DeLaCruz does it all as Findlay shuts out Spartans

LIMA – Dallas DeLaCruz ran for a touchdown in Findlay's 32-0 win over Lima Senior on Friday. As the Trojans top running back all season, that's to be expected. DeLaCruz also completed 8-of-9 passes for two TDs. As the Trojans top running back all season, that's wasn't. "I heard about the possibility of playing quarterback on Monday," DeLaCruz said. "I didn't know I'd be starting until about Wednesday." Sophomore quarterback Ryan Montgomery, listed as a four-star Division I prospect by most recruiting services, was held out of the contest as a precautionary measure. "Ryan's a little banged up," said Findlay High coach Stefan Adams. "He warmed up before the game, but he just did not feel comfortable, he did not feel confident to go. With a guy like that, you want to make sure he's good to go, that's the main thing." Especially with the playoffs looming. Findlay improved to 5-5 overall and finished Three Rivers Athletic Conference play at 4-3. More importantly, Friday's win solidified the Trojans spot in the Division I Region 2 playoffs. Though final numbers are unofficial and playoff pairings won't be released by the Ohio High School Athletic Association until Sunday, Findlay will likely face Perrysburg Friday in the first round of the Region 2 playoffs. Perrysburg (9-1) sits No. 4 in Region 2, Findlay 13th. "We don't know about everybody else," Adams said. "But we gave ourselves a chance, and that's what we wanted." With not only Montgomery (1,676 yards, 22 TDs passing) but backup quarterback Brady Allen (broken arm), also sidelined, Adams had to devise a different game plan than the one that had Findlay averaging 209 yards and just under three touchdowns a game through the air. So he called on DeLaCruz, and had the senior running back run basically a Wildcat formation. For the most part it worked, with DeLaCruz gaining 125 yards on 23 carries and scoring one touchdown. With Findlay leading 18-0 in the fourth quarter, DeLaCruz covered 49 yards on five consecutive carries, the last a 1-yard blast into the end zone with 5:25 on the clock. After an Elijah Johnson interception, Donovan Harris raced 16 yards for another Findlay score just 23 seconds later. "We did some things with Dallas this week, just in case," Adams said. "We wanted to see how things turned out. Kwade (McCoy) got some snaps in there too, but we got in a groove there for a while and wanted to keep that going. Our goal was to run the ball and those guys up front, they did a good job." As for the passing game, DeLaCruz was asked to keep it simple. Most of his completions were shot shovel passes to receivers jetting through the backfield. One of those short tosses turned into a 6-yard TD for Reese Little. DeLaCruz's longest completion was not the prettiest of the bunch. Following a fumble recovery by Isaac Tuiloma and aided by a face mask penalty, Findlay drove to the Lima Senior 21 with 3:41 left in the first half. On a first -and-10 play, DeLaCruz launched a ball high in the air toward the end zone. Austin Hasselbach made a great adjustment on the play, stopping short and losing his defender in the process, then coming back for the ball and stepping into the end zone." "All week in practice, I was like, 'Coach should I be getting some passing reps in?' He says, 'You'll just be handing the ball off', and I was like, 'That sounds great,'" DeLaCruz said. "Then we get here and they tell me we're going to be putting a couple of pass plays in. I haven't started at quarterback since I was in seventh grade, so I was glad I was able to bring it back out a little bit. "Tonight we did what we had to do. It's next man up and I'm just happy we came out with a win." Finlay led 12-0 after one quarter of play. After Little's TD reception, Owen Clevenger booted a 31-yard field goal and Nathan Riegle got a sack, then tackled Lima Senior quarterback Ja'Niaus Hall in the end zone for a safety. Hasslebach's TD catch saw Findlay go up 18-0 at the half. Findlay's defense put up some overwhelming stats against a young, inexperienced Lima Senior team that has been hit by some key injuries as well. The Spartans lost 11 yards on their first possession of the night, 10 on their second and 20 on their third. Hall, a 5-foot-6, 135-pound freshman forced into the starting lineup due to injuries to Aiden Howard and Jykel Cotton, mishandled or could not reach the center snap nine times. He was 9-of-23 passing for 116 yards with three interceptions. Lima Senior turned the ball over five times, had minus-14 yards rushing, and 93 yards total offense. Findlay generated 241 yards total offense, all but 38 of it coming on the ground. Findlay 12 6 0 14 — 32 Lima Senior 0 0 0 0 — 0 FIRST QUARTER FIN – Little 6 pass from DeLaCruz (Clevenger kick) FIN – FG, Clevenegr, 31 yards FIN – Safety SECOND QUARTER FIN – Hasselbach 21 pass from DeLaCruz (kick failed) FOURTH QUARTER FIN – DeLaCruz 1 run (Clevenger kick) FIN – Harris 16 run (Clevenger kick) LS FIN First Downs 8 17 Rushes-yards 24-(-14) 44-203 Passing Yards 116 38 Comp-Att-Int 9-22-3 9-12-2 Punts-Avg. 6-31.8 3-40.3 Fumbles-Lost 4-2 2-1 Penalties-Yards 12-90 3-35 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING — Findlay, DeLaCruz 23-125, Lane 15-45, Harris 3-40. Lima Senior, Hall 14-(-24), Webster 5-(-1), Doughty 2-10, Smith 1-1. PASSING — Findlay, DeLaCruz 8-9-1, 33 yards; McCoy 1-3-1, 5 yards. Lima Senior Hall 9-22-3, 116 yards. RECEIVING —Findlay, Harris 5-11, Little 2-11, Hasselbach 1-21. Lima Senior, Gardner 4-46, Manley 1-9, Webster 2-23, Sanders 12-30, Doughty 1-8.