Big plays, slow start doom Dutchmen

Will Johnson, Sports Editor
Posted 9/4/19

Falling behind 16-0 at the midway point of the first quarter, Nathan Cabot’s Owensville Dutchmen football team could get no closer than 10 points the rest of the night before falling to the …

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Big plays, slow start doom Dutchmen

Posted

Falling behind 16-0 at the midway point of the first quarter, Nathan Cabot’s Owensville Dutchmen football team could get no closer than 10 points the rest of the night before falling to the visiting Potosi Trojans 44-28 in the season opener for both teams.

“It is what it is,” Cabot said. “We’ll go back to the drawing board and we’ll get them next week.”

To Owensville’s credit, it did not take them very long to get on the board after trailing by two scores.

Starting their third possession on offense with 5:56 for the opening quarter, it did not take OHS long to get on the board.

Dutchmen sophomore quarterback Brendan Decker aired it out to senior wide receiver Cason Gray for a 77-yard touchdown pass with Gray having two steps on his defender. Gray finished with 161 yards receiving and two touchdowns on five catches.

In spite of Charlie Whelan’s missed extra point to the left, Owensville cut Potosi’s lead to 16-6 needing just :13 ticks.

“Brendan (Decker) is a very talented kid that we’re expecting big things from,” Cabot said. “We’ll make a few adjustments and see what happens next week.”

In the opening moments of the second quarter, OHS had just forced a turnover-on-downs.

Following a 16-yard pass completion from Decker to Cody Linders, Potosi took back the momentum when Josh Allen scooped up a fumble to returned it 38 yards for a touchdown at the 8:43 mark of the second period. Kyler Miller’s two-point conversion run left the Dutchmen trailing 24-6.

Behind Decker’s legs and arm, Owensville had a quick answer on their next drive.

Knocking on the door to Potosi territory, Decker aired it out again for Gray to the tune of a 45-yard completion moving the football all the way down to the Trojan 17-yard line. 

Five plays alter, Decker capped the drive with a 1-yard TD run with 4:23 left in the half. Linders then caught a two-point conversion pass for Decker cutting the Potosi lead to 24-14 late in the half.

Decker threw for 265 yards on 16-27 passing with three touchdowns. He also had a team-high 67 yards rushing on 19 carries and a touchdown.

Owensville’s defense forced another Trojan turnover on downs giving the ball back to the offense with 2:15 left in the opening half.

Three runs from Decker along with catches by Derek Brandt and Gray moved OHS inside Potosi’s 20-yard line.

Stymied by a false start penalty and two incomplete passes, Owensville’s drive stalled leaving them trailing 24-14 at halftime.

Fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Decker to TC Fisher and Brandt did not provide enough offense for Owensville to overcome Potosi’s potent running attack.

Brandt (16) and Fisher (14) also combined to account for 30 of Owensville’s solo and assisted tackles on defense.