VERSAILLES – The Versailles football team started its season in near perfect fashion Friday night, defeating Celina 36-7.
“It was a great all-around game, I thought,” Coach Adam Miller said. “Special teams-wise, offense, defense all played well.”
The Tigers held the Bulldogs without a first down until a facemask penalty with 10:59 left in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs could only muster 76 yards of total offense, most coming after the Tigers took a 36-0 lead.
The Versailles offense took a little while to get started, but once it did Celina did not have an answer.
“I thought our kids were getting stronger as the game went on,” Miller said. “We preach it’s not a three-quarter game; we have to play all four.”
The Tigers running game amassed 211 yards on 49 attempts. Noah Waymire threw for 103 yards on nine attempts.
Kurtis Rutshilling put the Tigers on the board in the first quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run. Rutshilling scored two more time in the second half. With 5:09 left in the third, he scored on a 12-yard run. He score his last touchdown as the third quarter ended on an 18-yard pass.
Noah Grisez scored the other two touchdowns for the Tigers. Both touchdowns came in the second quarter. His first touchdown was on a 9-yard reception. He put the Tigers up 20-0 late in the third with a 3-yard run. The extra point was missed and the Tigers took a 20-point lead into the locker room.
The Tigers scored on a safety after a Josh Steinbrunner punt pinned the Bulldogs back at their own 4-yard line. A first down play lost 2 yards then the next play Evan Hiestand tackled the ball carrier in the end zone for 2 more Tiger points.
The Bulldogs were held to under 20 yards of offense through the first three quarters. With a 36-0 lead at the end of the third, the Tigers started subbing players, and it allowed the Bulldogs to gain some yards.
With 5:08 left in the game, the Bulldogs stopped the running clock by getting to within 29 points. The Bulldogs converted a fourth and 1 play to continue the drive.
The Tigers will travel to Delphos to play Jefferson on Friday night. This will be the first of two trips to Delphos as the Tigers will travel back in week four to play St. John’s.
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