Eagles hope to hit their stride in the stretch run
Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com
Clay quarterback Mason Heintschel is one of Ohio’s best players, often receiving well deserved accolades for his performance on the gridiron.
But Heintschel isn’t the only one behind the Eagles’ 5-2 start to the season.
There are players like Landon Eversman, Troy Hazuda, Brayden Schultz, Brodi Ostander, Hudson Byers and Aaron Miller, among others, plus an offensive line that has given Heintschel the opportunity to make plays with his arm and his feet.
Heintschel is 116-of-171 passing for 1,497 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has also run 88 times for 536 yards and three scores.
“It starts with our quarterback, Mason Heintschel. This is his third year in our offense, and he is playing at a really high level. I think Mason is most dangerous when he improvises and is off script. He has the ability to extend plays and find open receivers, he is also a very underrated runner. I think that he is second in the league in rushing yards. Our offensive-skill group is playing really well as well,” said Clay coach John Galyas. “Also, our defense has played much better the last couple of weeks.”
Hazuda has caught 37 passes for 431 yards and six touchdowns, Byers has 23 receptions and 319 yards and six scores, Ostrander has caught 27 passes for 313 yards and Aaron Miller has 12 catches for 172 yards.
Eversman has run 65 times for 250 yards and caught six passes for 122 yards and nine total touchdowns.
Perhaps the unsung heroes of the group are the offensive line. From left to right, the line is comprised of Zach Rahm, Leon Carey, Dominic Donofrio, Bryce Shimman and Cash Mahr with Jaden Clark and Justin Lajti seeing action at guard.
“It is a relatively young group, and at times, they have played really well,” said Galyas. “We are still looking for a little more consistency from them.”
The first win in the division for the Eagles was a 24-22 victory over Bowling Green.
In the win over the Bobcats, one of the game’s key plays came when Heintschel connected with Schultz on a 3-yard touchdown pass with a minute remaining in the first half to give the Eagles the lead for good at 21-15.
In the third quarter, Clay kicker Hammer Good kicked a 39-yard field goal to push the lead to nine points, and after the Bobcats scored to cut the deficit to 24-22, the Eagles had to run out the last seven minutes remaining on the clock. BG was called for pass interference, and Heintschel picked up a key first down with just over a minute remaining to ice the game.
After a sack and a fumble recovery by Eversman gave Clay great field position, Heintschel found Hazuda for an 11-yard touchdown to put the Eagles ahead, 7-0.
Clay’s next drive saw Heintschel run for a first down on fourth-and-11, and Eversman scored on an 11-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 14 points.
But BG scored 15 unanswered points to take a 15-14 lead before the Eagles rallied to score 10 unanswered points.
In the 54-40 win over Findlay, Clay jumped out to a 34-7 lead with three touchdowns coming on the ground and two coming through the air.
Heintschel found Byers on an 11-yard touchdown pass to give the Eagles a 6-0 lead before Hammer kicked the extra point. Heintschel later connected on a 32-yard touchdown with Hazuda before the Trojans scored to cut the deficit in half.
But Clay pulled away from there, pushing the lead back to 14 at 21-7 when Heintschel scored on a 51-yard run late in the first quarter.
Eversman and Schultz scored on two- and one-yard runs to make it 34-7, and the Eagles never looked back.
Heintschel completed 19-of-26 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball 13 times for 187 yards and two more scores. Hazuda had seven catches for 75 yards.
“Both the Findlay and BG wins were really big for us. The Findlay win was big because it was only the second time we have beaten them (the last time was in 1996),” said Galyas. “Our offense really played well in that game. The BG win was really big because it was a tough, hard-hitting game and the weather conditions really hurt our offense, but the defense stepped up. Also, the BG game was a Cardinal Division game, and if you want to win a division championship, you really can’t lose a division game.”
Last week, the Eagles beat Fremont Ross, 42-35. The other wins were against Sandusky (38-21) and Northview (49-0).
The two losses were to two of the best teams in the state — Perrysburg (35-7) and Whitmer (45-14).
“After the Fremont Ross win, it is really important for us to finish the season strong,” said Galyas. “Our first goal is to win an NLL Cardinal Division championship, and then after that our second goal is we want to host a playoff game.”
Clay’s final two games are against Southview and Rogers.
The Eagles are currently ninth in the Division II, Region 6 standings with 11.59 points, just behind Olmsted Falls (11.96).