Visiting Lexington Minutemen overthrew Wooster Generals in a Sept. 15 game by a score of 42-27.
The Minutemen took an early lead with a 33-yard rushing touchdown by Markale Martin, followed by a successful extra point, putting them ahead of the Generals 7-0 with 6 minutes and 48 seconds left in the first quarter. Number 28 Mason Green contributed 3-yard rushing touchdowns and another extra point making it 14-0. Wooster had a chance to recover when #22 Julian Franklin fumbled with the ball but Lexington retained possession. The first quarter ended with the Minutemen leading 14-0.
Lexington extended their lead in the second quarter, with a 59-yard passing touchdown from #17 Joe Caudill to #10 Sevyn Allen, although the extra point was blocked, resulting in a score of 20-0 with 2:04 left in the second quarter. The Generals answered back with Franklin's 37-yard rushing touchdown with 59 seconds left, but the extra point was unsuccessful, concluding the second quarter with 20-6 in favor of the Minutemen.
The third quarter saw the Generals making a comeback, as Wooster wide receiver Hayden Meese scored a 67-yard rushing touchdown with a successful 2-point conversion, bringing the score to 20-14. Franklin added another touchdown with a 2-yard rushing touchdown for Lexington, and an extra point was successfully converted bringing the score to 20-21 in favor of the Generals with 7 minutes and 40 seconds remaining in the quarter. But the game took a dramatic turn as Allen fumbled the ball, which was recovered by multiple Generals at the 31-yard line with just 5 minutes and 6 seconds left in the third quarter. As the quarter came to a close, the score remained tightly contested at 20-21, in favor of the Wooster Generals.
"I think everyone stands sidelines at some point in time in the third quarter," Lexington Coach Andrew Saris told Mount Vernon News. "It was hard to watch, but at some point in time, I felt like that senior group, I thought Aedan Nicol, Matt Sheets, and then Mason Green really did a great job of taking that team on the mat. We went in the two back set, got Markale and Mason Green on the field at the same time and those guys worked really hard kudos to them and our kids never quit. And then defensively same thing, we had the next man up cramping, but we pressured, we never made the quarterback feel comfortable, I felt defensively which allowed our secondary play, play better."
Lexington regained control in the last quarter with Martin's 22-yard rushing touchdown and good 2-point conversion, making it 28-21. Caudill sealed the win with a 1-yard quarterback sneak touchdown, and the extra point was good, extending their lead to 35-21 with four minutes and 31 left in the fourth quarter. The Generals did not give up and scored a 23-yard touchdown pass from #6 Aj Likowski to #0 Anthony Sines, although the 2-point attempt failed, leaving the score at 35-27 with four minutes left in the quarter. Green added a 10-yard rushing touchdown with a successful extra point, and the game concluded with Lexington winning 42-27.
"It feels great. We've worked really hard this week and before that, we're trying to grind to going to the next," Caudill said.
Teamwork was the name of the game and Caudill knew the Minutemen were executing synergy with hard work.
"Oh, it worked great," he said. "Started to spread them out, throwing game and we let our big boys eat."
Pleased about their victory, Coach Saris shared how Lexington has been diligent in ensuring they are ready for tough matches.
"I think what helps us is when you have high expectations that demanding at practice and trying to have tough practices, the kids will buy in and bleed when they're getting, they're seeing the results and they see the results from what we're trying to instill in our kids, what we're trying to do with this program," Saris said. "I just got to comment again on Mason Green. I just thought that fourth quarter, that kid, I wouldn't want to have to try to tackle him. And I think I looked at it at one point and I just said 'Mason Green, I hope my son plays up, grows up to play football like you did.' I think that's what I said to him at the end."
Proud of this team, he also said the game was fun and it was all because of the boys' perseverance.
"I watched, I just think our kids... that last drive when we scored to go up two scores in the fourth quarter, I thought I saw faces in the huddle of 'what do I need to do? I'm going to do my job' and I just remember at one point in time watching Mason Green and Sevyn Allen just blocked, stalked blocked...five yards on the sideline. I thought I knew we were going to this. But when I got Sevyn Allen believing in that and stalk blocking, I watched Mason Green going. So I'm just really proud of the guys. It's all them, they never quit and they never give up. And because of that, we're able to have that mentality of practice and we're starting to see results."
Lexington is slated to face Mansfield Senior this Friday.
"Listen, we've got to keep riding this momentum, put ourselves in position for our playmakers to make plays, and try to do everything we can to stop their playmakers or at least contain them," Saris said. "We can't just let them grind it out and then offensively, we probably have to try to grind the ball out and just try to shorten that game as best as we can. But there's nothing I don't think this team can do. They're brought in, they believe. And at that point in time, now, we just got to get to Friday night."
The sophomore quarterback is also looking forward to adding another win in their next game.
"We keep the same mentality," Caudill said. "Work hard, run, play hard."
