Fliers soar to 50-7 win over Bears!

Enterprise sports writer

clydenews@bizwoh.rr.com

It took the Fliers almost four quarters, but they finally out-scored the referees last Friday night five touchdowns to four on their way to a 50-7 over Margaretta.

The officials called back four long-touchdown runs by the Fliers on penalties giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "twelfth man on the field".

With the win, the Fliers move to 6-1 on the season and to 4-0 in the Sandusky Bay Conference. The Polar Bears fall to 2-5 and to 2-2 in the SBC.

The Fliers will host Sandusky St. Mary's Central Catholic this Friday night for Homecoming. The Panthers visit town having lost all seven of their games. St. Mary's lost to Norwalk St. Paul 51-7, St. Joe 13-7, Northwood 24-7, Oak Harbor 34-7, Margaretta 21-14, Perkins 48-7 and Huron 37-0.

"We will get ready for St. Mary's and keep our focus through a lot of hard work," Coach Marc Gibson said.

"We will not settle for any loafing or going through the motions. This is an SBC game, and it's just as important as any other game. We're a championship team, and the fans deserve a championship effort. Any let downs on our part for the rest of the season are things that we can not afford to happen."

The Fliers were on the scoreboard quick Friday night at Castalia with Brandon Flores recovering a fumble on the Bears' third play of the game. The Fliers took over at the Margaretta 23-yard line, and two plays later Alex Gillett ran it in from 18 yards out.

Gillett then hit Kyle Smetzler with the two-point conversion, and the Fliers led 8-0 with 10:25 remaining in the first quarter.

On their next possession, the Bears were forced to punt and Tyler Ludrowsky returned it 65 yards for a touchdown that was called back by a Flier penalty.

The Fliers eventually lost the ball on downs.

The Fliers' second touchdown came with 3:18 remaining in the first quarter on a 70-yard touchdown run by Kade Kramer, and Jordan Colson's kick made it 15-0. Gillett had run 60 yards for a touchdown on the preceding play that was negated by a holding penalty.

The Fliers' next drive ended on a missed field goal after an 11-yard touchdown run by Gillett was called back on another holding penalty.

"Sloppy football and a lot of self-inflicted wounds on our part and a lot of points taken off the board," Gibson said.

"But as a head coach and your team puts up 50 points on the scoreboard, it's hard to be too mad at them.

"We do have some work to do," Gibson said. "I've told these kids all along that they don't realize just how good they could be if they played a full four quarters.

"We played a great first quarter, and we played a great fourth quarter, but a football game has four quarters - not two,"

he commented. "These guys can be really good, but it seems as if they're holding back on something, and we have to find out what that is.

"I don't know what it is, but every time they called a penalty it was a big touchdown or a long run.

"If they're going to call a penalty, why can't it ever be on a two-yard gain instead of 60 yards," the coach remarked.

"But they're getting paid to call what they see. Still, we put 50 points on the board, and our defense played an outstanding game."

The Fliers did make it 22-0 at the half when Kramer scored on a one-yard, touchdown run with only 31 seconds remaining in the second quarter, and Colson kicked the point after.

Despite losing the huge chunks of yardage to called-back touchdowns and another 92 yards on nine penalties, the Fliers just buried the Polar Bears in total yardage from scrimmage.

The Fliers gained 440 yards on the ground to 87 for Margaretta. The Fliers gained another 84 through the air to 66 for Margaretta.

Gillett led all runners with 172 yards. Kramer added 114 more while Gabe Gilbert had 61, Kent Corthell 43, Caleb Lynch 40 and Logan Garcia 10. Devin Jones led Margaretta with 35 yards.

Gillett was 10-of-19 passing for 84 yards with an interception. Jones was 4-of-13 for 66 yards and three interceptions.

Kramer caught three passes, Cody Andrews, Jeremy Hohenstein and Kyle Smetzler each caught two, and Tyler Rex had one.

The Fliers received the opening kickoff in the second half and four plays later Gillett hit Smetzler with a 21-yard touchdown pass to make it 29-0 with the kick.

Ludrowsky then intercepted Margaretta's next pass, but the Fliers couldn't capitalize on it.

Margaretta put together their best drive of the game and scored with 2:19 left in the third quarter to make it 29-7.

The Fliers made it 37-7 on a one-yard touchdown run by Gillett and a two-point conversion with 9:57 left to play in the game. On the previous possession by Margaretta, Gillett had intercepted a pass and ran it back 77 yards for a touchdown.

It, however, was called back on a holding penalty.

With 5:47 to play, Lynch gave the Fliers a 43-7 lead with a 40-yard touchdown run and Colson's kick. With 3:26 to go, it was Corthell's turn as he sprinted 44 yards for a touchdown and Colson's kick made it 50-7.

"Our younger guys got in and got to play like they did at Port Clinton, and once again they were outstanding," Gibson said. "We have a lot of talent and athletism on this team, and it will help us down the road. I'm proud of everyone's effort. It was a great game."