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SPORTS
Wayne builds lead, then holds off Chesapeake
Wayne quarterback Zach Cassidy throws a pass against Chesapeake during the first half of the high school football game on Friday, Sept. 3, 2010, at Pioneer Field.
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WAYNE -- The last time Wayne played at home, the Pioneers came back from a 21-0 halftime deficit to beat Frankfort in the Class AA semifinals.
Friday night, Wayne was nearly on the opposite end of that spectrum.
The Pioneers took a 20-0 lead midway through the second quarter, then had to hold off a furious Chesapeake second half rally to post a 20-14 victory at Pioneer Field.
"The day we start thinking it is easy is going to be a bad day for our program," Wayne coach Tom Harmon said. "Tonight was the definition of an ugly win."
The game was in doubt until the final 30 seconds, when Tyler Adkins picked off Panthers quarterback Austin McMaster on a seam route at the 5-yard line, effectively ending the game.
Adkins' interception capped a stellar effort from the junior, who picked off two passes, recovered a fumble, and scored on an 18-yard sweep in the victory.
"I just saw him go deep and I tried to make a play on the ball," Adkins said. "I knew if I stopped the pass, we were going to win the game."
Wayne (2-0) spurted to a 20-0 lead thanks in large part to Chesapeake miscues. Adkins scored the first touchdown of the game on his first carry of the season, a sweep around right end for a score.
Clyde Ferrell and Jake Barr added short touchdown runs in the second quarter. The Panthers were plagued by three first half turnovers, and a botched punt attempt that ended in an incomplete pass, when punter Trey West flipped the ball out of desperation while being chased in the backfield.
Chesapeake (0-2), which did not have a first down until the final offensive series of the second quarter, scored just before halftime when Peter Hintz took a screen pass from McMaster, slipped several tackles, and darted into the end zone.
Barr picked up 10 yards on the first offensive play of the third quarter for Wayne, but that would be the last first down of the ballgame for the Pioneers.
"Our defense played really well," Panthers coach Phil Davis said. "I was really proud of our kids. They fought. We had some mistakes, but we had chances to win that ballgame."
Chesapeake methodically marched downfield, chewing up much of the third period. Trey West finished the drive, falling on the goal line from a yard out to bring the Panthers within a score. Peter Hintz, who rushed for 63 yards in the game, did most of the damage, picking up a steady diet of four and five-yard runs to keep the sticks moving.
The Panthers took the ball right back when Hintz picked off Zach Cassidy on the ensuing play, but could not cash in.
Harmon said the Chesapeake comeback was keyed by a combination of events.
"Stupid playcalling and them getting momentum and keeping it," Harmon said. "Even with a 20-0 or 20-6 lead, you need to go make first downs. They whipped us up front tonight for a good portion of the game, but in the end we did enough to get out of here with a win.
"(Chesapeake) keeps playing. They have a lot of pride and always have. Anytime you play at Wayne, you have to expect everyone to play their best game. We don't know that they did, but we need to make sure that we work on playing ours."
It was Wayne's 11th consecutive victory over the Panthers.
CHESAPEAKE 0 6 8 0 -- 14
WAYNE 6 14 0 0 -- 20
W -- T. Adkins 18 run (kick blocked)
W -- Ferrell 3 run (Gilkerson pass from Cassidy)
W -- Barr 1 run (kick failed)
C -- Hintz 26 pass from McMaster (kick failed)
C -- West 1 run (Hintz pass from McMaster)
C W
First downs 14 12
Rushes-yards 38-114 37-166
Passing 5-14-2 1-3-1
Passing yards 77 18
Total offense 191 184
Fumbles-lost 3-3 1-0
Penalties 5-20 4-20
Punts 1-26.0 4-29.2
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING -- Chesapeake: Hintz 15-63, West 11-24, McMaster 5-20, Nichols 5-10, Meadows 1-0, Team 1-(-3). Wayne: Barr 19-82, Ferrell 10-48, Adkins 5-39, Team 3-(-3).
PASSING -- Chesapeake: McMaster 5-13-2, 77 yards. West 0-1-0. Wayne: Cassidy 1-3-1, 18 yards.
RECEIVING -- Chesapeake: B. Noble 2-31, Hintz 1-26, Pinson 2-20. Wayne: Gilkerson 1-18.
