HOLMES TOWNSHIP — The first play of the game set the tone, and the Wynford Royals never looked back.
The Royals got a huge pick-six from Blake Beckley on that first play and rolled to a 70-8 win over Buckeye Central Friday night.
With the win, the Royals improved to 2-0 in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, 3-2 overall. Buckeye Central fell to 0-2 in the league, 2-3 overall.
The explosion marks the first time since 2000 that the Royals scored 70 or more points in back-to-back weeks. The Royals blasted Bucyrus, 72-20, last week.
Wynford coach Gabe Helbert felt that his offense still has a way to go.
“We’re still a work in progress, there’s still a lot of things we have to improve upon,” Helbert said. “We’re making some explosive plays right now, which is good, but as the defenses start to bow up and we get into the competitive part of our league, some of those mistakes on film get exposed.
“Our process pre-snap is getting better, and guys are in the right position better, but there are still improvements that need to be made on our end,” he added.
Buckeye Central coach Chad Jensen said that his team needed to play better to beat the Royals.
“You have to be ready to go against a great team like Wynford and we weren’t ready to go, and that’s on me as a coach” Jensen said. “We need to be prepared and get better for next week.
“For us to compete against a team like Wynford, we have to play an errorless game,” he added. “We have to play a perfect game to even compete. And we didn’t, and that’s on us as coaches and we have to get better.”
From the game’s first play, the Royals came out swinging. On that first play, BC quarterback Derex Dean was hit just as he threw the ball and the ball ended up in the arms of Beckley, who dashed 20 yards for a score.
After the Bucks’ next possession, Wynford’s Owen Whitmeyer caught a punt at the BC 43 and dashed for a score. The Royals led 14-0 before the offense had the football.
“I thought we came out and handled business, and do what we had to do,” Helbert said. “It started with the big play defensively and then the punt return.
“When you get that, it really kinda settles you down. You feel confident in what you can do.”
Wynford scored three more times in the first quarter, getting a 30-yard run from Kendall Blair, a 32-yard pass from quarterback Cobey Allen to Jaron Filliator and Blair’s one-yard run. After one period, the Royals led, 35-0.
Wynford scored three more times in the second quarter, getting a 34-yard run on a pitch from James Schiefer, a 21-yard pass from Allen to Blair and a 15-yard run from Kaden Blair.
Right before the end of the half, however, BC got on the board.
Dean found Trevor Kirgis from 13 yards out. Dean also hit Manny Mullins for the two-point conversion, cutting the lead to 56-8 at the break.
“The Buckeye Central kids played extremely hard,” Helbert said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Jensen and their program and what they have done traditionally. And two of their best kids are in street clothes, number 7, and number 11, so that makes it tough, especially small-school football.”
Jensen agreed with Helbert’s sentiment.
“That’s Buckeye Central kids, I mean, these kids don’t quit,” Jensen said. “They gave their best effort they have and there were times we could have just packed it in, and the kids didn’t. They played hard and gave it the best they could.”
On the first possession of the third quarter, Chandler Elchert scored on a 15-yard run. In the fourth period, Elchert added a 43-yard run.
Wynford finished the night with 400 yards of offense, while holding Buckeye Central to 84 yards.
“I’m proud of our guys’ effort and anytime you can come out and compete in league games and come out with a win, you feel good about it,” Helbert added.
Box score
Score by quarters
Buckeye Central 0 0 8 0 — 8
Wynford 35 21 7 7 — 70
Scoring summary
First quarter
W — Blake Beckley 20 interception return (Trent Greene kick), 11:55.
W — Owen Whitmeyer 43 punt return (Green kick), 10:06.
W — Kendall Blair 30 run (Greene kick), 7:45.
W — Jaron Filliator 32 pass from Cobey Allen (Greene kick), 5:19.
W — Kendall Blair 1 run (Greene kick), 2:11.
Second quarter
W — Filliator 34 run (Green kick), 11:11.
W — Kendall Blair 21 pass from Allen (Greene kick), 8:09.
W — Kaden Blair 15 run (Greene kick), 4:08.
BC — Trevor Kirgis 13 pass from Derex Dean (Manny Mullins pass from Dean), :06.
Third quarter
W — Chandler Elchert 15 run (Greene kick), 7:04.
Fourth quarter
W — Elchert 43 run (Greene kick), 11:15.
Individual statistics
Passing
Buckeye Central: Derex Dean 6-17-1 34. Wynford: Cobey Allen 9-10-0 173.
Rushing
Buckeye Central: Kolin Rowlinson 13-60, Chayde Wagner 5-16, Isaac Hiler 2-3, Manny Mullins 3-(-1), Derex Dean 5-(-29). Wynford: Chandler Elchert 10-93, Kaden Blair 5-43, Kendall Blair 3-34, Jaron Filliator 1-34, Cobey Allen 3-11, Jericho Trummel 3-9.
Receiving
Buckeye Central: Manny Mullins 3-13, Trevor Kirgis 1-13, Heath Jensen 1-6, Kolin Rowlinson 1-2. Wynford: Kendall Blair 2-51, Jaron Filliator 2-41, Micah Karcher 1-42, Owen Whitmeyer 2-14, Kaden Blair 1-13, Daniel Kurek 1-3.
Team statistics
BC W
First downs 6 10
Rushing 28-49 26-227
Passes 6-17-2 9-10-0
Yards passing 34 173
Total yards 83 400
Fumbles-lost 4-1 0-0
Penalties 1-5 4-35