Generals pin 54-24 win over Colts on second-half defensive effort

  • brian questel
  • October 4, 2012
  • 313
                        
100812 WHS football Promo: Generals stay offensive, but get defensive as well in win over Clear Fork Generals pin 54-24 win over Colts on second-half defensive effort By Brian Questel When Wooster coach Doug Haas surveyed the first-half results of the Generals’ homecoming game against Clear Fork, he was looking at a microcosm of the Generals’ season. By the end of the game, he was looking at something else: a win. It wasn’t just any win, either. It was his first Ohio Cardinal Conference win as Generals coach as the team improved its record to 2-4, 1-2, which Haas was happy to receive. He was even happier with how it came about. Engaged in what was shaping up to be another wild 48 minutes leading 27-24 at halftime, the Generals took the suspense out of their win by throwing a shutout at the Colts over the final 24 minutes to emerge with a 54-24 victory. After allowing an average of over 40 points a game in its last three losses, nothing pleased Haas more than to see the Generals step up on the defensive side of the ball. “We’re certainly very excited putting together all three phases,” said Haas. “Turnovers are something we’re battling, but all in all I’m very pleased with how we are performing. The entire second half should be a great springboard going into the Lexington game. “The bottom line on defense is points. To give up 24 in the first half is disappointing, but a couple of those drives came from two turnovers that gave them a short field and gave them 10 points. To come back out and pitch a shutout is exciting for our kids and us as a program. “We made a couple slight adjustments at halftime, but nothing outlandish,” said Haas. “The thing we talked about was playing with dogged determination. We were sitting on a three-game losing streak and we were determined not to come up empty. Hats off to the kids from that standpoint buying into that and believing in that.” With a four-TD night from senior James Preston and nearly 500 yards in offense, the Generals moved the ball all night. However, they secured what turned into an easy win by game’s end by limiting the Colts to only five second-half first downs. From its 27-24 halftime advantage, the Generals extended their advantage to 33-24 with a 14-yard TD strike from Cam Daugherty to Preston midway through the third period. Preston brought the Follis Field crowd to its feet with an 80-yard run three minutes later to make it 40-24 after the third quarter. Marcel Anderson broke free for a 45-yard score with 7:16 left in the game and Daugherty broke free for a 60-yard sprint to pay dirt with 4:40 left. “James had a huge night with four TDs, but to run the ball for 347 yards is great,” said Haas. “I hope one of the things we take out of this game is that we’ll take what the defense gives up. If teams chose to try and stop the four guys on the perimeter, that should open up the running game and vise versa. If we force them to drop an extra defender into the box and defend the running game, we can open up (the passing game).” Daugherty finished the night with 98 yards and 9-of-16 passing for 135 yards with one interception. Running back Mason Tomblin tacked on 110 yards on a dozen carries, while Preston had an 87-yard kickoff return in the first quarter and a 7-yard TD reception in the second. Senior Darrian Owens completed a 67-yard scoring play to augment Preston’s night, which was his fourth TD over 50 yards this season. Lexington is up next for Wooster and Haas knows that the Minutemen will present “a challenge.” He’s hoping the Clear Fork win shows the level of ability for his team. “I hope the level of confidence and level of expectation is that this is how we expect to play defense,” said Haas. “(Allowing) 24 points is too much in a half, 24 is too much in a game. We need to make the expectation of ourselves to pitch shutouts and that type of stuff – at least, I hope so from a confidence standpoint and expectation standpoint. “I would like us to be known for defense, too, and maybe to be known for all three phases would be ok, too.” Lexington (4-2, 2-1 OCC) will bring a challenge to Wooster Oct. 5. “I think they are really good,” said Haas. “What makes them good is the balance they have. They have guys that can catch, two guys that can run, a quarterback who manages their offense really well and is a threat with his legs, and their front 6-7 guys vs. what we will see from a spread standpoint is they are big and physical and they can really run “It should be a great matchup and one we’re excited about. Playing with a little bit more confidence will hopefully turn into an edge. We’re playing at home and my vision is we make Follis a challenging place to play and I think we have done that. The community and fans have been great and that never needs to ring more true than that Friday.”


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