ANNA – Anna took advantage of 20+ mph first quarter headwinds and used them to blow away Versailles, 47-6, on Friday in the MVP Game of the Week. Entering week 10 with an 8-1 (6-1 MAC) record, the Rockets now have high hopes for the coming post season.
This upstart program—which dared seek out membership in the mighty MAC after just a handful of years playing interscholastic football—has to be pleased with its bold leadership.
Anna had 342 yards (134 of them on the ground) of total offense in the game, to just 170 yards for their guests. Now, the Tigers have fallen to 5-4 (3-4 MAC), and they must rely on the kindness of strangers if they are to join the Rockets in the playoffs.
“You never feel like it is going to be easy,” said AHS senior Derek Billing afterwards. “So, we usually come out just trying to get better, and we don’t worry so much about who our opponent is.”
The home team took the opening kickoff and marched 68 yards in seven plays. And at 9:19, the Rockets scored on a 26-yard quarterback keeper into the left flat by talented senior, Wesley Hunsucker.
It was the start of a trend, and yeah, it looked pretty easy.
“We played really well,” said Anna’s head coach, Bryan Rioch. We were physical with them. We executed on both sides of the ball, and my guys sure made some big plays.”
BTW—Versailles runs as spread an offense as anyone anywhere has ever run, it literally spreads sideline to sideline. They don’t chuck the ball down field much, though. Rather they throw a wide assortment of screens and crossing patterns and hope for yardage after the catch.
Because of that, the Tigers had serious difficulties keeping their defense off of the field. For example, the next two times they touched the ball they kept it for just 54 seconds and 12 seconds respectively. Think about that: eight plays in 66 seconds.
Combine their incredible lack of possession time with a 20+ breeze into their faces and it spelled insurmountable trouble for the visiting possession passing team.
“Spread defenses tend to make me really nervous,” Rioch said. “ You always feel like they are just one play away from breaking it.”
The third time they had the ball, Versailles managed to drive 43 yards on seven plays—in, again, just 1:48—to tie the score at 6-6 (2:04, first quarter).
It would have been an ideal time for the visitors to negotiate a truce, but no…
Instead, the Rockets’ Kameron Knight returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown. Anna 13, Versailles 6.
Knight had 68 yards on 12 carries in the game.
Then Versailles quarterback, Derek Langencamp, got hot and directed his offense 57 yards (in 13 plays)—despite the elements—only to be intercepted by the Billing.
And on the very first play, Hunsucker hit Billing in the left flat; Billing ran a hook-and-ladder with Knight on the unsuspecting free safety and corner; and 72 yards later the score was suddenly 20-6.
The obvious choice for MVP Star of the Game for week nine, Hunsucker had 208 yards and two touchdowns on 7-for-9 passing. He also intercepted a pass, and rushed for two additional touchdowns (31 yards on five carries).
The hook-and-ladder was a play Anna had been sitting on all night. In fact, they had a spotter on the roof of the press box looking for a specific combination of players to take the field before they unveiled it.
When those players took the field, all of the spotters cell phones went off.
On the next possession, Langencamp threw an incompletion, then another interception—this time to the talented Hunsucker on the corner.
“We’ve (Hunsucker and Billing) both been playing both ways,” Hunsucker laughed. “We don’t come off the field much, especially here at home.
Two plays later the senior quarterback was diving into the end zone for a touchdown, and with 8:12 remaining in the second quarter, this game was effectively over.
Langencamp threw three first half interceptions into the wind (two of them to Billing) and the final score was: Anna 47, Versailles 6.
Next week. The Rockets face a desperate and extremely dangerous Marion Local (4-5, 2-5, MAC) squad. Going into this weekend they were ranked eighth in the OHSAA regional computer ratings used to seed the post-season tournament, despite their five league losses.
Consider, that Marion Local played St. Henry, Coldwater, and Delphos St. John’s—all right in a row.
“They are well-coached,” Rioch said of Marion Local in a major understatement. “I am sure they know that (next week) is their chance to get into the playoffs.”
Langencamp had 132 yards (99 yards on 15-26 passing, 33 yards on 9 carries) of total offense. Sophomore relief signal-caller, Zach Niekamp contributed another 42 yards (23 yards on 8-for11 passing, and 19 yards rushing).
