Tinora Rams Live

Heading into week 4, the customary start of conference play for most area teams, if someone had told a Rams fan this could be a key game in determining a GMC Champion, they would have thought you were crazy. What we got Friday Night in Antwerp was a highly intense, very competitive game on the gridiron on a perfect night for football.

As the Rams headed over to Antwerp for the GMC opener, a much improved, highly talented Archer team awaited. This Antwerp Archer team headed into tonight with a 2-1 record, averaging 44 points per game. Also, ahead of the Rams defense was sophomore QB Carson Altimus, as well as a slew of talented receivers.

Things stared off with a bang on the Tinora defensive front. 32 seconds into the contest, Tinora linebacker Christian Commisso broke through, sacking Archer QB Carson Altimus in the endzone for a safety. The Rams quickly lead, 2-0.

The Archers bounced right back as Archer wide out Kaden Recker took a screen pass 70 yards, down to the Tinora two-yard line. Altimus then took it in from there, giving the Archers a 7-2 lead midway through the first quarter.

The game would remain tight as the half was winding down. After a short Antwerp punt set the Tinora offense up with great field position at the Antwerp 25, the Rams offense drove down to the Archers two-yard line, that’s where Tinora RB Brandon Edwards punched it in, giving the Rams an 8-7 lead at the half, the XP was no good.

The third quarter was relatively quiet as the quarter was closing, Tinora still leading 8-7 Both defensive units were playing great all night long.

Plagued by high snaps all night long, the Archers offense was backed up near their own goal line, as Antwerp punter Jagger Landers was awaiting a fourth down snap, it sailed way over his head, out of the end zone for another Rams safety. Tinora led 10-7 as the third quarter came to an end.

The high-flying Antwerp Archers offense again took the field to start the final stanza. With the Tinora frontline applying pressure all night, and the Rams defensive backfield playing very well, Carson Altimus and the Archers looked to take the lead. The Rams D was up to the challenge, forcing another Archer punt.
A huge third down conversion from Rams QB Nolan Schafer to wing back Cole Anders fueled this Rams drive. With the Tinora ground and pound finally working, the Rams marched for inside the Archers 10-yard line.
In a bit of Tinora trickery, Tinora’s Cole Anders again stepped up, taking a KP Delarber hand off 8 yards for a score, the Rams led 16-7 with just under over four minutes remaining. The XP was again no good.

Unfortunately for Antwerp, they used all 3 timeouts on the defensive side on the Rams drive, leaving them with zero remaining.

The Archers would not go quietly. Marching downfield, the Archers scored on a 22 yard pass and catch from Altimus to Kaden Recker with 60 seconds remaining. XP was good, Tinora led 16-14.

The Rams aligned all the good hands personal up front as the Archers prepared the onside kick. Archer kicker Trayce Lengacher unleashed the perfect kick, fortunately for the Rams, sophomore Brayden Roesti stepped up and fielded the kick before taking a big hit from the Archers special teams.

Roesti held on to the ball, Schafer took a knee in victory formation the next two plays, giving the Rams the win over the Archers 16-14 in a fantastic conference opening game.

The Tinora offense churned out 21 first downs, 284 total yards, and 214 yards on the ground.
Antwerp finished with 14 first downs, 202 total yards, -11 rushing and 213 passing.

Antwerp’s Carson Altimus threw for 210 yards on 40 attempts, completing 17, the Rams D also held
the Antwerp attack to negative 11 yards on 18 carries. (Altimus missed a play and was replaced by Derek Hines)

The Tinora defensive did a great job against this Archers offensive machine, limiting the Archers to just 17 plays on 18 yards during the second & third quarters. The Rams ran 29 plays during this same period.

All was not roses for the Rams however, two missed XP as well as a blocked field goal were thorns for the Tinora special teams. 11 penalties for 111 yards also hindered the Tinora Rams.

Tinora improves to 3-1 and will host Wayne Trace (1-3) next week.
A much improved Archer team falls to 2-2, and will play @ Fairview (1-3) next week.

The Higbea Embroidery Player of the Game award goes to sophomore Brayden Roesti. Roesti not only took a big hit fielding the onside kick, but also played great in the Rams defensive secondary.

Rams Passing:
Nolan Schafer 8 of 16 for 75 yards

Rushing:
KP Delarber: 22 for 124 yards
Christian Commisso: 13 for 67
Brandon Edwards: 7 for 37 – 1 TD
Cole Anders: 2 for 8 yards – 1 TD

Receiving:
Anders: 3 for 24 yards
Cole Commisso: 2 for 18 yards
Christian Commisso: 1 for 14 Yards
Edwards: 1 for 1 yard
Delarber: 1 for 15 yards

Heading into Friday night, one could argue this first time meeting on the gridiron between Tinora and Leipsic on paper was the best game in NW Ohio. And boy, did it turn out to be a humdinger.

With almost perfect weather conditions, compared to the first two weeks of upper 80’s temperature, and humidity to match, both teams were looking for their second win on the season.

Both Tinora and Leipsic had high expectations heading into the 2021 season, each team standing at 1-1 as they entered Justin F Coressel Stadium Friday night.

The Rams jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead over Leipsic as Senior TE Casen Wolfrum hauled in a 15 yard TD pass from Tinora QB Nolan Schafer with 7:56 remaining in the first quarter. The XP was no good as it hit the upright.
Tinora marched down the field again, this time senior kicker Dylan Camp hit a 38-yard field goal, increasing the Tinora lead to 9-0 with 5:28 left in quarter one.
Tinora seemed to take control of the game midway though the second quarter, as Nolan Schafter took a QB keeper in from 1 yard out, giving the Rams of Tinora a 60-0 lead with 10:43 left before the half.

The ensuing kickoff resulted in a 70 yard return by Leipsic;s Hayden Hiegel, setting the Vikings offense up at the Tinora 12-yard line. Leipsic RB Heigel took it in from 5 yards out cutting the Rams lead to 16-7 at the 9:06 mark in quarter two.
Lepsic was not done, however. With 1:35 remaining before the half, Hiegle again put the Vikings on the board with another 5 yard score, cutting the Rams lead to 16-13 as the teams headed to the half.

Both teams battled for field position in the third quarter, with neither team breaking though. We headed to the fourth quarter, the Rams still leading 16-13.
The game remained with the Rams leading 16-13 midway through the fourth quarter. Leipsic mounted a drive, on a key third and goal, Vikings QB Dillan Niese took it in from 1 yard out, putting the Leipsic Vikings up 20-16 with 6:58 remaining in the contest.

After a short kickoff and a nice return to the Tinora 44 yard line by Rams Christian Commisso, the Tinora offense took over, trailing for the first time in the game.
Tinora junior Cole Anders took the handoff 56 yards for a Tinora touchdown, answering the Leipsic score, giving the Tinora Rams a 23-20 lead with 6:39 remaining.

The Tinora D stepped up, stopping the Vikings offense, forcing a punt. The Rams offense took over, trying to run out the remaining time, protecting the three point lead.
Facing a fourth and inches, Rams QB Nolan Schafer used a QB sneak from the Leipsic 45-yard line, converting a first down and closing out a Rams win, 23-20.

For his efforts, Cole Anders was named the Higbea Embroidery Player of the game. Anders ended his night with 71 yards and a game winning score.

The Rams finished the night with 348 total yards, 256 of those on the ground.

The Tinora defense again held the opposition to less than 40 yards on the ground, holding the Vikings to 38 yards rushing, and 189 yards for the game. Last week, Leipsic rushed for 288 yards vs Fairview.

Leipsic falls to 1-2, and travels to Ada next Friday.

The Rams improve to 2-1. Tinora will travel to Antwerp next Friday to face the high-powered Archers as the Rams start GMC play. Antwerp (2-1) has outscored its 2021 opponents 146-34, averaging 48 PPG in 2021.

Thank you for all tuning in, and thanks to Logan, Tony, and AJ for assisting.

Rams Rushing:
KP Delarber 20 rushes 95 yards
Anders 5 for 71 yards, 1 TD
Christina Commisso 9 for 42 yards
Brandon Edwards 4 for 24
Nolan Schafer 6 for 26

Rams Receiving:
Cole Commisso 7 for 59 yards
Casen Wolfrum 1 for 15, 1 TD
Christian Commisso 1 for 15
Anders 1 for 3

Leipsic receiving
Schroeder 6 for 85 yards
Seifker 4 for 64 yards

Leipsic rushing:
Hiegel 4 for 22 yards
Pena 10 for 17 yards

Photos: Emily Brown

The Rams of Tinora loaded the buses up on a hot, sticky Friday evening as they headed to Wauseaon’s Larry Fruth Stadium at Harmon Field.

With temperatures again in the upper 80’s and the humidity not far behind, the Rams were looking to get the disappointments of last Friday night’s loss to Liberty Center out of their system.

The Rams were looking to get their patented rushing attack back on the tracks after the Liberty Center D limited the Rams to just 69 yards on the ground last week.

For the second straight week, fans packed both sides of the stands, the crowds have been amazing after just two weeks.

A Cole Anders run from 21 yards out put the Rams on top 6-0, the Dylan Camp XP was good, 7-0 Tinora with 6:10 remaining in the first quarter.

The Wauseon offense who put up 40 points last week as well as 230 passing yards wasted no time tying the game up on a 18 yard TD pass from Elijah McLoud to Tyson Rodriguez, the XP was good, tying the game 7-7 with 3:55 remaining in the first quarter.

Both teams traded punches midway through the second quarter, the score remained tied at 7-7. Tinora’s Brandon Edwards then took a Schafer hand off off left tackle, racing 52 yards for a Rams TD. The XP gave the Rams a 14-7 as the teams headed to the half.

Despite missing their leader on defense, Casen Wolfrum, the Tinora defense limited the Indians to just 86 yards in the first half. The Rams rushing attack was just getting geared up, rushing for 134 first half yards.

As the teams emerged from the locker rooms, something in the Rams clicked. Both the offense and defensive lines came out with purpose.

Despite the hot and humid conditions, the Rams offense controlled the ball and the clock in the third quarter, with the lone score coming on a KP Delarber 9-yard run with 2:15 left in the third quarter. Delarber seemed to carry four defensive players the last three yards for the score, giving Tinora a 20-7 lead, as the XP was no good. Tinora controlled the ball for 19 plays and 8 minutes in the third.

The Tinora D line was giving Wauseon QB Elijah McLeod fits all night, a fantastic game plan by the Tinora staff was put in to limit the big play capabilities of the high-powered Indians offense.

With the Tinora lines controlling the game on both sides of the ball, it was time for the Rams rushing attack to take over the game, and they did just that. Leading 20-7 the Rams settled for a 21-yard field goal by Dylan Camp with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter, giving the Rams a 23-7 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, Wauseon’s Jonas Tester raced 89 yards for an Indians score, cutting the rams lead to 23-13.

The Rams offense took over, basically running the remaining time off the clock. Wauseon took over with just 24 seconds remaining before a Brayden Roesti Interception ended the game with a Rams victory 23-13.

The stat of the night for Tinora, they controlled the time off possession, 33:10 to 14:50. And in the fourth quarter, Tinora ran 23 plays to 4 for Wauseon, a perfect night for the Tinora ball control running attack.

Tinora finished with 275 yards on the ground, The Rams D limited the Indians to just 4 yards rushing
Both teams had 2 turnovers each. The Rams had 349 total yards of O, the Rams D limited Wauseon to 122 total yards, just 25 second half yards.

The Higbea Embroidery Player(s) of the Game went to the Rams D line of Bryce Bailey, Baeden Hancock, Javen Gaines, Hayden Becker, and Dallas Dachenhaus. Great job gentleman!

Tinora Improves to 1-1 and will play host to Leipsic on Friday night 9/3, come on out to Justin F Coressel Stadium.

The Rams were led by Nolan Schafer through the air 6/10 for 74 yards.
On the ground, the Rams were led by KP Delarber, 21 caries for 112 yards and 1 TD.
Brandon Edwards 9 carries foir 82 yards and 1 TD.
Christian Commisso with 9 carries for 44 yards.
Cole Anders 5 carries for 33 yards and 1 TD.

Photos courtesy: Emily Brown