(Home)                      (Photos)

The Maumee Panthers have to be wondering what hit them Friday night in their 56-35 loss to the Shoremen. It was an incredible offensive display, the likes of which have not been seen since the days when Stross, Means, Schroeder, and Doyle wore maroon and gold.   Trent Toy completed nine of 16  passes for 249 yards.  Ronnie Willoughby caught touchdown passes of 65, 38, 15, and 40 yards, while Mike Mansnerus had 195 rush yards and two TD’s.  Maumee’s spread offense gave the Avon Lake defense fits, but the Shoremen got enough stops for the win.  Nick Marinkov and T.J. Thompson each had an interception, with Nick returning his 22 yards for a touchdown. 

The Shoremen returned the opening kickoff to the 20, and the Panther defense swarmed all over Mansnerus on a sweep for a loss of one on the first play from scrimmage.  On the next play, however, Mike found a hole on a quick trap up the middle and raced 71 yards to the Maumee 10.   Three plays later he took it in from the four and Brad Brill’s PAT made it 7-0 Shoremen just two and a half minutes into the game.   Maumee came right back with a 66 yard gain on a flanker screen on their first play, moving inside the Shoremen 20.  Three plays later Panther QB Jake Goatley snuck in from the one to tie the game at 7.  The Shoremen went three and out, punting to their own 49.  The Panthers gained a first down and the  on 3rd & 12, Goatley hit Damon Contat on a post pattern.  Contat broke two tackles and sprinted into the end zone for a 14-7 lead.  Some good kick coverage by the Panthers pinned the Shoremen back at the 15.  After one first down the Shoremen had to punt again, this time to Maumee’s 47.   The defense forced a three and out, with Jordan Market making a nice return to the Shoremen 32.  On second down, Willoughby got behind the corner and Toy hit him in stride for a 65 yard TD.  The PAT kick was just wide to leave the score 14-13.  On their first play after the kickoff, the Panthers came back with the same screen pass that set up their first touchdown.  This time Marinkov was waiting as he picked off the pass, slipped a tackle, and cruised in for the score.  Toy hit Willoughby for the two pointer and it was 21-14 Shoremen.  After forcing another punt, the Shoremen looked to be in control until they fumbled the ball away.  It began to feel like a prize fight with two heavyweights landing punch after punch, as Maumee came back with a quick drive leading to a five yard Goatley to Contat scoring strike to tie the game again.  Craig Goodwin returned the kickoff to the Shoremen 43, and three Mansnerus runs produced a first down at the Maumee 43.  After three plays netted five yards, The Shoremen decided to go on fourth down.  Incredibly, Toy again found Willoughby running open on a post pattern for a 38 yard TD.  Brill hit the  extra point and it was 28-21 at the half. 

Maumee got the ball to start the second half.  They didn’t have it for long, though, as Thompson picked off a tipped ball at the 32.  Mansnerus ran three times to the 15,  and it was Toy to Willoughby again, this time for a 15 yard score.  After the Panthers picked up one first down, a sack by Austin Detzel left Maumee facing 3rd & 18.  A quarterback draw went nowhere, and so did the punt, which took a Shoremen bounce backwards to the Panther 41.  This time on third down, Willoughby hauled in another pass around the 25, broke a tackle, and cruised in for his fourth score of the night and a 42-21 lead.  Maumee again came right back, marching 80 yards on a nice mix of pass and run.  Goatley capped the drive with his second one-yard TD run of the game to cut their deficit to 14. And again, the Shoremen came back with an 80 yard drive of their own.  Mansnerus raced in untouched from 17 yards and the lead was back to 21.  Goatley still wasn’t done,though, as he launched a 72 yard lightening bolt to Nick Gebhart to keep the Shoremen fans nervous.  But Nick Marinkov finished another nice Shoremen drive with a nine yard touchdown.  Goatley was sacked twice on Maumee’s final possession, and the Shoremen took a knee twice to seal the win. 

Notes: 

·       Willoughby’s four TD receptions are the most ever by a Shoremen in a single game, breaking the old record of three which was held by five players.  Ronnie totaled five catches for 167 yards.

·       Toy’s 249 yards passing are the most ever by the Shoremen in a playoff game, just short of the all-time team record of 267 yards held by Jeremy Wallace.

·       Mansnerus moved into fifth place on the team’s all-time scoring list, with a total of 44 touchdowns for  264 points.

·       This was the Shoremen’s first ever true road win in the playoffs.  They have won many games at neutral sites, butt his was the first post season victory at the opponent’s home stadium.

·       Avon Lake will play Toledo St. Francis DeSales next Friday at 7:30, probably at Fremont or Huron.  OHSAA will announce the location Sunday afternoon.

(Home)       (Photos)

 

Avon Lake

7

21

14

14

56

Maumee

14

7

7

7

35

 

 

 

M

 

A.L.

First downs

 

16

 

16

Rush Yds

 

79

 

234

Pass Yds

 

291

 

249

Passes att-comp-int

 

27-15-2

 

16-9-0

Fumbles-lost

 

1-0

 

2-1

Penalties

 

7-47

 

5-45


AL – Mansnerus 4 run (Brill kick)
M – Goatley 1 run (Olman kick)
M – Contat 33 pass from Goatley (Olman kick)
AL – Willoughby 65 pass from Toy (kick failed)
AL – Marinkov 22 interception return (Willoughby pass from Toy)
M – Contat 5 pass from Goatley (Olman kick)
AL – Willoughby 38 pass from Toy (Brill kick)
AL – Willoughby 15 pass from Toy (Brill kick)
AL – Willoughby 40 pass from Toy (Brill kick)
M – Goatley 1 run (Olman kick)
AL – Mansnerus 17 run (Brill kick)
M – Gebhart 88 pass from Goatley (Olman kick)
AL – Marinkov 9 run (Brill kick)