Ohio Football

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

2011 Rewind: Waynesville

By Greg Shoemaker | Featured Analyst

Big things were expected from Waynesville (11-1) in 2011 and the team did not disappoint. The Spartans recorded the first 11-win season in school history and a SWBL Buckeye title. The program earned their fifth straight trip to the playoffs and seventh overall. They also produced their second-ever, post-season victory.

It was a year in which all three phases of the game lined up in harmony. Seven times the offense lit up the scoreboard for 40 or more points. The defense held seven opponents to 19 points or fewer. The special teams had a kicking and punting attack that very few squads in Division IV, Region 16 could match.

No matter the outcome of this one it will go down as one of the most successful campaigns in Waynesville football history. The bar has been set it and now the fun begins waiting to see which group of future Spartans raises it.

Let’s take a game-by-game look at Waynesville’s 2011 campaign:

GAME #1 – WAYNESVILLE 41, EAST CLINTON 7 - Waynesville reeled off 38 unanswered points to beat Clinton county rival, East Clinton. The Spartans continued their mastery over Astros as they have won the last five in the series by a combined score of 180-56. Quarterback Luke Creditt would meticulously go to work dissecting the Astros with his arms and his legs during the Spartans’ run. The senior would end the night with 132 yards rushing, 128 passing, two rushing touchdowns and one more passing. Fullback Matt Lindsey found the end zone twice on short runs for the Waynesville. Receiver Ty Black caught six passes for 96 yards and a score. Senior kicker Caleb Keeton connected on field goals of 37 and 32 yards for the victors. The Waynesville defense would bend but not break, allowing East Clinton to gain 194 yards on the ground. Junior linebacker Michael Hooser came up with two interceptions to end Astros drives.

GAME #2 – WAYNESVILLE 17, CLINTON-MASSIE 2 - Waynesville ended Clinton-Massie’s 34-game regular-season winning streak at Spartans Stadium. Creditt ran for 105 yards and a touchdown. It was Creditt’s second 100-yard rushing performance of the year. Waynesville rode the coattails of a stellar defensive performance that held the Falcons in check all night long. Black scored the game’s first touchdown when he intercepted a pass in the second quarter and took it 85-yards to the house. Black also had the team’s only reception (for 40 yards) on offense. Hooser came up with his third takeaway of the young season when recovered a crucial Clinton-Massie fumble. Through two games the Spartans gave up just nine total points on the season.

GAME #3 – WAYNESVILLE 31, EATON 19 - In a hard-fought battle Waynesville pulled away in the final stanza after Eaton got within two points at 19-17. Lindsey ran for three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter to ice the victory for the Spartans. The senior had a career-high 202 yards rushing on 18 carries. Classmate Matt Hussey caught four balls for 124 yards, including a 48-yards scoring hook-up from Creditt. Both of the squads committed three turnovers and held their opponents to 3-of-14 on third-down conversions. Waynesville showed some vulnerability in pass defense as the Eagles racked up 218 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Danny Hussey and Michael Vogel had interceptions for the Spartans. Jacob Audia continued to emerge as one of the team’s rising stars on defense with a sack and a fumble recovery for the winners.

GAME #4 – WAYNESVILLE 49, CARLISLE 48 - The 2011 SWBL Buckeye opener was one for the ages as Waynesville’s stop of a two-point conversion in the second overtime allowed them to come out on top of Carlisle and remain unbeaten. The affair saw six lead changes and seven ties and plenty of hair loss from each coaching staffs. Creditt ran for four touchdowns and threw for a pair more in the victory. The senior finished up with 289 yards passing and another 63 on the ground. Matt Hussey was on the receiving end of both of the signal-caller’s scoring tosses. Hussey had four catches for 73 yards. Ty Black led the team with five receptions for 126 yards. He also had an interception on defense. For the second straight week pass coverage has baffled the Waynesville defense as the Indians threw for 277 yards and four touchdowns through the air. The past two weeks the Spartans have allowed 495 yards and seven scores through the air after giving up just 84 yards and picking off three passes with no touchdowns surrendered in the first two contests.

GAME #5 – WAYNESVILLE 43, PREBLE SHAWNEE 14 - It was all business for Waynesville as they built a 30-7 halftime lead over Preble Shawnee and were never threatened after that. The Spartans compiled 386 yards of total offense and saw six different players find the end zone. Creditt threw for 155 yards, had two passing touchdowns, ran for another 83 and a score in what has become the norm in the box score for the senior. As always Creditt finds ways to involve all of his teammates in the fun. Matt Hussey, Lindsey, Troy Black, Ty Black and Vogel all crossed the goal line for the Spartans’ offense. The defense was stellar registering 10 tackles for a loss and two interceptions in the Waynesville win. Matt and Danny Hussey came up with the picks. It was also a big day for Nathan Forward who had a sack, two tackles for losses to go along with three receptions for 76 yards on offense.

GAME #6 – WAYNESVILLE 21, DIXIE 0 - The Waynesville defense seems to have gotten the message after the Week 4 scare against Carlisle. Friday night the Spartans held Dixie to 84 yards of total offense while posting their first shutout of the season. The Greyhounds could generate very little on offense and went 3-of-12 on third-down conversions. Lineman Isaac Hammonds recorded two tackles for losses and picked off his first pass of the season. Ty Black snared the Spartans other two interceptions in the victory. Mike Tarkany led the team with nine total tackles and was rewarded on the other side of the ball with his first touchdown reception of the season. Lindsey led Waynesville with 107 yards rushing and Creditt ran for 97 more. Matt Hussey scampered 40 yards for the game’s first touchdown in the second quarter.

GAME #7 – WAYNESVILLE 42, OAKWOOD 21 - Waynesville finished the non-conference schedule without a blemish as the beat Oakwood to remain unbeaten. The Spartans pounded the Lumberjacks up front as they racked up 418 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Credditt ran for 208 yards and three scores. He became the second Waynesville player this season to run for more than 200 yards in a contest. Lindsey added 94 and found the end zone once. Matt Hussey posted 74 more yards and crossed the goal line twice. Hussey would finish with 154 all-purpose yards. The defense registered 4.0 sacks and seven tackles for losses. Tarkany and Hooser came up with interceptions.

GAME #8 – WAYNESVILLE 69, MORTHRIDGE 12 - It was “Take No Prisoners Night” as Waynesville built a 34-0 first-quarter lead in a bushwacking of Northridge. The defense set the tone and the offense looked the part of a playoff-caliber unit. Every aspect of the game was clicking for the victors. The Spartans held the Polar Bears to -26 yards on 25 carries for the night. All of the hard work that Tarkany has put in on defense found its heights when he returned a fumble 28 yards for a touchdown to put Waynesville up 13-0 before Northridge had even broken a sweat in the first quarter. Creditt was a model of effeciency going 9-of-10 for 135 yards and four touchdowns passing. Matt Hussey had two touchdown receptions. Ty Black led the team with 84 yards on the catches. Black, Vogel and Brian Behymer all had scoring catches. We saw a glimpse of the Spartans future in the second half as freshman Troy Black threw his first touchdown pass of the season while running for a game-high 44 yards. Sophomore Eli Rains picked up 34 yards and scored his first varsity touchdown. Senior Tucker Mollenkamp found the end zone for the first two times this season via two nice runs.

GAME #9 – WAYNESVILLE 49, MILTON-UNION 21 - Waynesville wrapped up at least a share of the SWBL Buckeye title behind another magnificent outing by Creditt as they beat Milton-Union, 49-21. Creditt ran for three and threw for another trio of touchdowns while amassing 453 yards of total offense for the Spartans. The senior had 224 yards passing and 229 rushing. The team racked up 569 yards against the Bulldogs defense. Credit sits at 14 scores on the ground and 14 through the air in nine tilts. It was only a seven-point game at the break at 28-21, Waynesville. The Spartans defense tightened the bolts after intermission. Playing catch up is not the strength of Milton-Union who runs the ball 83 percent of the time on offense. That played right into the hands of the unbeaten Waynesville squad. Ty Black caught two touchdowns, Matt Hussey had another and Lindsey ran for the last score in the victory.

GAME #10 – WAYNESVILLE 45, MADISON 7 - Waynesville topped off an undefeated regular season with a 45-7 win in front of their home fans. The Spartans laid everything to rest with 21-point, second-quarter explosion that gave them a 24-0 halftime lead on their way to a 45-7 win over Madison. The win insured the Spartans of the #1 seed in Division IV, Region 16 playoffs and a home game to open things up. Creditt was in the middle of all the offensive fireworks. The senior threw for two touchdowns and ran for another He finished the game with 75 yards rushing and 153 yards passing. Matt Hussey had a game-high 85 yards receiving. He and Forward caught touchdown passes. The defense came up with three takeaways. Hooser and Audia recovered fumbles and Danny Hussey intercepted a Northridge pass. Hussey led the team in tackles and Hooser was right behind him.

GAME #11 – WAYNESVILLE 21, MILTON-UNION 17 - For the second time in three weeks Waynesville knocked off league rival Milton-Union, only this time was much more difficult and satisfying as the Spartans advanced in the Division IV, Region 16 playoffs. It was just the second win ever for Waynesville in the post-season and they had to come from behind in the fourth quarter to get the victory. Creditt ran for 105 yards, threw for 209 with two touchdown passes to Ty Black. The second score came with just over eight minutes left in the contest to give Waynesville the lead for good over the Bulldogs. For good measure Black intercepted an M-U pass on their next drive and that sealed their fate. The senior finished the game with four receptions for 116 yards. Hammonds and Austin Parrish were the Spartans top two tacklers on defense. Parrish, just a sophomore, really came on late in the season at linebacker. Forward picked off his second pass of the season in the win.

GAME #12 – CHAMINADE JULIENNE 30, WAYNESVILLE 17 - Waynesville met their match as they fell 30-17 to a Chaminade Julienne team that was peaking at the right time. Turnovers and the inability to stop the Eagles’ ground game in the second half were too much to the Spartans to overcome. It all came down to making stops and CJ found a way to do it at the most opportune times. Waynesville was never able to get closer than seven points all night. They never had the lead despite five trips inside the red zone in the first half. The Spartans started digging themselves a deep hole after intermission as Eagles linebacker Darrien Howard, who picked off Creditt on the first possession of the third quarter, recovered a fumble on Waynesville’s next set of downs. Creditt would hook up with Ty Black for a second time touchdown to pull Waynesville to within seven early in the fourth, at 21-14. Black caught six balls for 72 yards in the contest. Creditt found every yard tough to come by against the CJ defense but still managed to finish 18-of-40 passing for 190 yards passing, 103 yards on the ground and two touchdown passes. He did have two interceptions and fumble versus the hawking Eagles’ swarm. Dreams of a regional final against Clinton County rival, Clinton-Massie and a Week 2 rematch were all for not as CJ made the plays when they had to.


MILESTONES AND MORE
--First team in school history to win 11 games. This was the program’s fifth straight playoff appearance and seventh overall.

--Brandon Philpot, head coach – In his second season, Philpot is now 18-4 leading the Spartans.

--Luke Creditt capped off a fantastic run earning Division IV. First Team All-Ohio, Southwest District Offensive Player of the Year, and SWBL Offensive Player of the Year honors. He threw for 1,789 yards with 20 touchdown passes, ran for 1,270 yards and 15 touchdowns. Creditt winds up his career with 4,246 yards and 51 touchdowns passing (both school records). The senior finishes with 2,192 yards rushing and 22 rushing scores as well.

--Isaac Hammonds, a four-year letterman, was the backbone of the Spartans’ defense. He was a Division IV, Second-Team All-Ohio member and the SWBL Buckeye Defensive Lineman of the Year. The senior was in on 67 total tackles, 10 of those went for losses.

--Hunter Schmidt anchored the Waynesville offensive line. A Division IV, First Team All-Southwest District and Division IV Special Mention All-Ohio member, Schmidt was the SWBL Buckeye Offensive Linemen of the Year. He graded out around 90 percent in each game for the Spartans.

--Caleb Keeton earned Division IV Second Team All-Ohio honors for the second straight season. The senior hit 7-of-15 field goals and 56-of-59 PAT’s in 2011. His 218 points kicking and 155 PATs are tops in Spartans’ history. His 21 career field goals are good for second best in Waynesville history.

--Matt Hussey finished with 1,244 all-purpose yards and 13 total touchdowns as he earned First-Team, All-SWBL Buckeye and Division IV Honorable Mention All-Southwest District honors. His 67 receptions and 998 receiving place him third in school history in each category.

--Matt Lindsey was one of the most underated players in Southwest Ohio, Lindsey ran for 825 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns in 2011. His efforts garnered him Second Team All-SWBL Buckeye honors. He ends up his career with 1,498 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground.

--Mike Tarkany was always around the ball. He racked up 60 total tackles and 2.5 sacks on his way to Division IV, Second-Team All-Southwest District and Second Team All-SWBL Buckeye honors. He finishes his career with 11.5 sacks.

--Ty Black was one of the Spartans top athletes. Black led the team with six interceptions, including a pick six on defense. He was the team’s leading receiver with 43 catches for 696 yards and nine touchdowns while amassing 930 all-purpose yards. Those efforts were good enough for First-Team, All-SWBL Buckeye and Division IV Honorable Mention All-Southwest District honors. With another year left, the junior is within striking distance of the school records for receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and interceptions.

Jacob Audia proved to be a real pleasant surprise for Waynesville. His hard-nosed style earned him Second-Team, All-SWBL Buckeye and Division IV Honorable Mention All-Southwest District honors.

Nathan Forward led the Spartans with 10 tackles for a loss and was second on the team in total tackles with 64 while nabbing two interceptions. On offense he hauled 10 balls for 165 yards and one touchdown as he was named a Second Team All-SWBL Buckeye member.


Waynesville is a nominee for the TristateFootball.com Dayton Team of the Year. The winning team will be recognized at our Year in Review Shows coming up in January. Stayed tuned to the website for further details.

Greg is a co-founder of TSF and is now entering his ninth season as a Featured Analyst for the website. The Xavier University grad also serves as the Content Manager for the website and is widely considered one of the top high school football experts in the region. If you are interested in covering your team, please CONTACT US.

© 2013, Get Sports Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved.