By JIM GRIES
OSKALOOSA — A fast start usually spells success for one team and doom for the other.
Williamsburg started out strong, scoring points in the first half and held on for the 45-28 victory over Oskaloosa Friday night in their Class 3A, District 5 encounter at Community Stadium.
The Raiders (5-0 overall, 3-0 district) had 344 of their 485 yards of total offense in the first half and hung on for the win.
“We didn’t play very good defense (in first half) and we had some chances offensively,” Oskaloosa coach Darrell Schumacher said. “We had some wrong reads running the ball a little bit.
“Our kids came back in the second half and they didn’t make the wrong reads and they blocked like they should. Our defense stepped it up and played really hard. It was a real hard-knocking game and we’re excited about that opportunity. We have to keep improving on this and we’re not satisfied with this loss.”
Williamsburg senior tailback Ross Doehrmann was the workhorse as he logged the ball 35 times for a mammoth 312 yards and the game’s first two touchdowns in the first quarter.
Doehrmann, who had 12 runs of 10 yards or more, had three of them on the opening drive, including a 34-yard gallop that got him into the end zone for the 7-0 lead with just under 4 minutes gone in the first quarter.
Doehrmann made it 14-0 on a 10-yard scamper in the final minute of the period after Cameron Carder recovered a fumble by the Indians’ Jon Eveland at the Williamsburg 25. After Doehrmann’s second touchdown of the game, it looked like the rout was on.
But the Indians (2-3, 2-1) came right back with a bang thanks to the legs of senior Jordan VanWyk, playing in place of the injured Tye Sparks.
VanWyk took the ensuing kickoff by Carder at the Oskaloosa 5 and VanWyk ran up the middle through and past every Raider on the field. He didn’t stop until he got to the end zone 95 yards away to get the homecoming crowd going and cutting the deficit to 14-7 33 seconds from the end of the quarter.
“That was pretty special,” Schumacher said of VanWyk’s return. “He had a great game. He had some misreads early on, but he ran really well in the second half.”
The Raiders got back in control of the game by scoring three times in the second quarter, two on passes from Tanner Blomme to Jacob Koenighain.
Williamsburg increased the advantage to 14 as Koenighain caught a 4-yard pass from Blomme that capped off a 70-yard drive that took less than 3 minutes off the clock.
After forcing the Indians to punt after three plays, Blomme found Koenighain and Austin Wheeler for a pair of passes for 33 yards and Jake Masterson went the final 14 yards for the touchdown to put the score 28-7 with 6:20 left in the opening half.
The Indians, however, wasted little time in making it a two-touchdown difference again thanks to a little trickery.
On first down at the Oskaloosa 20, Eveland handed the ball to VanWyk, who handed it to Wiebe Goodyk. Instead of running for yardage, Goodyk pulled up and found Andrew Reed for a 68-yard reception to put the ball at the Williamsburg 12. Three plays later, Goodyk was on the receiving end of a 9-yard touchdown strike from Eveland to make it 28-14 with 4:57 left in the half.
The Raiders bounced right back with a score on their next possession as Bloomed connected with Wheeler for a pair of 15-yard pass plays and Koenighain caught a 1-yard pass to culminate the drive just 2:30 after regaining possession.
About the only mistake the Raiders made all night came on their first possession of the second half. Doehrmann ran for 5 yards off the left side, but lost the football and the Indians’ Brandon Patterson recovered at the Oskaloosa 42.
Eveland passed for 14 yards to Matt Bowie to the Raider 44. The Raiders were called for offsides and Austin Blanchard rumbled for 14 yards to the 25. On the next play, Goodyk hauled in the 25-yard touchdown pass from Eveland to cut the margin to 35-21 midway in the third quarter.
That would remain the score until midway into the fourth quarter when Oskaloosa managed a touchdown to give the Raiders some anxious moments.
Getting the ball at its 38, Oskaloosa went on an 11-play, 62-yard drive that was aided by a pass interference penalty on the Raiders.
Andrew Reed caught a 9-yard touchdown toss from Eveland, who was 13 of 24 for 160 yards in the game, with 6:19 remaining in the contest to make it 35-28.
Holding down a slim 7-point lead, the Raiders needed to mount a drive that would eat up time and yards.
They did just that as Doehrmann carried the ball got seven times for 64 yards on the 85-yard drive. With just 2:12 left in the game, Blomme found Koenighain in the end zone from 12 yards out and put an insurance touchdown which the Indians couldn’t recover.
“That drive broke our back,” Schumacher said. “We just couldn’t stop them on that touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. We had played super on defense, but that was one of those things that we couldn’t just stop them. Hats off to them as far as that goes.
“We challenged our kids and we came within a touchdown and came within a turnover or something from tying the score. That didn’t happen.”
The Indians are on the road this week as they travel to Tiffin to face off against Clear Creek-Amana.
Williamsburg 42, Oskaloosa 28
Williamsburg 14 21 0 7 — 42
Oskaloosa 7 7 7 7 — 28
Scoring Summary
W — Ross Doehrmann 34 run (Tim Jones kick), 8:08
W — Doehrmann 10 run (Jones kick), :46
O — Jordan VanWyk 95 kickoff return (Andrew Reed kick), :33
W – Jacob Koenighain 5 pass from Tanner Blomme (Jones kick), 9:38
W — Jake Masterson 14 run (Jones kick), 6:28
O — Wiebe Goodyk 9 pass from Jon Eveland (Reed kick), 4:57
W — Koenighain 1 pass from Blomme (Jones kick), 2:27
O — Goodyk 25 pass from Eveland (Reed kick), 7:20
O — Reed 9 pass from Eveland (Reed kick), 6:19
W — Koenighain 12 pass from Blomme (Jones kick), 2:12
Team Statistics
W O
First downs 26 20
Rushes-yards 53-351 41-144
Passing yards 134 228
Total yards 485 372
Comp-Att-Int 10-20-0 14-25-2
Fumbles-lost 1-1 3-1
Penalties-yards 10-87 5-34
Punts 4-32.0 3-32.7
Time/possession 25:05 22:55
Individual statistics
RUSHING — Williamsburg, Ross Doehrmann 35-312, Jake Masterson 6-37, Patrick O’Brien 6-23. Oskaloosa, Jordan VanWyk 18-78, Austin Blanchard 8-43, Jon Eveland 14-23.
PASSING — Williamsburg, Tanner Blomme 10-19-0-134, Austin Hilligas 0-1-0-0. Oskaloosa, Eveland 13-24-2-160, Wiebe Goodyk 1-1-0-68.
RECEIVING — Williamsburg, Jacob Koenighain 6-58, Austin Wheeler 3-50, Cameron Carder 1-26. Oskaloosa, Andrew Reed 3-92, Goodyk 6-70, Matt Bowie 3-55, Blanchard 1-7, VanWyk 1-4.
TACKLES — Williamsburg, Shane Hartnett 8, Keelan Petz 7, Dylan McCrabb 7, Doehrmann 7. Oskaloosa, Kyle Ford 23, Goodyk 11, Drew Ruggles 9, Ben Bricker 8, Scott Fogle 8, Alex Sirovy 7, Brad Vonk 7.
SACKS — Williamsburg, O’Brien, Colton Koch, Riley Hoschstedler. Oskaloosa, Ford, Sirovy, Chris Kollasch.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES — Williamsburg, Carder. Oskaloosa, Brandon Patterson.
INTERCEPTIONS — Williamsburg, Petz, Wheeler.
