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Wildcats rally late, fall short to Buckeyes 12-0

By Jordan Holland 6 min read

WATERFORD -- Waterford went through the ringer in weeks four and five, going up against a couple juggernauts in Fort Frye last week and Nelsonville-York this week.

Though the result was a pair of losses, including an 18-12 decision to the Buckeyes on Friday, Wildcats head coach Eric McCutcheon believes his team will come out on the other end better for it.

"Our first half of our schedule is very brutal," said McCutcheon, whose team dropped to 3-2 and begins TVC Hocking play next week against Eastern.

"Our kids fought hard. We just got behind a little bit the first quarter and just couldn’t get things rolling the first quarter. That’s a good, solid football team. They’re No. 1 seed for a reason in our region. Hopefully, we can see them again down the line."

For Nelsonville-York, which improved to 5-0, this was the first true test of the year.

"We have not played four quarters all year," said NYHS head coach Rusty Richards, whose squad outscored its first four opponents 184-26. "That concerned me. I was just worried about being in a four-quarter battle. That’s what we needed going into league play next week. It’s our first test, so I guess we passed it."

The Buckeyes built an 18-0 lead behind quarterback Cam Sullivan, who threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Weston Wheatley in the first quarter and had short touchdown runs in the second and third quarters. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound signal-caller has been shredding defenses to the tune of around 240 passing yards per game. Friday vs. Waterford, Sullivan finished 14 for 22 for 128 yards, a TD and an interception.

With 5:19 left in the third, Nelsonville-York had the ball at its own 20, already up 18 points. The Buckeyes went for the dagger as Sullivan took a deep shot to Wheatley, but Waterford safety Finn Pennock was there to pick it off and give the Wildcats some life.

"Cam made some great reads," Richards said. "He didn’t put up his 240 yards he’s been averaging or whatever, but you know what, he tucked it, ran it a couple times -- I’ll take the blame on the interception. I got a little greedy trying to put sort of the nail in the coffin."

Waterford got the ball just shy of midfield and decided to let its All-Ohio playmaker Hayden Jones go to work. Lined up in the wildcat formation, Jones ran right down Nelsonville-York's throat to push the ball into the red zone. On a fourth-and-14, the Buckeyes were flagged for a horse-collar tackle, and two plays later Jones found the end zone from 5 yards out to make it 18-6 at the 1:12 mark in the third.

"Gave us a spark," McCutcheon said. "We’ve had that (wildcat package) in, just hadn't got a chance to use it. It worked well tonight. The kids enjoy running it. We get it in our best player's hands, and he can do some certain things. A hole could be a certain place, but he can find a hole somewhere else. He’s really elusive in that package."

Waterford's defense, which was stout throughout the night, forced a punt on Nelsonville-York's ensuing possession. However, the offense turned it over on downs at its own 29. Again, though, the defense stepped up, forcing a three-and-out, and a shanked 2-yard punt gave the Wildcats some momentum.

"Our defense played outstanding," McCutcheon said. "Our offense put them in too many tough predicaments tonight. They played defense a lot tonight, and wore down, but we are a solid defense, there’s no doubt about it."

Needing a quick score, Jones and Devin Pottmeyer each caught 13-yard passes from Avery Pottmeyer, who then found Gavin Hiener on a 31-yard gain. Hiener capped the drive with a 6-yard touchdown catch to make it a six-point game with 1:49 remaining.

"You're up 18-nothing and you think it's easy, but all of a sudden that pressure starts getting put on you," Richards said. "Waterford just made some nice catches there, and then the pressure sort of got put on us. But you know, we did just enough to get out here with the win."

Waterford's onside kick attempt was booted too hard, giving the Buckeyes the ball as their own 30. The Wildcats had a chance to get the ball back with a little bit of time still on the clock until a facemask call on second down allowed Nelsonville-York to kneel it out.

The Buckeyes finished with 211 total yards of offense. Wheatley caught six passes for 72 yards while Walker Stone led the ground game with 49 yards on 17 carries. Sullivan added 33 yards on 15 attempts.

"Their skill guys were as good as we’ve seen all year," McCutcheon said. "(Sullivan) could really read the defenses and make plays with his legs. Our kids battled their tails off until the end, and that’s something to be proud of for sure. We’ll build on it."

Jones led all rushers with 102 yards on 17 carries. Avery Pottmeyer went 13 for 22 passing for 124 yards, with Hiener catching three balls for 58 yards. The Wildcats accumulated 241 total yards of offense.

"Hayden Jones, we’ve seen him for three years," Richards said. "Man, he’s a ballplayer, so we know it starts with him. You got to stop him, and then we got to stop (Hiener) on the outside. Both of them made some plays for them, but we made just enough at the end for us."

For Waterford, the gauntlet continues next week as 4-1 Eastern comes to town coming off a 28-21 win over Warren.

"We want to win that league," McCutcheon said. "If we can run off three or four wins here, get us some confidence going again, we'll see where we land at the end."

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.

Nelsonville-York 18, Waterford 12

N (5-0) 6 6 6 0 -- 18

W (3-2) 0 0 6 6 -- 12

N: Weston Wheatley 21 pass from Cam Sullivan, kick failed, :00 1st

N: Sullivan 3 run, kick failed, :38 2nd

N: Sullivan 2 run, pass failed, 6:37 3rd

W: Hayden Jones 5 run, kick failed, 1:12 3rd

W: Gavin Hiener 6 pass from Avery Pottmeyer, pass failed, 1:49 4th

Team stats

Nelsonville-York: First downs: 14; Rushes-yards: 33-80; Passing yards: 151; Total yards: 211; Passing: 15-23-1; Fumbles-lost: 0-0; Penalties-yards: 8-51; Punts-average: 3-28

Waterford: First downs: 13; Rushes-yards: 28-117; Passing yards: 124; Total yards: 241; Passing: 13-23-0; Fumbles-lost: 4-1; Penalties-yards: 9-63; Punts-average: 3-33

Individual stats

Nelsonville-York: Rushing: Walker Stone 17-49; Cam Sullivan 15-33, 2 TDs; TEAM 1-(-2); Passing: Sullivan 14-22-1, 128 yards, TD; Grant Elliott 1-1-0, 23 yards; Receiving: Weston Wheatley 6-72, TD; Gavin Lavy 3-33; Sullivan 1-23; Stone 2-17; Elliott 1-6; Noah Arnold 1-0; Jaxon Blake 1-0

Waterford: Rushing: Hayden Jones 17-102, TD; Kam Johnson 2-19; Avery Pottmeyer 9-(-4); Passing: Pottmeyer 13-22-0, 124 yards, TD; TEAM 0-1-0, 0 yards; Receiving: Gavin Hiener 3-58, TD; Jones 5-35; Johnson 2-15; Devin Pottmeyer 1-13; Brayden Smith 2-3

Next games: Meigs at Nelsonville-York; Eastern at Waterford

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