Blue Devils use 'Road Warriors' mentality to beat Polar Bears

CASTALIA --Jonathan Mershman had a first in his career. The Carey coach had never been involved in a game where his team didn't even attempt a pass. That was, until Friday. The ninth-seeded Blue Devils never found themselves in a passing situation, running the ball all over top-seeded Margaretta en route to a 35-7 win in a Division VI Region 22 quarterfinal. "Our offensive line did a heck of a job tonight," said Mershman, crediting offensive linemen Chase Stone, Levi Bowling, Garrett Boes, Caleb Putnam and Bekkem Sherman and tight ends Kyler Boes, Bostyn Ridder and Brayden Williams. Carey improved to 8-4 and will travel to fourth-seeded Paulding (11-0) next week in a regional semifinal. "Road warriors," Mershman said. "It's fine. We'll go on the road. It's the hand we've been dealt. We were 6-4 going into the playoffs. It is what it is. We'll be the 9-seed and keep doing what we're doing." Margaretta (9-2) couldn't have asked for a better start. Quarterback Jake Bouy went for 12 yards on the first play of the game and added a 23-yard pass to Kale Bailey for a first down on third-and-13. After Tyson Bailey picked up 10 yards and a first down, Bouy connected with Carter Luzader for 12 yards to the Carey 1. Bouy covered that distance on the next play and added the extra point for a 7-0 lead just over four minutes into the game. As they have done all year, the Blue Devils went to the ground game in response. Carey chewed up over seven minutes on its first drive, picking up four first downs before a 10-yard touchdown run by Tripp Phoenix. The extra point from Benson Kloepfer tied the game at 7 with 1:35 left in the first quarter. "They have 10 amazing seniors on their team and they came with their best plays to start," Mershman said. "We knew that was going to happen. We just had to weather the storm. I thought we responded really well on offense with driving down and scoring." Margaretta looked like it was going to answer quickly. Bouy sprinted 15 yards for a first down and a personal foul was added to the end of the run. At the Carey 18 to start the second quarter, Bouy was stopped for no gain before an incomplete pass brought up fourth down. The Polar Bears were rushed with the play clock running down and Bouy was intercepted by Phoenix to end the drive. Carey guzzled clock again to bleed possessions. This time, the Blue Devils had five first downs, using a heavy dose of Mace Puckett, Dash Puckett and Eli Steen. In the end, Steen rumbled in from a yard out on fourth down. Kloepfer added the extra point to make it 14-7 with 3:22 remaining in the first half. "With their size up front and how they come off the ball and excute, it was going to be tough," Margaretta coach Gary Quisno said. "We thought we'd get a stop in there somewhere, but we never did. It seemed like we had a couple penalties that helped them out along the way." Things went from good to better for Carey. Facing third-and-long, Bouy was flushed from the pocket and took a hit from Boes. The ball popped loose and Carter Bame was there to catch the flailing ball. He returned it 42 yards for the touchdown. Kloepfer's extra point extended Carey's lead to 21-7 at halftime. "That was huge," Mershman said. "We were up 14-7. Kyler put his helmet on the ball and popped it out there. Carter caught it out of the air and got himself a touchdown. We were joking on the sideline that if you can't score on offense, you might as well score on defense. We'll take it." The Blue Devils didn't relent in the second half. Dash Puckett picked up 32 yards for a first down and a few plays later, Steen rumbled in from a yard out. That pushed Carey's advantage to 28-7 four minutes into the third quarter. "They bring 50 and we dressed 30 for the game," Quisno said. "I was afraid they'd wear us down and they did. But, it happened a little earlier than I thought it would. I didn't think they'd wear us down as early as they did. They got to us with their size and strength." The Blue Devils tacked on one more touchdown in the fourth quarter. After an interception by Dash Puckett, Carey cashed in on a six-yard touchdown run by Mace Puckett. That made it 35-7 with 10:17 left in the game. Mace Puckett finished with 22 carries for 127 yards while Dash Puckett had eight carries for 62 yards. Phoenix added four rushes for 76 yards and Steen had 13 rushes for 32 yards. "They made sure we were always third and manageable," Mershman said. "We were able to stay in front of the chains for the most part tonight. We had a couple fourth downs that we were able to turn out. Tripp did a nice job of getting in and out of plays correctly." Carey 7 14 7 7 — 35Margaretta 7 0 0 0 — 7 M — Jake Bouy 1 run (Bouy kick)C — Tripp Phoenix 10 run (Benson Kloepfer kick)C — Dash Puckett 1 run (Kloepfer kick)C — Carter Bame 42 fumble return (Kloepfer kick)C — Eli Steen 1 run (Kloepfer kick)C — Mace Puckett 6 run (Kloepfer kick)