Otsego sophomore back Mason Kramer (5) looks for some hard to find running room against Lake’s defense. (Jeff Hall Photography)
By Nicholas Huenefeld
Special to the Sentinel-Tribune
TONTOGANY — The Otsego football team used an opportune defense that came through in key situations to produce a 7-0 win over Lake at home on Friday night.
“We have to be really happy with the way our defense stepped up, the way our defensive coaches made adjustments and the way the players were locked into those things,” Otsego coach Craig Rutherford said. “We had to adjust some things as the game was going on, but I thought we did an unbelievable job with that. It was fun to watch.”
Both teams combined for three touchdowns called back due to penalties and several key turnovers, while Mason Kramer’s six-yard touchdown run in the second quarter proved to be the winning points.
“We had a lot of penalties in critical moments,” Bishop said. “We’d get inside the red zone, things started to get tighter, and we’d tighten up a little bit. We just had too many penalties.”
Lake, which had 22 players out due to injury, started sophomore K.J. Magers at quarterback, and he finished 21-of-41 for 208 yards through the air.
With 2:05 remaining in the game and the Flyers needing a score, Magers nearly engineered a 68-yard game-tying drive, going 7-of-12 passing and eventually completing an eight-yard pass to Brett Bomyea, who was tackled at the one with under 10 seconds left.
After a timeout, and with one chance left to tie the game, the ensuing snap was fumbled, and Otsego’s Jake Limes recovered to seal the outcome.
“(K.J.) hasn’t gotten a ton of live game experience, and I thought he did a really good job commanding the offense,” Lake head coach Lane Bishop said. “We told our guys all week that we wanted to give ourselves a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter, and we did that.
“I’m not a moral victory guy. I’m not happy that we only lost by seven points, but there’s a lot of positives for our program in this one.”
After Kramer’s touchdown with 7:03 left in the first half, the Knights forced a three-and-out, and Keeghan Hutton rushed around the left end for a 47-yard touchdown, but a holding call negated the run and a potential two-score lead.
After a stop, the Flyers produced a 14-play, 56-yard drive to conclude the half, but a 51-yard field goal attempt from Jonathan Specht came up just short.
That’s when things really got interesting.
On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Otsego fumbled the ball away, giving Lake possession at the 20, and on a third and goal from the five, Magers found Jay Blazevich for a game-tying touchdown.
However, offensive pass interference was called on the play, and on the ensuing play, Limes tipped the pass and Grady Frank intercepted it.
The Knights (5-4, 3-3 NBC) compiled 58 yards on the ensuing drive, but two holding penalties and a false start forced a punt attempt, which was blocked by Lake’s Mekhi Gilbert and returned by Andrew Ramirez to Otsego’s 25.
“I felt like we were picking up big chunks of yards at times, but we probably had five or six holding penalties,” Rutherford said. “That’s going to be tough for anybody. Those third and 20s are going to be difficult to pick up, and we just had too many of those. I feel like we missed some of those opportunities there.”
Otsego’s defense, however, rose to the occasion once again, holding Lake to one yard over four plays and a turnover on downs.
“We put our defense in bad positions tonight,” Rutherford said. “To come out with a shutout was pretty remarkable.”
After three punts combined between the teams, Lake put together a 11-play drive early in the fourth quarter, but it stalled after a fourth down pass from Magers was tipped and batted away by Kramer in the endzone.
That set up a climactic final five minutes.
On third and 17 from Otsego’s 27, Lake’s defense forced what they thought was a fourth down on an incomplete pass, but pass interference was called, which gave the Knights a third and two.
On the next play, Kramer burst through the defense for a 58-yard touchdown, but that became the third score called back after another holding penalty.
Lake ultimately forced a punt, which set up the final drive.
On that drive, the Flyers completed their second hook and lateral of the game for a key first down early on. Then, on fourth and 15, Blazevich caught a tipped pass for a 26-yard gain.
Jaxson Rymers corralled a 17-yard gain two plays later, and after a 14-yard pass to Julian Rodriguez set the Flyers up inside the five, a delay of game put the ball on the nine.
Bomyea was then stopped at the one before the game-deciding fumble on the next play.
One week after giving up 36 points in a loss to Fostoria, Bishop was happy with how his team responded and held Otsego to seven points.
“I thought they were incredible,” he said. “Otsego is a really well-coached football team. Craig is one of the best in Northwest Ohio, and it’s a really tough offense to stop.
“I thought our defensive staff did an incredible job of putting together a game plan for us this week.”
Blazevich finished with eight catches for 101 yards, while Rodriguez carried the ball 10 times for 38 yards to lead Lake (3-6, 1-5 NBC).
“It was just two really competitive, hard-nosed football teams that went at it,” Bishop said. “It was a testament to our league and how competitive it is.”
Hutton had 11 carries for 38 yards to lead Otsego, while Mason Roe went 5-of-9 for 58 yards. Monty Martin had three catches for 31 yards.
After his team was outgained 262-139, though, Rutherford was happy to walk away with a win.
“Keeghan Hutton being banged up in the first quarter got us a little out of rhythm,” Rutherford said. “We were fortunate to get one drive though. That was all we needed tonight.”
