Mount Vernon News

UTICA — Utica needed a win versus Fredericktown to stay within a game of the top of the Mid-Buckeye Conference, and the Redskins kept their playoff hopes alive as they dismantled the Freddies on Friday night. Utica (5-3, 4-1) took advantage of Fredericktown’s (6-2, 3-2) mistakes to beat the Freddies, 27-17.

“To be honest, this is probably the biggest win we have had in about four years,” said Utica head coach Randy Felumlee. “We should have had a win last week and we didn’t get it. We were really concerned as coaches whether our kids would bounce back mentally, and clearly they did. We got the win and beat a good team, so we are really proud of our kids.”

Fredericktown outgained the Redskins, but big plays proved to be the Fredies’ undoing. The Freddies allowed a 95-yard interception to be returned for a touchdown, and allowed rushing touchdowns of 28, 30 and 49 yards.

“It was a heartbreaker,” said Fredericktown head coach Luke Beal. “Utica is a good team, and we knew that going in. We thought we were very similar to them; the thing was, tonight they just made more plays than we did. Their offense really controlled the tempo and we had trouble offensively getting into sync; we couldn’t put drives together. You can’t give up big plays to good teams, and that’s what killed us tonight.”

Fredericktown started the scoring on its first possession with a Gary Gregg 22-yard field goal early in the first quarter. Utica marched the ball right back down the field on its first possession, and Ethan Bremer rushed for the 28-yard touchdown, giving the Redskins a 7-3 advantage. Fredericktown couldn’t get the ball moving on its next possession, but when Utica got the ball back, the Redskins quickly made some noise. They started a 3:20 drive that began in the first quarter and ended early in the second with a reverse that Scott Cline took in for a 30-yard touchdown. Neither team scored the rest of the half, and Utica took a 13-3 lead into the locker room.

“We felt we had to do certain things to win this game,” said Felumlee. “No lead is too big when you are playing Fredericktown. They have come back to beat us two out of the last three years when we had leads. We preached all week we would do whatever we had to do to score, and do whatever we have to do to win the game.”

In the second half, Fredericktown came out with a bang. Thomas Hinkle hooked up with Gregg on a 26-yard touchdown pass to bring the Freddies within three points. Utica had a big touchdown play called back after a hold, and Fredericktown held the Redskins scoreless on their first three possessions of the second half. With the defense providing the much-needed boost, Fredericktown drove down the field yet again, ending with a fourth-and-6 at the Utica 12 yard line. That’s when the momentum changed in a big way. Fredericktown attempted a fake field goal, and Utica’s Jason Hoar intercepted the pass for a 95-yard touchdown, giving Utica a 10 point lead.

“I feel like that play turned the momentum around in the second half,” said Hoar. “They were down in the red zone, ready to tie it up. They kind of hinted that they were going to fake it. I stepped back, they threw it and I caught it and ran as fast as I could.”

“We were trying to take a chance there [with the fake field goal],” Beal said. “Unfortunately, the fastest guy on their team ended up catching the ball. It was a decision where if it works you are brilliant and if it doesn’t, you look stupid. We have used that play in the past and have had success with it. We thought, worst case scenario, they would have the ball deep within their own territory; you don’t anticipate them returning the ball for a touchdown.”

Utica was prepared for a few trick plays, and this one was no exception. The coaching staff knew Fredericktown was capable of shifting the momentum at anytime with one of those plays. The Redskins prepared for this play, and took advantage of it.

“Our defense is probably what saved the game for us,” said Felumlee. “[Coach Beal] has all kinds of tricks in his bag; you never know what they are going to do.”

The Freddies did not go away quietly, but drove the ball late in the fourth quarter and scored a touchdown on a 10-yard touchdown run by Brennan Goeppinger. Utica had the ball with a huge third-and-6 play late in the fourth, when Hoar once again stepped up big. He took the ball himself on a quarterback keeper and scrambled for a 49-yard touchdown, sealing the Redskins’ win.

“On the long touchdown play at the end, we called a timeout and argued about what we were going to do,” said Felumlee. “Jason said ‘I’ll get it’; we went with that, and he did.”

The win was both huge for Utica and potentially devastating for Fredericktown. Utica moves into a much better position to get a playoff spot, and Fredericktown will face some must-win games in its next few contests. Both teams are well aware that the going will not be easy, but they will fight on to get a shot at the playoffs.

“We are hunting for that playoff spot right now, but we have two weeks to go, and we have to take it one week at a time,” Hoar said. “We have something to prove this year, and we are going to prove it.”

Fredericktown will move on to face Centerburg at home next week, while Utica travels to Danville in a very important league contest with playoff implications. Both Utica and Danville need a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive.