BLANCHESTER — Six turnovers, including five fumbles, derailed the home opener for Blanchester Friday night, as they fell to Waynesville 42-13, at Barbour Memorial Field.
Blanchester (0-3) moved the ball well on offense until one of those six turnovers seemingly changed the momentum of the game late in the second quarter.
With 5:31 left in the first half, Blanchester trailed 14-7 but had the ball deep in Waynesville territory for the third consecutive series.
On 3rd and 4 from the seven, the snap sailed high over quarterback Bryce Sipple’s head. While teammate Connor Berrey pushed Sipple away from the loose ball, Spartan linebacker James Taylor scooped it up at the 16 and took it 84 yards for a touchdown.
Berrey’s extra point gave Waynesville a 21-7 lead it would carry to the locker room. Meanwhile, Blanchester would not gain another first down until the fourth quarter.
“We had three drives in the first half get deep in their territory and we didn’t capitalize on any of those three,” BHS head coach Jon Mulvihill said. “First play on defense and they throw a long bomb. You take those plays away and we’re winning.”
However, Blanchester’s defense kept the Spartans at bay through the third quarter, allowing just two first downs.
“In the second half, we played really good defense,” Mulvihill said. “We just got tired. We’ve got seven guys playing both ways. They’ve got a lot more guys on their sideline that they’re playing.”
Waynesville would finally break through early in the fourth. A 37-yard Zach Turner punt return set the Spartans up at the BHS 15. Three plays later, Matt Wilkerson scored to give WHS a 28-7 advantage.
The Spartans (3-0) added two more touchdowns in the final period. Blanchester found the end zone one more time in the fourth on a 40-yard touchdown pass from freshman Michael Mulvhilill to Carson Curless.
Blanchester ran 29 more offensive plays and had four more first downs. But five fumbles and an interception were too much to overcome. In addition, Waynesville’s depth on both sides of the ball allowed the Spartans to pull away late.
Jake Duncan led the Waynesville offense, catching seven passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns. Connor Berrey had six extra points and an interception on the defensive side.
For Blanchester, Bryce Sipple had 101 yards rushing and a touchdown. Carson Curless had 64 yards receiving and a touchdown. Michael Mulvihill had 68 total yards and a passing touchdown.
SUMMARY
Friday, September 3, 2021
At Blanchester High School
Waynesville 42, Blanchester 13
W^14^7^0^21^^42
B^7^0^0^6^^13
1st Quarter
W – Blaise Sizer 75-yard pass to Jake Duncan (Connor Berrey kick) 8:58
B – Bryce Sipple 6-yard run (Bryan Bandow kick) 1:55
W – Sizer 28-yard pass to Duncan (Berrey kick) 0:00
2nd Quarter
W – James Taylor 84-yard fumble return (Berrey kick) 5:31
3rd Quarter
No scoring
4th Quarter
W – Matt Wilkerson 5-yard run (Berrey kick) 11:19
B – Michael Mulvihill 40-yard pass to Carson Curless (kick blocked) 8:33
W – Clellon Tamme 47-yard run (Berrey kick) 6:32
W – Isaac Squire 13-yard pass to Duncan (Berrey kick) 2:54
TEAM STATS:
PLAYS: W 37; B 66. FIRST DOWNS: W 12; B 16. RUSHES-YARDS: W 21-130; B 52-198. PASSING YARDS: W 174; B 118. COMPLETIONS-ATTEMPTS-INTERCEPTIONS: W 9-17-0; B 6-11-1. TOTAL YARDS: W 304; B 316. PENALTIES-YARDS: W 5-40; B 9-75. FUMBLES-LOST: W 2-1; B 5-5.
INDIVIDUAL STATS:
Rushing (carries-yards): W Jordan Davis 2-9; Blaise Sizer 3-11; Matt Wilkerson 2-10 TD; Rylan Guthrie 1-3; Isaac Squire 1-1; Clellon Tamme 7-81 TD; Zach Turner 1-4; James Taylor 2-0; Joe Stone 1-11. B Bryce Sipple 28-101 TD; Sebastian Smith 15-70; Adam Frump 1-(-1); Michael Mulvihill 7-28; Carson Curless 1-0.
Receiving (catches-yards) W Jake Duncan 7-170 3 TDs; James Taylor 1-(-3), Joe Stone 1-7. B Sebastian Smith 1-6; Adam Frump 3-48; Carson Curless 2-64 TD.
Passing (completions-attempts-interceptions): W Blaise Sizer 8-16-0 161 yards 2 TDs; Isaac Squire 1-1-0-13 yards TD. B Bryce Sipple 5-10-1 78 yards; Michael Mulvihill 1-1-0 40 yards TD.
