A stifling defense and key special teams contributions led the East to a decisive 39-7 win over the West in the 2019 SWOFCA Ron Woyan East/West All-Star Game at Kings High School on Thursday, June 6.
East limited the West to just one touchdown in the contest, which featured a total of nine athletes from seven Clermont County schools.
New Richmond’s Josh Anderson and Toby Kahn played for the East in the contest, with other locals on the East roster including Gabe Kilgore (Bethel-Tate), Luke Rayburn (CNE), Jason Griffin (Batavia), Adam Slusher (Goshen), Joe Wahl (West Clermont), Nate Flannery (Milford) and Jackson Reusser (Milford).
Most of Clermont County’s athletes took part in the trenches as offensive and defensive lineman, though Slusher, Anderson, Griffin and Rayburn also saw time in the defensive backfield.
That defense held the West to just one touchdown in roughly four quarters of action. East struck first offensively, with Kings’ Nakemon Williams ripping off a 75-yard touchdown run in his home stadium. The extra point was missed, but East held a 6-0 lead in the first quarter.
Williams scored again, taking a direct snap eight yards in the second period to put East on top 13-0. Roughly six minutes later, special teams made an impact, with Sycamore’s Brain Doneghy blocking his second punt of the game. Doneghy caught the ball out of the air and returned it for a touchdown.
Waynesville head coach Scott Jordan led the East squad, noting that his history as a special teams coach played into how he got his team ready for the game.
“Being a special teams coordinator from my days at Little Miami, I emphasized special teams a lot,” Jordan said. “We made sure we took time out of practice to emphasize special teams, because in a game like this that could be the difference.”
The score stayed 20-0 at halftime. Andre Allen Jr. opened the second half with a 91-yard kick return for a touchdown, setting a new SWOFCA All-Star Game record in the process.
Later in the third quarter, New Richmond’s Anderson recovered a fumble, which led to Western Brown’s Josh Taylor scampering in for a 24-yard touchdown run to put the East on top 33-0 with 3:47 left in the third.
The lone score for the West came in the fourth quarter when Mount Healthy’s Ty Mincy scored on a short touchdown run. The West immediately received the ball back after the touchdown, which left some in attendance scratching their heads.
“There is a rule in the rules of this game that if a team is down, they can elect to get the ball one time,” Jordan said. “It’s a one-time rule, they elected to do it. Our kids were a little confused, but I told the coaches, ‘If they score, they’re going to come back and get the ball twice in a row.’ It’s not conventional football, but it’s a rule for this game.”
The final score of the game came on a circus catch by Princeton’s Jermaine Wimpye, who leaped over a defensive back to snag a ball thrown by Waynesville’s Anthony Carmichael.
Wimpye had made another fantastic catch on a ball thrown by Taylor earlier in the game, contorting himself mid-air to make a 30-yard reception. Jordan had one word to describe how the Princeton athlete performed.
“Unbelievable,” Jordan said. “We got him back this week, he was at the state track meet last weekend. Phenomenal athlete, great body control. He’s fast…great kid.”
The West began to drive back down the field on the ensuing drive, but things got a little chippy, and the referees called the game with roughly one minute left on the clock.
“Games like this get a little heated,” Jordan said. “The refs decided it was best to get both sides, and at that point the game was over. I think they made the right decision.”
The win was the fifth straight victory in the series for the East squad. They’ve allowed fewer than 13 points per game in those last five contests.
“It’s all the kids,” Jordan said. “When you coach in a game like this, everybody is good and you try not to get in their way. You want to make sure that you find their talent, get the right mix of kids and let them play.”
Jordan also praised some of his coaches, including Milford’s Gregg Pickett, for their work with the defensive position groups.
“Coach Pickett did a great job,” Jordan said. “Our defensive backs coach [Middletown’s Zack Edwards], great job with those guys. Our defense is a testament to those kids and those coaches.”
For more photos from the game, check out the gallery on our Facebook page.