Alter-35 Wyoming-21

Once again, the curtain has been drawn early on the Wyoming Cowboys football season. Unlike last year, the 2013 Cowboys made their way to the first round of the playoffs where they met the powerful Knights from Archbishop Alter. In a near home game for the Knights, they bested the Cowboys by two TDs and a final score of 35-21.
 Coming into this game an 8 seed was already a challenge for the Cowboys (who finish the season at 9-3), but coming against such an offensive juggernaut as the GCLC Champion Alter squad would be quite a demand. Unfortunately, stats were not provided by Alter to the CHL or GCLC website at presstime.
 The Cowboys hopped on the Knights right off the opening kickoff however, as Oliver Reinecke forced a Knights fumble which lead to a game opening TD drive by the Cowboys. Will Marty found Dominic Vamosi for a 51 yard pass to set the score at 7-0. However, the Knights came back quickly, scoring on a 17 yard run from RB Tommy Ruff. A Marty pick on the next possession inside their own 10 lead to a 4 yard score and a 14-7 deficit after one quarter.
  In the second quarter, the Alter ground game continued it's success and punched in a score from 2 yards out to make it a 21-7 game. Although the Cowboys showed an inability to convert on their offense most times throughout the night, Alter turnovers kept the score from getting out of hand. JR Parker Chalmers forced two fumbles on the night. With .2 seconds on the clock before half, the Cowboys offense pulled out a reverse pass, with a handoff from Marty to RB Terrell Dailey, and Dailey to WR Duke Brunke, who found the QB in the endzone for a 10 yard, buzzer beater, role reversal score. Marty finished the night with 161 yards through the air, 1 passing TD, 2 INTs, 42 rushing yards and his first career receiving TD.
  In the 3rd quarter, the Alter rushing attack scored again, this time on an 18 yard run from Tommy Ruff, and with a scoreless quarter from Wyoming, the score remained at 28-14.
 In the final quarter of the season, the Knights again found the endzone, this time through the air on a 15 yard pass from Dusty Hayes to Dillon Daxe. The final Cowboys TD of the year was scored by Terrell Dailey on a 2 yard run, which put the final at 35-21.
 Will Marty wraps up his Senior year as the CHL passing champ for the second consecutive year, throwing for 1946 yards, 25 TD passes and a 184.3 QBR. He finishes his career at Wyoming as the school record holder for career completions with 424, most career passing yards with 6,590, and most career TD passes with 70. Terrell Dailey finishes 3rd in the CHL for Rushing, with 1082 yards, and leaves the school with the highest yards per rush average since 1999. Dominic Vamosi finishes his career with 94 receptions, 1654 yards and 18 TDs. Griffin O'Gara finishes #1 in the league with 13 sacks, as well as fellow defender Parker Chalmers finishes the year tied for 1st in Interceptions with 4.
 Wrapping up my final report of this year, it truly has been a great season and an exciting year to write about, and I look forward to picking up again next summer.

State Tournament Round 1 Preview: Archbishop Alter

ALTER KNIGHTS (9-1)

WYOMING COWBOYS (8-2)

    
                                              

A year after being held out of the playoffs by one game, the 8-2 Wyoming Cowboys enter the Division IV tournament this year with a daunting task. As an eight seed, they will travel to the home field of the one seed, Kettering Archbishop Alter (9-1).

  This is a formidable opponent, and will be one of the hardest games of the year for the Cowboys. The Knights sit atop the powerful GCL Co-ed conference, and have a record of 9-1. They are a complete ground and pound offense, only attempting a measly 15 passing plays all season. Their run game is atop the conference, averaging 336 yards per game, but they really shine in their offensive balance. Although they lead the conference in rushing, they have no players in the top 5 for the statistic. In their game against McNicholas, the one opponent the Knights share with Wyoming, they rushed for 385 yards and 6 TDs, all split between 3 players. Alter won this game by a score of 51-20.

   Knights QB Dusty Hayes is a run-first passer, with 481 yards and 9 TDs. Their backs are a tandem of Nick Coleman and Tommy Ruff, who have 911 yards and 10 TDs between them. To stay in this game, the Wyoming defensive front must have the game of their lives to slow down a team that lives by the run and dies by the run.

  On the other side of the ball, QB Will Marty will lead the high-powered Wyoming offense against a stingy Knight defense that has only allowed 163 ypg against it's conference opponents. They show no real tendencies against the run or pass, so a balanced attack will be necessary to unseat the 1 seed. The Cowboys need to cash in on all their possessions, and not leave points on the field, because this Alter squad can break away from teams late in the game.

                Playoffs Round 1

               vs. Kettering Archbishop Alter (9-1)

          @ Kettering Fairmont

          Friday, November 8th

                       7:30

Wyoming-46 Finneytown-7

photo courtesy of Rod Apfelbeck

  Another game, another victory. After two close losses early in the season, the Cowboys have bounced back strong, with 7 straight victories. With their 39 point win at Finneytown on Friday, the Wyoming Cowboys (8-2) finish off their season, and make their way into November headed for the playoffs. Another dominant offensive performance led the 'Boys to a 27-0 first quarter lead, which only went up through the night. 

  Will Marty opened up the game with his legs, scoring from ten yards out to go up 7-0.

Then, Terrell Dailey took it to the corner of the endzone on a 12 yard run later in teh quarter. After forcing a Wildcat turnover, the Cowboys struck fast, with a 51-yard TD pass to Dominic Vamosi on the first play. However, a failed snap and a tackle in the backfield on the extra point put the score at 20-0. Dailey scored again on the ground, this time from 10 yards out to put the score at 27-0 after one quarter. 

 In quarter 2, Marty scored again on the ground, on a 2 yard run  to put the score at 34-0. Soon after, backup QB Andrew Marty relieved his cousin and threw a 13 yard TD pass to Duke Brunke. This made the score 40-0 at half. 

 With no scoring in the 3rd quarter, the Cowboys defense got a score in the fourth when Justin Shields picked up a Wildcat fumble and returned it 23 yards. This was one of two fumbles by Finneytown, and 5 total turnovers. Parker Chalmers had a fumble recovery and INT on Friday, along with Ken Darlington and Elijah Kemper who both had interceptions. The Wildcats finally got on the board with a 76 yard TD run from Dante Goodwin. 

 The offense rolled through the Wildcat Defense, with 347 total yards and 202 through the air. Will Marty finished with 170 yards and 1 TD, and Andrew Marty finished with 32 yards and 1 TD. Dailey finished with 12 attempts for 78 yards and 2 TDs. The defense shined on Friday, forcing 5 turnovers and giving the offense more chances to score, as well as scoring themselves.

 In the final playoff projections, Wyoming comes in with the 8th seed, and will travel to Kettering Friday night to take on the one seeded Archbishop Alter Knights. Look for my preview of the playoff game later this week. 

Finneytown Preview

 Coming off yet another big CHL victory, the Wyoming Cowboys (7-2) look to finish off the season strong and start off the month of November on Friday, when they travel to Finneytown High School to take on the Finneytown Wildcats (2-7), who sit in last place in the league. With the playoff standings now, the Cowboys would be the 7 seed and play Archbishop Alter. After this weekend's games, the playoff picture will be finalized and we can get a good look at the Cowboys postseason.

  The most important part of this game for the Cowboys is repetition. They need to keep what they've got going. After destroying all of their opponents in the CHL so far, anything less than a 3 score victory would be surprising against such a bottom of the pack team. RB Terrell Dailey looks to repeat the success of last week, when he had 356 all purpose yards and 6 TDs. He should find some good holes thanks to the talented Cowboy front 5, especially against a run defense that was gashed by the Taylor Yellow Jackets for 278 yards in Week 7. QB Will Marty looks to end the season with the CHL lead for passing, which he currently holds with 1776 yards.
 On Defense, DE Griffin O'Gara also has the CHL lead in sacks, with 12, and will look to bring Wildcat QB Brad Steimle to the turf on Friday. Steimle has only 3 TDs this year, but 12 INTs. Finneytown's offense is highlighted by Junior RB Dante Goodwin, who has 676 yards this year on 119 carries, with 8 TDs. Getting tackles behind the line of scrimmage and stopping Goodwin will be crucial to a Cowboy victory.

Friday, November 1st

vs. Finneytown Wildcats (2-7)

@ Finneytown High School

7:30 

     

Wyoming-46 Indian Hill-6

photo courtesy of Rod Apfelbeck

 The Cowboys (7-2) winning streak continues against the crosstown rival Indian Hill (4-5), blowing out the Braves by a 40 point margin. This game was a total offensive and defensive domination by Wyoming, amassing 496 yards of total offense while only allowing one score in the 4th quarter. The real star for the Cowboys on Senior Night was Running Back Terrell Dailey, who rushed for 265 yards and 4 TDs and 91 receiving yards and 2 TDs, scoring all the Cowboy TDs on the night.
  In the first quarter, the Cowboys came out of the gate red hot, with CB Jalen Fox returning the opening kickoff back 94 yards for the score. This was the 2nd TD on special teams for the Cowboys this year, and the first kickoff return. Later in the corner, Dailey broke away from his defenders to score on a 79 yard pass and catch. This would be the first of Dailey's 3 50+ yard TDs on Friday night.
  In the second frame, Dailey worked his magic all quarter, scoring all the points for both teams. He scored from 70 yards again, this time on a 74 yard run to put the score at 20-0. Then, Dailey punched it in after a long drive with a 12 yard run. To wrap up the half, Dailey caught an 8 yard pass from Marty to put the score at 33-0. Marty finished the game with 165 yards and 2 TDs.
   In the second half, the Cowboys delivered more of the same. Dailey reached the endzone for the 5th time, scoring from 34 yards out. Then, just for fun, Dailey scampered his way to paydirt for his 6th TD and final TD of the night. This remarkable performance was enough to earn Dailey a nomination for the Beacon Orthopaedics Primetime Performer on News 5.
  On Defense, the Cowboys let up 289 yards of offense but held the Braves out of the endzone until nearly the end of the game. Sophomore Tucker Berger led the team in tackles, with 11, and Casey Howell scooped up a fumble for the only Braves turnover on the night.
 The Cowboys wrap up the regular season on the road this Friday at Finneytown, look for my preview later in the week.

Indian Hill Preview (Senior Night)

INDIAN HILL BRAVES (4-4)

WYOMING COWBOYS (6-2)

Coming off a 40 point win at Mariemont, the Wyoming Cowboys enter their final home game at 6-2, and atop the CHL. In 2nd place, are the visiting Indian Hill Braves (4-4). The Braves come into Bob Lewis on Friday after a 38-7 win against Finneytown. This is the final home game of the season for most, but also the Senior Night for those who won't return to the Wyo.
 Last season, the Indian Hill game proved to be harder than expected for the Cowboys, escaping from Arrowhead stadium with a 6 point win over the Braves. This year, the Cowboys should have a little bit more control on the outcome of this game. Home field advantage is one thing for the Cowboys, but the up-tempo offense is a whole new beast this year. Outscoring CHL opponents 264-58 through 5 games, the Cowboys look to tear up an Indian Hill Defense that was gashed by Madeira for 514 yards in Week 6. The rushing game should work wonders on Friday, look for RB Terrell Dailey and QB Will Marty wreak havoc on the ground.
 Marty looks to add to his school record for TDs, which stands at 66 for his career. He will have his eyes down field for fellow Senior and Wide Receiver Dominic Vamosi. Dailey, too, is a Class of 2014 player, and will most likely receive the lion's share of the offensive plays. On the line, Logan Schneider and Bo Graham will protect and block for their classmates.
 On defense, the senior class are fantastic players and leaders, such as Casey Howell, Griffin O'Gara, Jermaine Sorells, Ken Darlington, Jalen Fox, Ike Palmer, Gordon Dominique, Chris McEntee and Michael Whaley. These players along with the underclassmen, will be dealt with the task of defending against Senior QB Matt Thompson for the Braves. Thompson is  100/182 on the season, with 10 TDs and 7 INTs.

                                                             Friday, October 24th
                                                          vs. Indian Hill Braves (4-4)
                                                           @ Bob Lewis Stadium
                                                                  Senior Night
                                                                     7 oclock

Wyoming-47 Mariemont-7

The Wyoming Cowboys (6-2) picked up their 5th straight win in a row on Thursday night, blowing out the Mariemont Warriors(5-3) at home by a score of 47-7. This 40 point win puts the 'Boys average margin of victory at 42.5 points, a stunning stat that they hope to maintain in the last two weeks of the season. This was a historic game for QB Will Marty, as he broke the Wyoming school record for career touchdown passes.

The game started well for the Cowboys, picking up a two score lead by the end of the first quarter. Marty got on the board first with his legs, scoring on a 17 yard carry. He ended his day with 113 rushing yards on 22 attempts. The ground game succeeded again in quarter one, as RB Terrell Dailey leaped the pile from the 1 yard line to put the score at 14-0.

In the 2nd quarter, the Cowboys lost a long drive when Marty threw his lone interception of the night to Warriors DB Collin Widecan, whose pick started the drive that ended with a 18 yard touchdown pass from Kane Coates to David Cowart. Coates finished the game 6/16, with 67 yards a TD and an INT. Wyoming finished off the quarter strong however, with Dailey getting his second TD on a 5 yard run. Dailey finished the night with 60 yards on 21 attempts and the 2 TDs. This rushing attack was split almost down the middle for the Cowboys, with 22 carries for Marty and 21 carries for Dailey. 

The 3rd quarter was scoreless for both teams, and the score stayed at 21-7 until Duke Brunke caught a 7 yard pass in the corner of the endzone to go up by 21 early in the fourth frame. It was in this quarter where the Cowboys pulled away from their opponents. Needing only one score to break the tie between him and former Cowboy Kyle Seyfried in passing TDs, QB Will Marty earned his place in the record books after slinging his 66th career TD to WR Dominic Vamosi on a 28 yard connection. Marty finished up with 316 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT.

  With the score now at 34-7, the Cowboys kept the foot on the gas pedal with two defensive TDs on consecutive plays. First, Hudson Rogers scooped up a failed handoff inside Warrior territory and returned it 33 yards for the score. Rogers finished the day with 9 tackles and the FR. After the kickoff, the first play from scrimmage was a handoff that was immediately bottled up at the line of scrimmage. In the standup pile, Sophomore DB Mason Rogers was able to strip the ball away from the Mariemont back, where it caromed off of 2 players and squirted out to the open field where speedster and DB Jalen Fox picked it up and took it 20 yards for the touchdown. Fox was also part of the pair of Cowboys with Interceptions on Thursday, along with Junior DB Parker Chalmers.

 The Cowboys wrap up their home games this week against the CHL's 2nd place team, the Indian Hill Braves (4-4). Look for my preview later this week.