CANTON - The "unfinished business" of the Patrick Henry football team now is finished.
The Patriots claimed the school's first football state title with a 42-30 victory over Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy in the Division V title game at Fawcett Stadium yesterday.
Last season Patrick Henry lost in the state semifinals to eventual champ St. Henry, and PH coach Bill Inselmann said his team adopted a theme of "unfinished business" until it won yesterday's game.
"A lot of coaches and players watched [last year's title] game, and when St. Henry won [after we had played them close], that told us we belonged," Inselmann said. "That told us we were good enough to win. Last year's team was very responsible for this finish."
Among those especially responsible for yesterday's win was senior wide receiver Marc Krauss, who set a Division V championship game record with 207 receiving yards on eight catches. And senior fullback Josh Strub, who played through a hip injury that forced him out of last week's state semifinal win, finished with a game-high 122 rushing yards and three TDs.
As a result, Patrick Henry completed a 15-0 season, while Cincinnati Hills finished 14-1.
"The Strike Force" helped the Pats jump to an early 21-point lead. Krauss caught a 40-yard TD strike from Zack George midway through the first quarter, and the Patriots scored twice in the second period on quick drives.
It took PH just three plays to cover 79 yards, the last 13 coming when Strub broke five tackles to dive into the end zone. Then after a Cincinnati Hills drive stalled with 5:26 left, the Patriots needed just two plays to steamroll for 76 yards. Strub rumbled 36 yards on a toss sweep, and Drew Kuesel threw a halfback option pass to Krauss for a 40-yard TD strike.
Cincinnati Hills showed a spark of life just before halftime, scoring on the final play before the break as quarterback Doug Browne threw a 27-yard scoring pass to Ryan Collado.
"I told our kids [at halftime], 'Which locker room would you rather be in?'" Inselmann said. "The bottom line was that one half was done, and we were up 14 points. We had one half to be state champs, and we had a 14-point lead."
The Pats didn't dwell on the late Cincinnati Hills score, instead creating their own reversal. On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Kuesel forced a fumble after a pass reception and Brian Yarnell recovered the ball on the Eagles' 39. Nine plays later Strub dived into the end zone from two yards out to re-establish a 21-point lead.
"That was the big play there," Inselmann said. "We caused that fumble and then we made a touchdown out of it.
"Our defense played its best game of the season, bar none. When our offense sputtered, and our special teams sputtered, our defense really stepped up for us. I can't say enough about our defense."
Cincinnati Hills did finish with 30 points and 354 yards of total offense. But nine of those points came on a kickoff return and a safety, and the yardage total was 50 yards below its average.
"Our philosophy was that we wanted them to march the field," Inselmann said. "We never played man. We wanted to play zone and not allow a lot of yards after the catch."
After Patrick Henry forced a punt, Kuesel scored on a 12-yard touchdown run. That score was matched when Cincinnati Hills scored on an 82-yard kickoff return by Justin Jones, and the Eagles added a safety just before the third period ended.
Cincinnati Hills cut the lead to 35-23 when Collado scored on a six-yard run, but after the PH offense stalled, Krauss booted a 60-yard punt that rolled dead at the Eagles' 3. The PH defense forced a punt, got the ball at the Eagles' 37, and Strub capped the drive with a one-yard plunge.
The Eagles got a late touchdown on a 20-yard scoring strike from Browne to Cart Hall with 3:15 remaining in the game, but PH covered the ensuing onside kick, and its defense made the lead stand up.
And that unfinished business?
"It's finished now," Inselmann said, then smiled.
Contact John Wagner at:
jwagner@theblade.com
or 419-724-6481.
First Published December 3, 2005, 1:19 p.m.
