OTTAWA LAKE – Football teams get fired up in a variety of ways.
Friday night, it was the coin toss that got Whiteford going.
Montpelier, who came to Whiteford with a 5-0 record and a high-flying offense averaging more than 30 points a game, won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball, something few high school teams seem to do.
“That was so disrespectful,” one of the Whiteford assistants told his team before the game. “Can you believe they did that?”
The Locomotives were forced to punt on that first possession, setting up a Whiteford scoring drive. The Bobcat offense scored every time it had the ball in the first half and the defense scored on an interception return as Whiteford knocked off the previously unbeaten Locomotives, 58-6. The Bobcats have won three straight and are now 3-2 heading into next week’s first-place showdown with Edon.
Brek Ruddy rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns. Tre Eitnear rushed for 93 yards and touchdown runs of 17 and 44 yards. Elijah Vance and Hunter Massingill added TD runs and Mason Luzier returned a Montpelier interception 69 yards for the other Whiteford touchdown.
Montpelier 0 6 0 0 – 6
Whiteford 22 30 6 0 – 58
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
W – Elijah Vance 12 run (Austin Bauman pass from Tre Eitniear)
W – Mason Luzier 69 interception return (run failed)
W – Eitniear 17 run (Andy Trejo run)
Second Quarter
W – Eitniear 44 run (run failed)
W – Brek Ruddy 22 run (Eitniear run)
M – Dom Guilford 13 pass from Malachi Smeltzer (pass failed)
W – Hunter Massingill 1 run (Maddox Diesing pass from Eitniear)
W – Ruddy 39 run (Eitniear run)
Third Quarter
W – Ruddy 13 run (conversion failed)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Montpelier: Carter Meek 8-44, Izayah Wolfenbarger 3-31, Wesley Hartsock 2-10, Josh Hawkins 1-2, Malachi Smeltzer 4-(minus)-27. Totals 18-60. Whiteford: Brek Ruddy 12-143, Tre Eitniear 7-93, Elijah Vance 7-76, Hunter Massingill 4-26, George Thompson 2-17, Nathan McCullough 1-17, Charlie Bieber 1-4, Jacob Schumacher 2-3, Beckett Emch 1-(minus)-1, Carter Pawson 2-(minus)-3, Caden Speweik 1-(minus)-3. Totals 42-379.
PASSING – Montpelier: Malachi Smeltzer 4-6-0 70, Dylan Mattern 1-1-0 4 yards, Wesley Hartsock 2-5-1 (minus)-6 yards. Whiteford: Tre Eitniear 4-5-0 56 yards.
RECEIVING – Montpelier: Braxton Richmond 1-36, Hazen Smith 2-17, Jacob Lyons 2-12, Dom Guilford 2-3. Whiteford: Mason Luzier 1-24, Austin Bauman 2-23, Brek Ruddy 1-9.
