Season opens, but Orange Lutheran gets shut down

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Orange Lutheran football coach Jim Kunau had mixed feelings after his team absorbed a 28-14 loss to Pickerington Central in both squads' season-opener Sunday in Ohio Stadium.

"This was a fantastic event, and the venue and the way people treated us were beyond expectations," Kunau said. "Everything was great except for the way the game went for us. It's a little like asking Mrs. Lincoln, 'How did you like the play?'"

Kunau was mostly disappointed in the performance of his offense, which rushed for only 40 yards on 26 carries and failed to score after crossing midfield on two occasions.

With Central blitzing from different positions and various angles on nearly every play, quarterback Bobby Wheatley was constantly under pressure and completed only 18 of 33 passes for 144 yards.

"They did a good job with our running game, and I'm real disappointed that, offensively, we had some opportunities that we didn't cash in on," Kunau said. "We shot ourselves in the foot with untimely penalties and a lack of execution, and you can't get away with that against a good team.

"They're a good team, but we see teams like this every week, so we've got to execute much better in the future."

The Lancers jumped out to a 7-0 lead after Mike Markovsky returned a punt 36 yards to Central's 4-yard line, which eventually led to a 6-yard touchdown pass from Wheatley to Shawn Rohr.

"They had a defensive back right there, but I put it out there, and Shawn just wanted it more," Wheatley said. "We felt good about our chances of winning after the way we started."

But the Tigers marched 80 yards in six plays on their next possession to tie the game on a 13-yard run by Tyler Hammond.

The momentum continued to turn in Central's direction when Will Gonzales fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, setting up a 5-yard touchdown run by Hammond.

The Tigers scored again on their next possession to go ahead 21-7, when backup quarterback Nick Jensen-Clagg connected with Malcolm Pannell on a 25-yard touchdown pass.

"We had two turnovers, which led to points for them or took away points for us, and we all know that the team that wins the turnover battle wins the game 80 or 90 percent of the time," Kunau said.

Wheatley scored from a yard out on a quarterback sneak with 33 seconds remaining in the half, but the Lancers' best scoring opportunity of the second half ended with Tamani Carter intercepting a pass near Central's goal line.

Led by Jared Miller (six carries, 107 yards) and Hammond (19 carries, 88 yards), the Tigers were able to grind out the clock with long possessions in the second half. Central finished with 289 rushing yards on 45 carries and completed eight of 12 passes for 117 yards.

"They're the bigger team, but our guys were relentless and I think we were able to wear them down a little bit in the second half," Central coach Jay Sharrett said. "They're a good team that's going to win a lot of games. We just dug in our heels and made big plays when we had to."