Otsego senior defensive back Mason Roe (9) prepares for impact as Eastwood senior running back Kevin Lewis (22) heads straight at home. (Lee Welch | Sentinel-Tribune)
By Nicholas Huenefeld
Special to the Sentinel-Tribune
PEMBERVILLE — Eastwood wide receiver Andre Lewis stunned Otsego’s secondary over the final five minutes of the first half Friday, scoring three touchdowns in a 35-20 come-from-behind victory on Freedom Field at Jerry Rutherford Stadium.
“You prepare for something all week long and then they come out, and they’re not doing that thing,” Eastwood coach Sam Cotterman said. “They took advantage of some things, and we had to kind of figure out what they were doing and settle down.
“I told the kids we can put numbers up pretty quick. ‘You guys have to calm down and don’t get your head in the dumps.’ Fortunately, that’s what happened.”
After Otsego used the legs of Keeghan Hutton to race out to a 14-0 lead, Eastwood’s Drew Luidhart found Lewis for three touchdown strikes, including a one-play drive where Lewis streaked down the left sideline for a 59-yard reception with 26 seconds left.
“We know we have some pretty good athletes, and we wanted to be able to get them the ball,” Cotterman said. “We’ve thrown the ball pretty well all year long. I would have liked to have run the ball better, but we were making some mistakes, and they were in a different front than we had practiced for all week long.
“Kudos to them. They had a great game plan and came in and surprised us, but fortunately we settled down and got the job done.”
Hutton, who finished with 34 carries for 197 yards and three touchdowns, capped a 13-play, 69-yard drive that took over six minutes off the clock with a five-yard burst into the endzone with 3:08 left in the opening quarter.
Two drives later, Hutton went around the left side for a 56-yard touchdown run to complete a 4-play, 80-yard drive to give the Knights (4-4, 2-3 NBC) a 14-0 lead with 8:31 left in the first half.
“We’re really happy with the way we started the game,” Otsego head coach Craig Rutherford said. “I thought the guys came out fast. We had a good week of practice, and they were ready to go. Looking back, we wish we were more consistent through the entire game.
“Also, you have to understand how good of athletes those Eastwood kids are. Their receivers, their quarterback, and their running back … those guys are special athletes. That’s a big part of it.”
Luidhart engineered Eastwood’s response, accounting for every yard on a 6-play, 74-yard drive following Hutton’s second score. He capped it with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Lewis with 5:25 left.
The junior quarterback ran three times for 31 yards, including a 22-yard scramble, while going 3-for-3 for 53 yards through the air on the drive, which included a 23-yard pass to Dayquan Oliver after a holding penalty had them in a first and 20 situation.
“We have so many well-developed athletes on the outside, a great quarterback and a line that can protect them,” Lewis said. “Brock Messinger, DayQuan (Oliver) and us on the outside, we’re definitely something. We can make plays in open space.”
On the first play of Otsego’s next drive, Eastwood forced a fumble, which Kevin Lewis recovered. Then, on the very next play for Eastwood offensively, Andre Lewis made a highlight snag over a defender at the one-yard line before diving into the endzone for the game-tying 24-yard score.
“It’s kind of like that one spark play that you get that ignites everything,” Andre Lewis said. “Once we did that, everyone set off. I would say (the fumble recovery) was a turning point. As a player, that boosted us and hurt the other team.”
Another pivotal moment came a short time later. With time running down in the half, Hutton was stuffed at the line of scrimmage on fourth down at Eastwood’s 41.
The Eagles then scored on the 59-yard touchdown to Andre Lewis on the very next play for a 21-14 lead.
Over the final three drives of the first half, Eastwood’s offense combined for 157 yards on just eight plays in just over three minutes.
“Would we like to be able to work a little more in practice on some specific routes? Yeah, but at the same time, those are some receivers out there who have played a lot of varsity football, and they’re some of the best athletes in the league,” Rutherford said. “And they’re going to make a few of those plays. I think you have to give credit to Eastwood’s quarterback and receivers. They’re in rhythm a lot of the time.”
The third quarter opened with a 13-play drive from Otsego that featured 10 carries from Hutton, but the 8:26 drive ended in a punt after two holding penalties hurt the Knights, including one on a rush from Hutton that would have put them near Eastwood’s 20.
Eastwood answered that with an 8-play, 80-yard drive in which Kadyn Donnell finished it off with a four-yard touchdown run.
Luidhart had another great drive, weaving through the defense for a 16-yard scramble on second and 13, while also completing three passes for 56 yards, including a 39-yard screen pass to Andre Lewis down the right side where he almost scored his fourth touchdown.
Cotterman was pleased with his team’s resiliency after Otsego’s 14-0 start, which ended a nine-quarter scoreless streak for his defense dating back to the Maumee game.
“We told them to have confidence in what we were telling them,” Cotterman said. “We just had to make some small adjustments. We practiced against their regular offense with their quarterback under center and two backs, and they came out running with their quarterback, so they had extra blockers.
“It put us in a tough spot, and we had to move some guys around the line differently. Fortunately, they made the adjustments and we were able to settle them down.”
The Eagles added their fifth touchdown with 6:46 left in the game when Donnell completed an 8-yard jump pass to Cam Schumaker.
Otsego’s offense took the ball 76 yards on the ensuing drive with Hutton finishing it off on a 5-yard run for his third touchdown with 2:42 remaining.
“We’re a little banged up right now,” Rutherford said. “It was fun to see some guys get their first shot at playing varsity football. They stepped up. I’m happy they got their shot, and hopefully that will make us stronger over the last couple weeks.”
Luidhart finished 14-of-17 through the air for 254 yards and three scores, while adding 47 yards over five carries. Andre Lewis finished with 168 yards on eight receptions, while Kevin Lewis toted the ball seven times for 50 yards.
Eastwood (8-0, 5-0 NBC) will now prepare for a first-place showdown with Oak Harbor (8-0, 5-0 NBC) next week, looking to avenge last year’s 35-21 loss to the Rockets.
“Ever since last year, this is a game we’ve been (looking forward to),” Andre Lewis said. “We knew it was going to come down to us and Oak Harbor. It’s going to come down to who wants it more.”
