By Drew Terhall

DailyAdvocate.com

DARKE COUNTY — Here are the scores and stats from week four of the high school football season.

Versailles 34 (4-0, 2-0) vs New Bremen 7 (2-2, 1-1)

The Tigers keep on rolling through four games with a 34-7 win over the defending Division VII State champions in New Bremen. Head coach Ryan Jones said he knew his team would be in for a physical game and was happy with how his team stepped up, especially in the second half.

“We knew it was going to be a dog fight and that it would go four quarters. Not surprised it was such a tough game. They’re a good team and we feel fortunate to come out on top,” Jones said. “I’m really proud of the way our guys responded in the second half.”

Both teams struggled on offense during the first half. Versailles had a turnover in the redzone and New Bremen had costly penalties that stalled out drives. But in the second quarter, the Tigers drove down the field and senior Joel Gehret scored from three yards out to put the Tigers up 7-0.

On their first possession of the second half, Gehret scored a 39-yard touchdown to go up 14-0. Senior Michael Osborne then had an interception on defense to set up Gehret’s third touchdown of the game. This time, it was a five-yard score.

Osborne then rushed for two touchdowns, from 43 and from six yards out, to go up 34-0. Jones said the team shuffled some guys around on the offensive line and was proud of them and his runners for getting the offense moving.

The defense was on their way to another shutout until New Bremen scored a 50-yard passing touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Jones said he was happy with how the defense held a tough New Bremen team to seven points in the game.

Jones said while the team needs to clean up the penalties and the turnovers in the redzone, he is thrilled to see his team play great against a great opponent.

“It’s a big win. As a coach, it’s great to see those guys experience a great win like that over a great team that’s well coached in front of a great crowd here at home,” Jones said.

Versailles will host Parkway on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. A full game recap can be found on our website, dailyadvocate.com.

Bradford 48 (3-1) vs Bridgeport 14 (2-2)

The Railroaders get their first win on their new field as they steamrolled past Bridgeport, 48-14. Head coach Nick Bandstra said all week long, the team has been focused on getting this win in front of their home crowd.

“That was our goal this week. We thought this was a very winnable game. We had some worries. But overall, our kids came out, played hard and executed when we need to,” Bandstra said.

Senior Tucker Miller scored touchdowns of 3 and 34 yards to go up 14-0 in the first quarter. Junior Owen Canan had a 32-yard touchdown run and a 32-yard passing touchdown to senior Trey Schmelzer. Then just before the first half ended, Canan pitched the ball to Miller who then found Schmelzer for a 50-yard touchdown pass to go into halftime up 34-0.

The defense helped the offense play relaxed as they didn’t allow Bridgeport past them when they got into Bradford territory. They had a fumble recovery and junior Griffin Trevino had an interception. Bandstra said when the defense needs to step up, they deliever.

“Our philosophy all year is ‘Bend don’t break’. We have done a really good job at bending and not breaking. We have our star players execute when they to. You get Garrett Trevino or Trey Schmelzer coming through the line or Tucker coming off the edge. It makes a difference,” Bandstra said.

Bridgeport did come out of halftime and scored on their first possesion. But, Canan responded by turning a busted play into a 27-yard rushing touchdown. Once again after Bridgeport scored, Canan found senior Hudson Hill for a 60-yard touchdown to make it a 48-14 game.

Canan finished with 179 passing yards and two touchdowns along with 72 rushing yards. Miller had the two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown with 88 yards rushing. Schmelzer had 130 yards receiving and two touchdowns with six receptions.

Bradford will host Sciotoville East on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. A full game recap can be found on our website, dailyadvocate.com

Around the county:

Arcanum 8 (2-2, 1-2) vs Ansonia 38 (4-0, 2-0)

The Tigers scored all 38 points in the first half and the defense held on for the win. Senior Keegen Weiss had 201 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns on 17 carries. Senior Garrett Stammen had a rushing and receiving touchdown. Junior Zane Henderson also had a rushing touchdown. Senior Trevor Hemmerich and Wyatt Spencer both had an interception. The defense had 15 tackles for loss.

For Arcanum, they were without junior quarterback Landon Wagner. Freshman quarterback Bishop Cartwright did have a passing touchdown to junior Truman Knaus. The offense had 80 total yards. Senior Dakota Kendig did get an interception on defense. Freshmen MJ Macy did get the game’s lone sack. The Trojans will travel to Tri-County North on Sept. 15 for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Ansonia will have a big test as they host Tri-Village on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m.

Greenville 6 (0-4, 0-3) at Butler 45 (2-2, 2-1)

The Green Wave fall on the road to Butler, 45-6. Sophomore Gabe Rammel had a good game as he had 94 yards rushing and a 48-yard touchdown. On defense, he had two sacks. For Butler, junior Kaiden Bates had 121 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The Green Wave were outgained 247-194 in the game. Butler also held the ball for most of the game as they had the edge in time of possession, 43:33 to Greenville’s 13:58. Greenville will host Piqua on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. as both teams are searching for their first win of the season.

Tri-Village 50 (4-0, 3-0) vs Mississinawa Valley 0 (0-4, 0-3)

The Patriots remain undefeated with the win over the Blackhawks. Senior Braden Keating had 145 yards passing and a 12-yard passing touchdown to senior Tanner Printz. Sophomore Trey Sagester got some playing time at quarterback and had a two-yard touchdown pass to junior Lucas Howell. Keating also had a rushing touchdown. Senior Reed Wehr had 78 yards rushing and two touchdowns and sophomore Noah Finkbine had a rushing touchdown. Printz had seven catches for 102 yards and the touchdown. Junior Kaden Lipps and sophomore Lathen Wehr both had an interception. The team recovered three fumbles.

For Mississinawa Valley, senior Anthony Ibarra had 51 yards rushing on six attempts. Sophomore Kyle Wehrkamp had 77 yards passing. The team was without senior Dylan Wehrkamp as he went down against Arcanum last week. The defense did have three sacks and six tackles for loss in the game. The Blackhawks will host Twin Valley South on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. For the Patriots, they will travel to Ansonia for a matchup of two undefeated teams on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]