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The adage that sometimes the final score can be deceiving never rang more true than with the Waite Indians this season.
That was second-year Waite football coach Gardner Howard's take, even after the Indians were outscored 86-14 in season-opening losses to Maumee, Northview and Perrysburg.
“The score doesn't indicate how well we played in the first three games,” Howard said. “We've been playing phenomenal defense and we just haven't been able to capitalize by scoring on offense. We were probably averaging four turnovers a game. If it wasn't that, it was a breakdown on (special teams) coverages. The turnovers and bad field position cost us the first three games.”
With that in mind, this is what Howard told his team to focus on heading into last Friday night's City League opener at rival Clay: “The bottom line was believing in what they've done,” he said. “They've been out there and they know they can play, we just had to put four quarters together.
“That was the whole thing — how can we put four quarters together? We told them this is the time to put four quarters together.”
The Indians did just that, and it paid off with a 13-0 win over the Eagles, which enabled Waite to reclaim the Oil Barrel Trophy. The Indians (1-3, 1-0 CL) hadn't beaten Clay (2-2, 0-1) since a 34-31 victory in 2005. Clay holds a 30-10-3 all-time record in the series.
Last Friday, the Indians scored on a 9-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Phouthasake “Johnny” Douanglee to junior Kevin Carter to end a 15-play drive late in the second quarter (followed by Ronnie Temple's PAT) and a 63-yard QB keeper by Douanglee on the final play of the third quarter.
“From there,” Howard said, “we turned our defense loose. For them to blank Clay at home in a rivalry game, I was extremely proud. We bent but didn't break and we made adjustments and kept going. That was an outstanding defensive effort, the best defensive effort in my two years with what was at stake.”
Indeed, this rivalry game hasn't been much of a rivalry over the past few years.
The Eagles routed the Indians by scores of 40-7, 37-7 and 35-14 heading into last year's game, which was competitive early before Clay pulled away for a 34-13 win.
“Last year it was tight early and we hit them with a trick play, a reverse pass, on the first play of the game,” Howard recalled. “We got off to a good start, but towards the end we ran out of gas. We had a lot of guys going both ways and we just wore down. Before you know it, you're down two touchdowns.”
This year was different. Waite's spread offense turned the ball over just once, and defensive coordinator Brandon Carter put together a game plan that kept Coach Mike Donnelly's Eagles off the scoreboard.
“The difference was we did not score in five trips inside Waite's 30,” Donnelly said. “We took too many penalties. Waite's defense is good because of the aggressive play-calling by Brandon Carter. They put pressure on the quarterback and they are skilled enough not to give you the big play, forcing you to put together drives.”
Leading the way defensively for the Indians were senior middle linebacker Gary Cummings, senior end Lloyd Donaldson, senior safety Dale Willis, senior outside linebackers Kyle Hade and Shannon Brown and junior cornerback DeVontae Hughes.
The Indians rushed for more than 170 yards, a season high, as Carter and Douanglee gained 90 and 85 yards on the ground, respectively.
“I challenged the offensive line to establish the run and control the line of scrimmage,” Howard said, “and for the most part we did that.”
Carter, who also plays receiver and handles punts and kickoffs, leads Waite in rushing with more than 220 yards despite missing the Maumee game.
“He's very athletic and he ran hard on Friday,” Howard said. “He wasn't looking to cut and dance, he just ran north and south more than I've seen him run the last two years.”
The 6-foot, 145-pound Douanglee solidified his position as Waite's starting quarterback with last week's performance. He had been sharing the starting nod with junior Michal Kachmarik.
“They both have different skill sets and they bring something unique to the table,” Howard said. “Johnny gives us a good dual threat. He's athletic with a good arm and he has excellent feet, plus he knows our system a little better.”
Howard, who returned 13 starters from last year's 3-7 team, said the victory over Clay signified a new beginning for the Indians, who host Scott on Friday.
“Last week they practiced hard and they paid attention to detail,” the coach said. “We took the approach that it was a new season. It was the City League opener and it was a rivalry game. It was a fresh start to a new beginning.”
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