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Cadets claim shutout victory over Wildcats, 20-0

By Jordan Holland 6 min read

BEVERLY -- Behind a lockdown defense and an offense that controlled the clock, Fort Frye defeated Waterford 20-0 Friday for the Cadets' 20th consecutive win in the series.

Fort Frye got the ball at its own 30 to start the game and chewed the entire first quarter away. On the 20th play of the drive, which occurred at the 11:57 mark of the second, Gavin Rauch punched it into the end zone from 2 yards. The Cadets faced four fourth-downs on the series and converted all four.

"That was the goal," said Fort Frye head coach Eric Huck, who took the helm in 2008 and has never lost to the Wildcats. "We want to be able to take up a lot of clock and keep the ball out of their hands. They’ve got some dangerous players. For our offense to get some huge conversions right there on that first drive, and to be able to finish with a score and take the entire first quarter out, that was big."

Waterford head coach Eric McCutcheon said during the week that getting third-down stops would be crucial. It ended up being fourth downs that plagued the Wildcat defense in the early portion of Friday's game.

"They’re really good at doing that," McCutcheon said. "Their offense is so unique. So many moving parts. Our guys played their hearts out. They played tough. Seemed like if we were in a gap, they’d go the off the gap. It was just a lot of nickel and dime, little bit of chess games. No big, long runs, but they kept getting them three and four yards. We’re a solid defense. We are. (Fort Frye) earned everything tonight. They’re a powerhouse in Division V this year, ranked No. 1. We’re gonna get better from this, for sure."

When Waterford (3-1) finally got the ball, the drive came to a halt on Ethan Wagner's third-down sack. The Wildcats' second possession also resulted in a three-and-out.

Looking to extend their lead before halftime, the Cadets faced a fourth-and-seven from Waterford's 27-yard line. Grady Hesson dropped back to pass and threw to Clayton Tullius, who was covered tightly on the play. Tullius, though, used his 6-foot-3 frame to his advantage and came down with the ball in the end zone to make it 14-0 at halftime.

Hesson and Tullius later connected another scoring strike from 5 yards out with 1:27 left in the fourth quarter. Tullius also had a fourth-quarter interception.

"He’s really stepping up," Huck said. "What a player. Looking forward to the rest of his career. He’s a heck of a football player. He’s been coming up big all season. Been coming up with some big plays, and again tonight. That catch in the end zone was really huge at that point in the game, to put up two scores. I think it kind of took the wind out of their sails a little bit."

Fort Frye's biggest stop of the game came late in the third quarter. Trailing 14-0, Waterford finally hit on a big play when quarterback Avery Pottmeyer scrambled for 54 yards to the Cadets' 16-yard line. Three plays later, though, FFHS forced and recovered a fumble to kill Waterford's hopes of making it a one-score game.

"I said from the beginning, I think our defense is going to be pretty good, and they’re getting even better," Huck said. "Really excited about the secondary that we have. These guys can really play. Our inside linebackers are really coming along nicely. Defensive line’s been good, so we’re solid all around. Real excited about what they can do this season."

The Cadets are off to a 4-0 start despite a tough schedule, and they're doing it without the running game hitting its stride. Against Waterford, Fort Frye accumulated 125 yards on 42 carries, with Gavin Rauch's 65 yards on 14 attempts leading the way.

"We’re a little bit younger on the line," Huck said. "Xavier Huck, it’s his first year ever playing on the line. Goodwin moved to center, first time ever playing center. Been playing two freshmen at tackle and left guard, so we’re just really young up front. Our skill guys have helped us. We're able to throw the ball and get first downs in other ways."

Hesson finished 7 for 12 for 87 yards and two TDs, both to Tullius, who had four receptions for 56 yards.

"Real proud of our guys," said Huck, whose team visits Grandview Heights next week. "They’re playing really hard. They want it so bad, and they practice really hard and want to win for our community."

Pottmeyer accounted for most of Waterford's offense, rushing nine times for 87 yards while going 12 for 16 passing for 89 yards. Hayden Jones was limited to seven touches for 17 yards. Kam Johnson caught four passes for 38 yards.

"(Fort Frye's) been on top for a long, long time," McCutcheon said. We've just got to find some way to get over that hump.

"We want to play teams like this. We’ll get better from this game. We’ll fix our mistakes. These guys are super, super aggressive, and we’ll get better from it. They do a lot of unique things on defense, a lot of unique situations they put us in, and it challenges our guys. I promise you, we will play well against Nelsonville-York when they come to our place on Friday."

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.

Fort Frye 20, Waterford 0

W (3-1) 0 0 0 0 -- 0

F (4-0) 0 14 0 6 -- 20

F: Gavin Rauch 2 run, Grady Hesson run, 11:57 2nd

F: Clayton Tullius 27 pass from Hesson, Hesson kick, 1:21 2nd

F: Tullius 5 pass from Hesson, kick failed, 1:27 4th

Team stats

Waterford: First downs: 5; Rushes-yards: 14-79; Passing yards: 89; Total yards: 168; Passing: 12-16-1; Fumbles-lost: 2-1; Penalties-yards: 3-21; Punts-average: 2-35

Fort Frye: First downs: 14; Rushes-yards: 42-125; Passing yards: 87; Total yards: 212; Passing: 7-12-0; Fumbles-lost: 1-1; Penalties-yards: 2-15; Punts-average: 2-39.5

Individual stats

Waterford: Rushing: Avery Pottmeyer 9-87; Hayden Jones 2-(-1); Kam Johnson 2-(-3); Devin Pottmeyer (1-(-4); Passing: A. Pottmeyer 12-16-1, 89 yards; Receiving: Johnson 4-38; Jones 4-18; Gavin Hiener 2-27; Brayden Smith 1-6

Fort Frye: Rushing: Gavin Rauch 14-65, TD; Grady Hesson 11-34; Tytan Waller 7-17; Sam Bricker 10-9; Passing: Hesson 7-12-0, 87 yards, 2 TDs; Receiving: Clayton Tullius 4-56, 2 TDs; Aydric Wynn 2-22; Parker Kern 1-9

Next games: Nelsonville-York at Waterford; Fort Frye at Grandview Heights

Starting at /week.