovers on two interceptions and two costly fumbles in the second half. The Mustangs were able to make some big plays, but they were stopped on multiple occasions after reaching the Royals’ red zone.

“It came down to us not taking care of the ball and making plays,” Allen East coach Wesley Schroeder said. “When you¹re a young team, you’re not used to making plays and you’ve got to convert and get into the end zone when you get chances. We had our chances, that¹s for sure. We’ve just got to capitalize on our opportunities. (Wynford) has a great program and they”re good up front.”

Next up, Wynford opens conference play by taking on Buckeye Central at 7
p.m. Friday.

Score by quarters
Allen East    0    0    7    6    — 13
Wynford    12    0    6    13    — 31
First quarter
W – Blair 1-yard run (run failed) 10:20
W – Taylor 35-yard interception return (pass failed) 2:32
Third quarter
AE – Clum 21-yard pass to Crumrine (Crumrine kick) 6:50
W – Brady 13-yard pass to Butterfield (pass failed) 0:41
Fourth quarter
AE – Clum 19-yard pass to Fletcher (pass failed) 11:31
W – Taylor 2-yard run (Benedict kick) 6:46
W – Blair 10-yard run (kick missed) 2:37

Individual statistics
Passing
Allen East: Clum 13-25, 274 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs.
Wynford: Brady, 14-24, 163 yards, TD, 2 INTs.
Rushing
Allen East: Clum, 10-(minus 4); Treglia, 5-(minus 8)
Wynford: Taylor, 15-86, 1 TD; Blair, 13-48, 2 TDs; Watson, 11-44; Sparks,
5-13; Brady, 2-(minus 6).
Receiving
Allen East: Fletcher, 5-202, 1 TD; Crumrine, 6-68, 1 TD; Belcher, 2-4.
Wynford: Imbody, 7-68; Benedict, 4-67; Butterfield, 1-13, 1 TD; Watson,
1-10; Leffler, 1-5.

Team statistics
AE    W
First downs    6    18
Yards rushing (-)12    185
Yards passing    274    163
Passes    13-25    14-24
Passes intercepted by    2    2
Fumbles lost    3-2    4-2
Punts    5-36.6    3-40.3
Penalties    2-10    4-55