Creager does plenty as Patriots oust Blue Devils

HAMLER – With about 6 ½ minutes left in regulation and Patrick Henry well on its way to a Region 22 quarterfinal win over Carey, Patrick Henry coach Bill Inselmann sent his field goal kicker, senior Lincoln Creager, out to try a 34-yard field goal.Creager actually has a number of responsibilities on the Patriots football team. He's the starting quarterback and a linebacker. By this point in the game, Creager had already run for two touchdowns and thrown for another.But being called on to attempt that long of a field goal caught the Patriots' standout somewhat off guard."I was a little surprised," Creager said. "I had it in the back of my mind; we worked on it in practice, but I was surprised and a little excited."Creager drilled the kick through the uprights. Patrick Henry's lead went to 24-0, and it won by that score.It was a night where Creager, seemingly, could do no wrong. He carried the ball 22 times for 150 yards. He completed 5 of 10 passes for 110.And he was part of a defense that limited the Blue Devils to just 124 yards of total offense."He's a gifted athlete," Inselmann said of Creager. "He's a dual threat quarterback, and that's why he's back there."Creager had touchdown runs of 9 and 8 yards, and hit Lane Jackson on a 41-yard scoring play that was part of a dominant first half for the Patriots. They led 21-0 at the break."That quarterback is a stud," said Carey coach Jonathon Mershman. "His legs are his ticket. If you can't stop him running the ball, it's going to be a long night."Carey was able to move the ball for much of the evening – it had about a seven-minute drive to begin the second half – but was unable to dent the scoreboard against a Patriots team that has outscored its opponents 49-4 in the last two weeks."We have an excellent defense and our coordinators are doing a great job," said Inselmann. "It starts up front. We're a complete defense; we just can't get complacent.The Patriots pass rush was relentless, sacking Blue Devils' quarterback Kyler Boes five times.Grant Smith, the Patriots all-time leading sack artist – as a junior – had three.Patrick Henry (10-2) will have a rematch with Hopewell-Loudon in the regional semifinal next week. The undefeated Chieftains knocked off Seneca East, 34-7 Friday.H-L and Patrick Henry met in the postseason last year, with the Patriots winning 26-14.The Blue Devils finished 6-6, making the postseason after starting the year losing their first three games."The kids could have folded at 0-3, and they didn't," Mershman said. "They just kept grinding and grinding and grinding, and I'm super-proud of them."