DELTA, Ohio — After some speculation that standout Patrick Henry quarterback Lincoln Creager would not play in the Patriots' big league tilt against Delta on Friday night due to an injury, the senior proved to be in top-notch form.
Creager accounted for four touchdowns and 268 yards of offense in Patrick Henry's 37-3 win over the Panthers in a Northwest Ohio Athletic League showdown.
Creager, who had suffered a knee injury in last week's loss to Liberty Center, rushed for two touchdowns and threw for two more to help the Patriots build a 28-3 lead at halftime as they scored on all four possessions.
Patrick Henry linebacker Akevian Kryder forced a quarterback fumble and Connor Neiderhouse picked it up and ran 68 yards for a score to put the Patriots up 34-3 with 6:30 left in the third quarter to trigger a running clock.
Creager, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound two-way player, came into the game leading the NWOAL in scoring and was third in rushing. He had suffered a leg injury in the third quarter of last week's 21-15 loss at LC.
“I definitely wanted to play really bad,” Creager said. “I was really lucky. The Lord blessed me. He helped heal my knee. I got to work back up to about full speed on Thursday. I have it taped, but it's getting better. But the coaches had a really great game plan. They really put us in a position to win.”
Patrick Henry (6-2 overall) moved to 4-1 in the NWOAL to remain one game in back of first-place Liberty Center (8-0, 5-0). Delta (6-2) fell to 3-2 in NWOAL play.
“Our message this week after a very emotional and physical loss at Liberty Center was how we're going to bounce back,” Patrick Henry coach Bill Inselmann said. “As coaches, we teach life lessons. We told our players, things aren't always going to go right in your life. And we need to persevere. I'm very proud of how they came out tonight. They looked good.”
The Patriots defense also bottled up Delta all night, limiting the effectiveness of running back Landon Lintermoot, who leads the NWOAL in rushing. Lintermoot finished with 36 yards on 15 carries.
“The defense is the soul of this team right now,” Inselmann said. “We've got a tremendous defense and they've kept us in games.”
Creager, an elusive and tough QB who rarely went down on the first tackle, completed 6 of 10 passes for 135 yards. Creager also rushed for 133 yards, kicked four extra points, and had a 24-yard field goal.
“Lincoln tends to play real good the week after he gets hurt,” Inselmann said. “Last year in the regional championship game, he had a tremendous game against McComb after he had gotten hurt in the Hopewell-Loudon game. He's a special athlete and we need him.”
Patrick Henry finished with 317 yards of total offense and held Delta to 121 (89 rushing and 32 passing).
Lane Jackson had a game-high 56 receiving yards and Keifer Holloway had 34 for Patrick Henry.
Delta coach Mike Vicars said Patrick Henry dominated on the offensive and defensive lines.
“We knew they were going to be difficult up front,” Vicars said. “We had a very good opening drive and got three points. But we kind of stalled out there. [Creager] is a special player. He's a multi-dimensional player. He can run and he can throw the football too. But we've got to use this as a springboard to get better.”
Creager scored on runs of 75 and 6 yards and threw TD passes of 30 (Cal Schroeder) and 15 yards (to his sophomore brother Reid).
“It's awesome. But I can't really take all the credit for it,” Creager said. “It's definitely my offensive line, my receivers that block well. We have a ton of athletes and they're willing to put aside their own [stats] for me. This shows that we're really tight-knit team and we are the real deal.”
First Published October 12, 2024, 1:08 a.m.
