Home of the Piqua Indians

Different mindset…

admin — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:33:12 +0000

TROY – In the last three years, the Piqua girls soccer team had been outscored 14-1 by Troy, including losses of 8-0 and 5-1.Saturday night, at Troy Memorial Stadium was a very different story.

MIKE ULLERY/CALL PHOTO

And while the Indians didn’t come away with a win, losing 1-0 to finish the season 9-6-1, they head into Thursday’s home tournament game with Vandalia-Butler showing there is a very different mindset with this team.
“I am just so proud of the girls,” Piqua coach Karen Horvath said. “Now, these girls go in expecting to win these games and that is obvious by the way they play.”
Troy coach Mike Rasey took notice.
“This is Troy-Piqua,” Rasey said. “In all sports, Troy-Piqua is a big rivalry. But I have to give Piqua a lot of credit. Piqua has really turned it on in recent years. They are playing the game. They are knocking the ball around, and they’ve got some dangerous players.”
In the end, it was one slip-up, created by Troy’s weapon throw-in’s, Leah Soutar, that was the difference in the battle for second-place in the GWOC North.

MIKE ULLERY/CALL PHOTO

Her flip-throw throw landed deep in the box – in fact her first one, just 25 seconds into the game, appeared to give Troy a 1-0 lead, but it wasn’t touched before it went into the goal, wiping out the score.
But, Piqua had no such luck on one that came with 19:35 remaining in the opening half.
It landed in front of the goal and Marisa Mowery was able to finish.
“We knew about Leah Soutar and what she could do,” Horvath said. “We were prepared for that. And still, the goal they got came on a throw-in.”
Luck was not on Piqua’s side as Lady Indian keeper Kelsey Deal appeared to be in position to stop the shot, but it deflected off a Piqua’s player’s leg, changing directions.
When Deal tried to reverse herself to get to the ball, she slipped a little on the wet grass, allowing the ball to find the net.
“Kelsey (Deal) was in the right position,” Horvath said. “But, when you put the ball in front of the goal like that with a lot of bodies, things are going to happen.”

Troy could not come close to scoring again, despite a number of chances and it was Piqua who would mount the strongest offensive attacks the rest of the way.
The Lady Indians best opportunity came midway through the second half when Hannah Strevell split two Troy defenders to create a golden opportunity.
But, Troy keeper Amanda Blakeley was up to the challenge.
“I really thought that was going to be the one,” Horvath said. “But, Hannah (Strevell) did exactly what she needed to do. She put the ball on frame and their keeper made a nice play on it.”
At the 12:23, Strevell hit a shot from the right side that looked like it might be the equalizer before sailing just over the net.
Three minutes later, Dianna Burt fired a hard shot on goal that Blakeley was able to stop on one hop.
“We had several good chances in the second half,” Horvath said. “We just couldn’t get one in the net.”
Deal, the GWOC leader in saves, had 14 for Piqua, while Blakeley had 10 for Troy.
Now Piqua turns its thoughts towards the postseason.
“We need to get ready for Butler,” Horvath said. “We beat them once and we have them at home.”
Piqua will host the Lady Aviators at 7 p.m. Thursday at Wertz Stadium.

Piqua spikes Wilmington…

admin — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:29:07 +0000

TROY – The third seeded Piqua volleyball team quickly turned Saturday’s match with Wilmington into exactly what it was expected to be – a good warmup for Wednesday’s second round match with Troy and a chance to get comfortable on the Trojan Activity Center floor.

ROB KISER/CALL PHOTO

In Troy D-I sectional action, the Lady Indians quickly shut down any Hurricane warnings with a 25-9, 25-6, 25-12 win.

Piqua will play Troy at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

“We wanted to get into a little bit of rhythm and we did that,” Piqua coach Chris Davis said. “Yes, Wilmington may have had a little bit of a lead in the third game when we had some young girls in there and that was fine. It was good to get those girls some playing time.”

And the match was a chance for the Lady Indians to put a little bit of a rough stretch behind them.

Heading into the final four matches of the regular season, Piqua was on a roll, winning 12 of 13 matches.

But, they lost to the top-ranked Division IV team in the state St. Henry, along with GWOC teams Lebanon and Fairmont in the last week.

“We talked after the Miamisburg match that the kids didn’t seem that excited about that win,” Davis said. “I think what it was is things were going so well, I think the girls thought they didn’t have to work as hard to win. I think those two matches (in the GWOC tournament) were a good reality check for them.”

Now, the Lady Indians will look for a second win over Troy.

“The girls know who we are playing and what they have to do,” Davis said. “The matches with Troy are always exciting.”

Brooke Reinke led the hitters Saturday with 15 kills, two aces and 10 digs; while Shelby Vogler added six kills, one block, five aces and 14 digs.

ROB KISER/CALL PHOTO

Tasha Potts had five kills, one block and one dig; while Jasmine Davis filled out the stat sheet with 30 assists, three kills, three aces and 10 digs.

Hayley Monroe had two assists, four kills and two digs; while Makayla Carnes had three kills, two blocks and two assists.

Taylor Bachman had two aces and five digs; and Macy Yount added four digs.

Tough night for Indians…

admin — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:27:29 +0000

By Rob Kiser

Call Sports Editor

TROY – Things started off on the wrong foot for Piqua Friday night at Troy Memorial Stadium – and never really got any better in a 27-7 loss to the Trojans.

On the third play from scrimmage, Devin Blakely stepped in front of a Piqua pass and returned it to the Indians 29.

Five plays later, Marcus Foster ran it into the end zone from the one and after Zach Thompson’s kick, Troy had a 7-0 lead it would never relinquish.

“Things got started on the wrong foot,” Piqua coach Bill Nees said. “We just seemed out of sync at times and made some uncharacteristic mistakes.”

Late in the first quarter, Troy quarterback Cody May would connect with Isaiah Williams on a 61-yard pass to the Piqua three and Williams ran it in on the next play to make it 13-0 with :31 left in the first quarter.

“We had a blown coverage and all of a sudden we were in a big hole,” Nees said.

Piqua had a chance to cut into the lead on its next possession.

Travis Nees had runs of 15 and 26 yards and Tyler Sage caught a 19-yard pass from Taylor Wellbaum as the Indians drove to the Troy 17-yard line.

But, on third and nine from the Troy 16, the snap was high and an incomplete pass on fourth and 22 from the 29, turned the ball over on downs.

The score was still 13-0 when Piqua put together a long drive on its first possession of the second half.

The powerful running of Jon Dembski and Ryan Hughes, along with the a 37-yard pass from Wellbaum to Trae Honeycutt moved the ball to the Troy five where Piqua had a first-and-goal on the five.

But a holding penalty and two consecutive plays where Piqua wasn’t set with less than five seconds on the play clock lead to rushed snaps over the head of Wellbaum, resulted in Troy taking over at the 42 after recovering a fumble there.

“We were just out of sync all night,” Nees said. “Just uncharacteristic mistakes.”

Runs of 20 yards by Nick James and 23 yards by Zach Jones set up a seven-yard touchdown pass from May to Ian Dunaway on fourth-and-three.

Piqua punted on its next possession, with Dunaway returning it to the Indian four.

On the first play, Kindric Link would tackle Miles Hibbler for a three-yard loss, but Piqua’s Austin Covault suffered a neck injury leading to a long delay. Covault’s condition was not known after the game.

Williams ran it on the next play and Hughes would add a one-yard TD run on Piqua’s next possession, set up by Dembski’s 25-yard run to the one to make the final 25-7.

Dembski led all rushers with 91 yards one 18 carries, while Evan Grissom had a spectacular night punting the ball.

He averaged 50.4 yards on five punts, with a long of 62. That came after a game with Trotwood-Madison last week where he had a 74-yard punt.

Piqua dropped to 3-4, while Troy improved to 6-1.

“We will regroup and bounce back from this,” Nees said.

Piqua hosts Sidney Friday at Alexander Stadium/Purk Field.

Do’ing Miamisburg

admin — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:26:46 +0000

By Rob Kiser

Call Sports Editor

The Piqua volleyball team is in the GWOC semifinals for the first time – and coach Chris Davis remained undefeated with his new “do”.

Piqua defeated Miamisburg 25-12, 25-22, 21-25, 25-17 with Davis sporting a blonde dye-job.

“I made a bet with the girls last week,” Davis said. “That was a pretty big week for us. First, we had Lebanon who was ranked 20th in the state at the time.

“Then, we had Greenville, who mentally believed they could beat us. And then, we had Troy for the GWOC North title. So, I bet them if we won all three matches, I would dye my hair. It is worth it.”

Thursday’s win gave Piqua a 2-0 record in pool play, advancing them to a semifinal match Tuesday against the Centerville-Vandalia-Butler winner.

“The girls were kind of blah in the locker room,” Davis said. “I told them they should be pumped – we are in the GWOC semifinals. They said they were, but I really didn’t see it. I am sure on the inside they are.”

And the Indians came out on fire in the first game – maybe too much so.

“We kind of cruised through that game pretty quickly,” Davis said. “I think the girls kind of relaxed.”

Piqua had to rally from a 16-10 deficit the second game, taking the lead for the first time on a Jasmine Davis kill and Makayla Carnes block on Sarah Palmer’s serve to break a 21-21 deadlock.

After a kill for sideout by Brooke Reinke to make it 24-22, Davis finished it from the service line.

But, Piqua couldn’t get out of an 18-11 hole the third game, losing 25-22.

“The girls relaxed a little in the second game,” Davis said. “Then, we thought we could come back in the third game and found out we couldn’t. I told the girls that is what is going to happen when you don’t play defense.

“We have been working on reading hitters tendency’s and taking that away from them.”

The defense picked up in the fourth game, as the Lady Indians never trailed.

Aided by a Shelby Vogler kill, Tasha Potts served three straight points, including an ace, to make it 24-16 and a Carnes kill finished it..

While Reinke and Vogler led the hitters, the Indians offense is becoming more balanced with each match.

“It is that time in the season,” Davis said. “We do drills every day in practice. Jasmine (Davis) is becoming more confident in them (the middles and right side hitters) and they are becoming more confidence.”

Reinke had 18 kills, 10 digs, two blocks and three aces; while Vogler had 16 kills and 16 digs.

Davis had 40 assists, five kills, three blocks and 18 digs; while Carnes had five blocks and Potts added four.

“That is a big night for us blocking,” Davis said. “When we get a block, it is like three points with our size.”

Piqua, 15-3, now has a tri Saturday at St. Henry with the Lady Redskins, ranked number on in the state in Division IV and Lima Senior.

“We play Lima Senior first,” Davis said. “So, that is where my focus is right now.”

Hoping his new look continues to be a winning one.

Indians run over Firebirds…

admin — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 19:18:43 +0000

By Rob Kiser

Call Sports Editor

MIKE ULLERY/CALL PHOTO

PIQUA – The Piqua offense ground out a 56-27 win over Fairmont Friday night at Alexander Stadium/Purk Field – literally.

Unofficially, the Indians rushed for 502 yards on 57 carries.

“Not really,” fullback Jon Dembski said about Piqua seeing something in the Fairmont defense. “The line just did a great job and we were able to run all over the place.”

Dembski, who is over 700 yards rushing for the season, led “Ground Piqua” with 158 yards on 20 carries, while Ryan Hughes had 104 yards on seven carries and Travis Nees and quarterback Taylor Wellbaum rushed for 91 and 89 respectively.

“The line is just phenomenal,” Nees said. “They are giving us big holes to run through.”

And the line is equally impressed with the Piqua backfield.

“We have some amazing back,” Cody Hogston, who anchors the line from the center position, said. “It is a lot of fun to block for those guys.”

And Piqua had things going on both sides of the ball in the early going.

MIKE ULLERY/CALL PHOTO

After both teams failed to move the ball on their opening possession, Dembski went to work with a 30-yard run setting up his five-yard score on a pitch from Wellbaum to make it 6-0.

Then Piqua’s defense and special teams swung the momentum the Indians way.

On Fairmont’s first play following the kickoff, Firebird quarterback Tom West took a shot from Brad Dotson as he delivered a pass and it floated into Hughes hand, who returned it to the 27-yard line.

“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but I knew it was a really good hit,” Dotson said. “I think it was nice to get a big play like that.”

On the first play following the turnover, Tyler Sage took the ball into the end zone to make it 13-0 following Evan Grissom’s kick.

“The offensive line had a great game tonight,” Piqua coach Bill Nees said. “And I thought Taylor Wellbaum made great decisions (on the option) all night.”

On the ensuing kickoff, Piqua linebacker Brandon Pummill took the ball right out of the Fairmont return man’s hands and returned it 26 yards to the Piqua six.

“I don’t think the guy saw me,” Pummill said. “I kind of spun him around and when I did, he just handed the ball right to me. I was going to try and hurdle the last guy (on the return), then I saw Brad (Dotson). So, I just tried to juke the guy and he got me by the ankle.”

While the Indians didn’t score, it created a field position advantage.

Following a Fairmont punt, Hughes went 68 yards up the middle on the first play and Grissom’s kick made it 20-0 with 5:02 remaining in the first quarter.

The Firebirds didn’t quit, getting a long kickoff return and two touchdowns on halfback passes to get within 35-21 at the break.

“You know, they scored on a couple trick plays,” Nees said.

Travis Nees had a 43-yard TD run and Dembski scored from two yards out for Piqua’s final two scores of the half.

Fairmont had the ball to start the second half, but the Piqua defense got a three-and-out and would allow only one score the rest of the way.

“I thought that was big to get off the field on the first possession of the second half,” Nees said. “Because if we hadn’t, they would have been able to used that double-tight set and that is a really tough offense to stop. I thought we got back into a base defense the second half and played pretty well.”

Piqua continued to pound the ball at the Firebirds, with Dembski scoring from one-yard out, Nees scoring on a 35-yard run and Dembski adding a two-yard TD run after a 31-yard pass from Wellbaum to Ben Crawford.

“We have everybody working back there,” Nees said. “Taylor (Wellbaum) made a lot of good decisions and we hit some big passes when we needed them.”

Dembski says the emergence of Nees and Hughes in the running game only makes his job easier.

“Those guys (Wellbaum, Nees, Hughes) are doing a great job,” he said. “It just makes it harder for the other team. They had some big runs tonight.”

Travis Nees said the powerful fullback and his bruising runs are the key.

“It is great,” he said. “But, we are just out there to give Jon (Dembski) a break. He is a great runner.”

In the process, the Indians have turned things around. After losing the first four games played on turf last season, they have now won four straight at home.

“It is exciting,” Dembski said. “It is great to be winning at home – now we hope to do it on the road.”

Piqua, 3-2, now has quite a two-week challenge, playing at Trotwood-Madison, followed by Troy the next week.

“We knew we had to have this one,” Travis Nees said. “It’s nice to have some momentum – now we have to run the gauntlet with Trotwood-Madison and Troy.”

Friday night, they just ran over Fairmont.

Indians come up short…

admin — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 13:45:18 +0000

MIKE ULLERY/CALL PHOTOS

By Rob Kiser

Call Sports Editor

The Piqua football team showed a lot of heart and mettle against Lebanon Friday night, constantly battling back.

But, the Indians came up one play short in a 40-33 loss to the Warriors.

“Yes, we did keep battling back,” Piqua football coach Bill Nees said. “But, we have to quit putting ourselves in those holes.”

It came down to the final play.

Piqua, trailing 40-33 after a 1-yard TD run by Aaron Abbott and kick by Anthony Wene, started at its own 25 with 1:05 remaining.

But, a 34-yard pass from Taylor Wellbaum to Trae Honeycutt put Piqua on the Lebanon 9 with 12 seconds to go.

After two incompletions, there were 3.8 seconds to go and Piqua was down to its last play.

Wellbaum was pressured immediately as he rolled out and reversed his field back behind the 20 to buy some time.

He found Ryan Hughes at the 10-yard line, but there a number of Lebanon players between him and the goal line and he was tackled at the three.

“It is a tough way to lose, but we gave ourselves a chance,” Nees said.

Lebanon drove 66 yards on the opening series before Kindric Link picked off a Luke Morgan pass on the Lebanon 1.

But, Piqua cold only pick up one first down and Lebanon got the ball back on its own 47.

It took them only two plays to find the end zone.

Following a 28 yard pass from Morgan to Austin Wolf, Aaron Abbott ran 25 yards for the score. Piqua blocked the PAT to keep it 6-0.

Piqua went 77 yards on 13 plays to take the lead.

On third-and-goal from the one, Jon Dembski appeared to make it two yards into the end zone, but was marked down at the one. On fouth down, quarterback Taylor Wellbaum pushed his way into the end zone on the third play of the second quarter and Evan Grissom’s kick made it 7-6.

Lebanon, aided by a face mask penalty, went 80 yards in two plays, with Abbott catching a 31-yard pass, then scoring from 34 yards out.

Piqua was moving down the field again when Lebanon returnedHard a fumble 37 yards for a score and following the PAT lead 19-7.

Piqua countered with a 70-yard drive, with Travis Nees scoring from 26 yards out after Dembski had converted a fourth-down on the drive.

Grissom’s kick made it 19-14.

After forcing Lebanon’s only punt, Wellbaum connected with Nees, Ben Crawford and Trae Honeycutt to set up a 35-yard field goal by Grissom on the final play of the half to make it 19-17

The second half began with Piqua running the ball at will.

The Indians went 66 yards without throwing a pass, with Dembski taking a delayed handoff from Wellbaum into the end zone from eight yards out to put Piqua up 23-19 after the two-point pass failed.

The rest of the game would continue with both teams going up and down the field, as there were no punts in the final two quarters.

Abbott, who finished with 248 yards on 25 carries, was a one-man wrecking crew for Lebanon.

“He’s a good back,” Nees said.

Following a 1-yard TD run by Abbott, Piqua was called for roughing the kicker.

Leading 26-23 and with the 15-yard penalty added onto the kickoff, the Warriors onside kicked and recovered at the Piqua 33.

But, Piqua got a defensive stop. On fourth down, Trey Pruitt broke up a pass to get Piqua the ball back.

“We had two good defensive stops,” Nees said. “One in the first half and one after the onside kick.”

Dembski had a 46-yard run that set up a 1-yard run by Taylor Wellbaum.

Grissom’s kick put Piqua in front 30-26, but the lead did not last long.

Lebanon went 80 yards in five plays, with Morgan running the ball in from 15 yards out.

Piqua went back down the field, but the drive stalled at the 15 and Grissom booted a 32-yard field goal to tie it.

Lebanon would answer with what would be winning touchdown quickly, going 80 yards in nine plays.

Abbott had runs of 30 and 18 yards on the drive, setting up his 1-yard TD run that would seal Piqua’s fate.

Dembski had 151 yards rushing for Piqua, while Wellbaum completed 14 of 25 passes for 156 yards.

But, the Indians were whistled for 87 yards in penalties, including four 15 yarders.

“The penalties were a big part of this game,” Nees said. “And those are mental things, not physical mistakes..”

Piqua, 2-2, will host Fairmont Friday.

Night to remember…

admin — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:50:22 +0000

By Rob Kiser

Call Sports Editor

MIKE ULLERY/CALL PHOTO

Piqua senior Brooke Reinke has overcome all obstacles thrown in her path to become the school’s all-time leader in kills.

So for the Lady Indians 5-foot-6 outside hitter to need kills on the final two points to break the mark Wednesday night at Garbry Gymnasium in a win over Fairborn was no big deal.

“I was kind of thinking Jas (setter Jasmine Davis) and Davis (Piqua coach Chris Davis) might try to get me the ball,” Reinke said. “But, if I didn’t get it tonight it was no big deal – we are at home again tomorrow night.”

But, there was no need for the Piqua fans to wait.

“I thought she was going to get it,” Chris Davis said about the record. “Then she rotated to the back row – and I was like, oh crap. She (Brooke Reinke) got back into the front row with two points to go (Piqua was leading 23-12). So, I told Jasmine if there was anyway to get Brooke a couple of 10 balls, that would be great.”

Davis took a pass from Shelby Vogler and set Reinke, who smashed a cross-court kill to tie Ashley Belisle’s record of 686 kills and make it 24-12.

On match point, she took another set from Davis, and drove it to the floor in the middle of the Fairborn defense, finishing off a 25-7, 25-10, 25-13 win and giving Reinke the record.

“This is something I wanted,” Reinke said. “Now, I just want to keep adding to it.”

Because, it will mean wins for the Lady Indians.

“Last night (a road win over previously undefeated Miamisburg) was a big win,” Reinke said. “Tonight was one of many matches where we have come out and taken control.”

After the match, all of Reinke’s teammates signed the ball.

“I thank God for all my teammates,” she said. “I couldn’t do it without them.”

The team is well aware of it.

“Brooke (Reinke) will tell you that,” Chris Davis said. “That is why we had them all sign the ball after the game. They were all part of it.”

And it was a rewarding night for the coach as well.

“That is why you coach,” he said. “You do it for the kids.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for Brooke (Reinke). Everyone is excited for her.”

Davis was also happy with the way his team played – there was no letdown after the big win Tuesday.

“This was a very good night for us,” he said. “We were scrappy – we served well, the middles and right-side got more involved. They played well.”

Reinke pounded 16 kills to go with five aces.

Davis dished out 23 assists, while Vogler had seven kills, six aces, two blocks and eight digs.

Taylor Bachman also had eight digs, while Tasha Potts had two kills and two aces and Hayley Monroe added two aces, three digs and two kills.

Reinke remembers when she was inserted into the starting lineup as a freshman.

“I never gave anything like this (the record) a thought,” she said. “My dad (Carl Reinke) told me, ‘You have two home matches this week, lets get it done (at home)’. I said, “OK, I can do that.’”

And with Sidney coming to town tonight to face Piqua, 5-2, you might think it would allow Reinke to get the focus back on the team – except it never left.

“My first thought is always the team,” she said. “If we had gone to the middles for kills on the final two points, I would have been just as happy. I could have waited.”

But, with a dramatic finish, Reinke and the Piqua fans didn’t have too.

Making a statement…

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:23:43 +0000

By Rob Kiser

Call Sports Editor

The Xenia defense chases Jon Dembski in vain on one of his two touchdown runs. Piqua defeated the Bucs 48-0. MIKE ULLERY/CALL PHOTOS

Piqua offensive coordinator Troy Ouhl proved to be a prophet.

The Indians football team made a big statement – starting with a bang and never letting up in a 48-0 romp over Xenia – to improve to 2-1 heading into a big game at Lebanon Friday.

And it didn’t take long for Piqua to put last week’s loss behind them.

After the defense forced a three-and-out and a 15-yard punt gave Piqua the ball on the 40, the Indians went the distance on their first play just as Ouhl had predicted.

Quarterback Taylor Wellbaum found tight end Jordan Feeser wide open in the flat and Feeser took it to the “house”, with Evan Grissom’s kick giving Piqua a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

“We had been running that play in practice all week – and last week,” Feeser said. “When we ran it Thursday, coach (Troy) Ouhl told us it was going to go for a touchdown Saturday.”

As the play developed, Feeser knew Ouhl was going to be right.

“There was no one out there,” he said. “I thought I was going to score. I thought that was huge (after last week’s loss).”

Wellbaum admitted he was a little surprised.

“We had talked about how we were going to run that play,” Wellbaum said. “I was surprised (when he saw how open Feeser was). Sometimes those are the hardest passes to throw.”

Piqua football coach Bill Nees also felt it was huge for the Indians confidence.

“We needed a play like that,” he said. “We didn’t score in the second half last week.”

And while Piqua’s defense continued to dominate, the offense missed a few opportunities before putting the game away late in the first half with a 21-point explosion.

Piqua turned the ball over on downs on its next three possessions, despite a 21-yard run on a fake punt by Travis Nees to keep one drive going.

“We just got into a funk,” Bill Nees said. “We had a few things happen.”

But, on a second and ten play in the second quarter, Wellbaum did what he does best – making something out of nothing on a 59-yard TD run and suddenly it was 14-0 after the second of six PATs by Grissom.

“There was nothing there, so I reversed it the other way and it was wide open,” Wellbaum said. “Sometimes, you just get lucky.”

After another three-and-out from the Piqua defense, Kindrick Link retreated to the Piqua 10 to pick up the punt and appeared to go 90 yards for a TD.

While, there was an illegal block late on the return – Piqua still started on the Xenia 24. After a 17-yard pass from Justice Young to Wellbaum, Jon Dembski pounded the ball into the end zone from four yards out to make it 21-0.

“It still had the same affect,” Nees said about the punt return. “It was a big play and Xenia was tired from chasing on the punt. We were able to put it in the end zone.”

On Piqua’s next possession, the Indians started at their own 49.

Following an 11-yard pass from Young to Wellbaum, Wellbaum moved back to quarterback on a fourth-and-five from the Xenia 35.

He found Travis Nees along the right sideline and Nees made a couple nice moves in the open field to take it to the end zone. A two-point pass failed, making it 27-0 with 2:44 remaining in the half and that is the way it stayed until the second half.

“I really wasn’t open,” Travis Nees said. “Taylor (Wellbaum) bought some time scrambling and Trae Honeycutt made a great block in front of me. We just took it to another level (in the second quarter).”

In the second-half, it was ground “Dembski”.

The Piqua fullback had 12 carries for 88 yards in the Indians two third-quarter drives.

He finished off an 11-play, 66-yard drive with an 18-yard TD run and following another three-and-out by the Piqua defense, the Indians went 68-yards on 13 carries.

Wellbaum completed the drive with a nine-yard TD pass to Ryan Hughes on fourth-and five.

“To be able to come out and eat up the clock like we did, that was great to see,” Nees said.

And there is nothing subtle about Dembski’s running style, which resulted in 122 yards on 17 carries. He simply ran over the Xenia defenders, consistently carrying several would-be tacklers with him.

“Just throw in a straight arm,” Nees said. “He (Jon Dembski) is about as old school as it gets.”

Justice Young added a TD run for the final of 48-0.

Wellbaum added 81 yards on 10 carries to the rushing attack as Piqua amassed 316 yards rushing to Xenia’s 61.

Solomon Carnes forced a fumble in the first half that linebacker Brandon Pummill recovered. Pummill forced a fumble that led to a TD in Piqua’s opening game and come up with turnovers in the last two games.

“It felt great for the defense to get a shutout,” Feeser, who also plays on the defensive line, said. “This gives us a lot of confidence.”

Heading into a big game on the road with Lebanon, with both teams taking a 2-1 mark into the game.

“We knew what we could do,” Travis Nees said about erasing the Fairfield loss. “We just need to stay humble and stay focused.”

And the rest will take care of itself.

Piqua spikes Xenia…

admin — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:35:21 +0000

The Piqua volleyball team defeated Xenia in three games to improve to 3-2 on the season.
Piqua will play at Miamisburg Tuesday, before hosting Fairborn Wednesday and Sidney Thursday.

Jasmine Davis sets the ball against Xenia Wednesday night. ROB KISER/CALL PHOTO

Piqua JH splits
The Piqua junior high volleyball team split with Northmont.
The seventh grade lost 25-12, 25-23.
Allana Baumann had two digs, while Ashley Brading had four points and two aces.
Savanah Charles and Kelsie Hall had one kill and one dig, while Anna Klopfenstein had two digs.
Maryssa Kuhn had one kills and two digs, while Ariel Miller had three digs.
Macey Pruitt had six points, five aces and two digs, while Katie Sherman added five points, four aces and two digs.
Treona Whitmore had one kill and one dig.
The eighth grade won 23-25, 25-15, 25-22.
Megan Anderson had four points and two digs; while Kyla Blankenship had five points, nine kills and six digs.
Carly Brown had nine points, two aces, three kills and three digs; while Erin Patrizio had four points, one ace, three blocks, four kills, eight assists and four digs.
Taylor Quinn had 13 points, two aces, two kills, five assists and two digs; while Cassidy Sullenberger had six points, two aces, five kills, one assist and four digs.
Kenzie Weller had four kills and one assist.

Piqua boys run at Columbus Grove…

admin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:56:09 +0000

COLUMBUS GROVE – The Piqua boys cross country team competed in the Red Division of the Columbus Grove Invitational Saturday.
Indian runners places and times included Daret Spradley, 110, 21:14.45; Sean Calhoun, 124, 22:02.37; Isaac Hale, 129, 22:31.27.