By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
In a game where rushers and receivers turned a football game into a track meet last Friday, it was one dash by a return man that had WQEL’s play-by-play tandem of Jeff Roberts and Josh Stallings trying to find the right words.
When they did find them, they named Colonel Crawford’s Kaden Schell the Spitzer Motors Game Changer.
The Eagles and Redmen took turns scoring touchdowns with two each in the first quarter and Colonel Crawford held a 20-14 lead when Schell struck like lightning.
After the game, Roberts described the decisive play like this.
“After a high-scoring back and forth first quarter, the Eagles were able to take a seven-point advantage over Bucyrus and force the Redmen to punt. An errant pooch punt came down into the hands of Schell who returned the ball 54-yards for a touchdown, giving Colonel Crawford a 28-14 advantage,” Roberts said. “The Eagles led by double digits the rest of the game to defeat Bucyrus, 62-27. Colonel Crawford moved to 4-2 overall with the victory.”
The clutch return was Schell’s first trip to the end zone this year and only his second punt return. Going into Friday’s contest the defensive back had registered 42 tackles, four of which were for loss. He had also been responsible through five weeks for one forced fumble and an interception.
The McDonald’s/Q92 Players of the Game as named by Roberts and Stallings were opposing quarterbacks, Hayden Bute of Colonel Crawford and Gavin Lewis of Bucyrus.
Bute woke up a dormant Eagles’ passing attack with touchdown strikes of 56, 43 and 48 yards. For good measure he scored himself on a 48-yard run. Bute finished the night 4-of-6 for 159 yards passing with the three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Lewis filled the air with footballs Friday night, 37 to be exact, and 27 of them were caught by Bucyrus receivers for 298 yards passing and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
But throwing the football wasn’t the only manner in which Lewis made his presence felt. Lewis caught one pass himself for 45 yards.
Spitzer Motors Game Changer of the Week award winners receive a T-shirt commemorating their performance and McDonalds Player of the Game honorees receive a gift certificate for two regular size value meals redeemable at either McDonalds of Bucyrus or Galion.
Each week for the balance of the local high school football season, Crawford County Now will feature winners of the Spitzer Game Changer of the Week and the McDonalds/Q/92 Player of the Game awards on Monday evenings as selected by Jeff Roberts and Josh Stallings.