Defense sets tone for Findlay against Southview

SYLVANIA – Findlay High football coach Stefan Adams was hoping his defense would set the tone early in Friday's matchup at Sylvania Southview.Fifteen seconds into the game, he had his answer.Southview quarterback Jackson Hessey looked to pass on the first play from scrimmage. Findlay's Trace'son Hyde shot through, sacked him, and knocked the ball loose.Senior linebacker Chase Harris raced in, got his hands on the ball and took it back 36 yards for a scoop-and-score touchdown.Findlay would go on to build a 21-0 lead, survive some costly turnovers of its own, and played smart, efficient football in the second half in posting a 41-14 victory in a Northern Lakes League cross-over game with the Cougars."We gave them an opportunity and they took advantage of it. Those were our mistakes, but I thought we responded well," Adams said after the Trojans saw their 21-0 lead dwindle to 21-14 before they scored with 39 seconds left before the half, then controlled the third and fourth quarters."Going up 28-14 at the half was huge, then getting points on the board, some field goals, in the third quarter. We were doing some positive things, then we just kept churning from there."Findlay improved to 3-1 with its third straight win. Southview suffered its third straight loss and is 1-3."We have to start putting positives together and stop having blunders," said Southview coach Steve Hardy, adding the Cougars fumbled on the opening kickoff return in last week's game with Whitmer as well."We have to clean that up and start out better."Miles Bailey, whose earlier appearances in the Findlay backfield had been as a running quarterback in the Wildcat formation, got the start against Southview. The senior running back/linebacker had an enlightening night for the Trojans, rushing for 107 yards and two touchdowns and completing 10-of-15 passes for 156 yards and another score."Yeah, I played quarterback back in eighth grade, but not since then," said Bailey, one of four players the Trojans have played at quarterback this season."They threw me in there. We've been working on that (the passing part of his game) in practice. We've had some difficulties, but we worked through them and found a way to win.""He's a senior, and we've always said we want to lean on those guys in these times," Adams said."Seniors know there's only so much time left in their (high school) careers. They have a sense of urgency that's a little different."We knew we could use him in that capacity. There's still a lot to clean up, but he was efficient. I'm proud of his effort. I mean, 41 points, … We've been looking to score some points and we did it."Following the early scoop-and-score by Harris, Bailey engineered two first quarter scoring drives.On a 13-play, 69-yard march, he hit Nash Montgomery with an 18-yard pass on a third-and-11 play, gained 13 yards on a quarterback keeper to move the ball across midfield, hooked up with Shawn Hines III on an inside screen that advanced the ball to the 11, and fired a 4-yard TD strike to Carter Imke on a quick crossing pattern for the score.When Findlay's defense forced another three-and-out punt, Findlay covered 68 yards in just four plays. The first was a 41-yard bomb to Jed Scott. Hines, thanks to a sealing block on the outside by Greyson Geiser, went up the right sideline for 29 yards, and Bailey went the final 3 yards on a quarterback keeper.Findlay mistakes quickly swung the momentum in the second quarter.A backwards pass went as a fumble and Southview's Johnny Mielcarek recovered at the Findlay 30. It took nine plays, but Hessey snuck in for the score.The Cougars were quickly back in business when Joseph Tucker picked off a pass and returned it to the Findlay 9. Hessey's pass to Lance Lucio turned the turnover into points on the scoreboard with 2:09 left in the half.Findlay responded, though, regaining the momentum before the teams headed to the halftime locker rooms.With just over a minute left, Bailey found Imke for a 15-yard gain and a first down at the Southview 49. On the next snap, Bailey rolled right buying time, sidestepped a couple of would-be tacklers, squared up and lofted a towering ball deep down field. Geiser was so wide open he had to stop and wait for the ball, which had more air under it than a Macy's Day float. The defense also caught up to Geiser, but he kept his focus on the ball and hauled it in at the 4, Bailey ran it in from there, restoring a two-possession lead at the half.That margin increased in the third quarter when Geiser capped 80- and 60-yard drives with 30- and 28-yard field goals. Early in the fourth quarter, after Sebastian Brankamp beat his man off the ball and broke in cleanly on Southview's punter and dropped him for a 14-yard loss, Hines showed his speed with a 13-yard TD burst on a quick trap over the left side of the line.Findlay, in a bit on limbo after a season-opening loss to Pine Richland, Pa. now heads to Fremont Ross on Friday riding a three-game winning streak and boasting a 3-1 record.We're not worried about all the outside stuff. We're just worries about us and what we do," Adams aid."We know we have good kid, good players, capable coaches … We just have to keep challenging ourselves to get better. We want to put our kids in the best position to be successful, and I think we just did that. Findlay 21 7 6 7—41Southview 0 14 0 0—14First QuarterFIN – Harris 36 fumble return (Geiser kick)FIN – Imke 1 pass from Bialey (Geiser kick)FIN – Bailey 3 run Bialey (Geiser kick) Second QuarterSS – Hessey 1 run (Jones kick)SS – Lucio 3 pass fro Hessey (Jones kick)FIN – Bailey 4 run (Goodrick kick) Third QuarterFIN – Geiser FG, 30 yardsFIN – Geiser FG, 28 yards Fourth QuarterFIN – Hines 13 run (Geiser kick) FIN SPRFirst Downs 21 3Rushes-yards 43-245 23-28Passing Yards 156 71Comp-Att-Int 10-15-1 7-18-2Punts-Avg. 2-33.5 5-33.4Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-1Penalties-Yards 13-93 6-35INDIVIDUAL STATISTICSRUSHING – Findlay, Williams 5-15, Pfister 5-49, Hines 6-55, Lane 4-10, Bailey 16-107, Smith 1-4, Montgomery 1-4, Lomeli 4-4. Sylvania Southview, Hessey 9-8, LePla 1-(-14), McArthur 13-34.PASSING – Bailey 10-15-1, 156 yards. Sylvania Southview, Hessey 8-18-2, 71 yards.RECEIVING – Findlay, Imke 4-26, Montgomery 1-18, Scott 1-41, Hines 2-15, Geiser 2-58. Sylvania Southview, Lucio 4-24.Game stats courtesy of Jim Welch