High school football: Slow start too tough for Elyria Catholic to overcome in regional final loss to Ottawa-Glandorf

CLYDE — The first drive set the tone and turnovers told the story in Elyria Catholic's 31-6 loss to Ottowa-Glandorf in the Division V, Region 18 final Saturday night at Robert J. Bishop Stadium. The Titans went 76 yards in 13 plays on their opening possession, taking 7:32 off the clock in jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Senior quarterback Landen Jordan found sophomore receiver Colin White in the end zone from 10 yards out for the score. Things didn't get much better for the Panthers. After senior running back Ian Ferbert capped a seven-play, 88-yard Ottawa-Glandorf drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, two second-quarter Elyria Catholic turnovers led to 10 Titans points, giving them a 24-0 halftime lead. The Panthers (11-3) never threatened to get back into the game. "Throughout the season we had these moments where we had some bad moves or did some dumb things, and you can't rebound from things like fumbles and turnovers," Elyria Catholic coach Brian Fox said. "It just seemed like we got a good thing going, then we shot ourselves in the foot. It's tough. You have some guys that are banged-up or not used to being where they are, but these kids fought like crazy. "I can't tell you how impressed I am with them and how much I appreciate everything they did for this program." Ottawa-Glandorf (11-3) rolled up 214 yards of total offense and picked up 12 first downs in the first half while the Panthers could muster just 95 yards and five first downs. Thomas Neiderst gave Elyria Catholic a spark with an interception he returned 36 yards to set up a 4-yard Brady Cook touchdown run, but the Titans answered with a 58-yard Cy Rump touchdown pass to put it away. Senior tailback Levi Ellis played on an injured ankle, rushing for 44 yards on eight carries. "I'm so proud of him," Fox said of Ellis. "He is an absolutely wonderful kid. I could tell it was hurting him and could tell he wasn't at 100 percent, but he came up to me and told me, 'I'm playing.' "It was one of those things where I couldn't have kept him off the field if I had tried. I am so impressed with him." Ellis, who was limited to defense last week, said he was playing no matter what. "This was my last game with these seniors," he said. "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I would have just sat on the sidelines, not being able to impact the game at all." Despite the loss, Fox was pleased with how far his Panthers were able to advance this season. It was Elyria Catholic's first trip to a regional final since 1987. "It's all a part of the process and part of the growth," Fox said. "You find these new stages and the nerves kind of get to you a little bit. They (Titans) have a great program." The current crop of seniors at Elyria Catholic were freshmen when Fox took the job four years ago. "You could tell, before, that people didn't want to be here," Ellis said. "Now you have people wishing they were here. It's a great thing to be a part of." Fox said the culture change this group of seniors spearheaded is something he will always be thankful for. "Words can't truly show what they did for this program," he said. "They came in not knowing who their head coach was, and came into a program they told me ended the previous season with 33 players. "We weren't in a good place and they came in and gave us everything they had. They were a very mature, hard-working group from the beginning. They were small in numbers but they made everything a fun environment, a competitive environment and you can't even begin to describe how important these kids were to this school." Contact Mike Perry at 329-7135 or macsportstalk@gmail.com. Ottawa-Glandorf 31, Elyria Catholic 6 Ottawa-Glandorf&emsp;&emsp;7&emsp;&emsp;17&emsp;&emsp;7&emsp;&emsp;0&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;31Elyria Catholic&emsp; &emsp;0&emsp;&emsp; 0&emsp;&emsp;6&emsp;&emsp;0&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp; 6 Scoring OG—Colin White, 10 pass from Landen Jordan (Dylan Birkemeir kick)OG—Ian Fenbert, 3 run (Birkemeier kick)OG—Rodney Meyer, 14 pass from Jordan (Birkemeier kick)OG—Birkemeier, 27 field goalEC—Brady Cook, 4 run (run failed)OG—Cy Rump, 58 pass from Jordan (Birkemeier kick) Team statistics &emsp;&emsp; OG&emsp;&emsp;EC First downs&emsp; &emsp;17&emsp;&emsp;10-- by rushing&emsp; &emsp;7&emsp; &emsp;6-- by passing&emsp;&emsp; 9&emsp; 4-- by penalty&emsp;&emsp; 1 &emsp;&emsp;0 Yards rushing&emsp; &emsp;137&emsp; 83Yards passing&emsp;&emsp; 192&emsp; 102Total offense&emsp;&emsp; 329&emsp; 185Passes att./comp.&emsp;22/11 18/8Intercepted by&emsp;&emsp; 3&emsp;&emsp; 2Fumbles/lost&emsp;&emsp; 0/0&emsp;&emsp;2/2Penalties/yards&emsp;&emsp; 3/20&emsp; 6/40 Individual statistics RUSHING — (OG) Ian Fenbert 23-84, Landen Jordan 12-41, Caleb Kuhlman 1-12, Cy Rump 2-0. (EC) Levi Ellis 8-44, Jack Budinger 3-33, Tavion Thomas 5-8, Brady Cook 3-4, Jack Kenneally 1-(-6).PASSING — (OG) Jordan 11-22-192-3-1. (EC) Cook 8-16-102-0-3; Ellis 0-2-0-0-0.RECEIVING — (OG) Kuhlman 5-82, Rodney Meyer 2-29, Walker Buddelmeyer 2-13, Rump 1-58, Colin White 2-20. (EC) Colin Ginley 4-46, Jack Kenneally 3-36, Alex Carandang 1-13, Jack Budinger 1-8.