Van Wert makes a statement at Bath

BATH TOWNSHIP - Van Wert came into Friday's football game against Bath trying to answer the Cougars' many doubters. By the time the shoulder pads came off and shoes were untied, it was the Wildcats left grasping for answers.

The Cougars dominated a Western Buckeye League road game, torching the Wildcats in a 34-7 win. After dropping its first game to Bryan, Van Wert is 2-1 and 2-0 in the league.

"We came in here supposedly underdogs. A lot of people were going against us. We got it going and we kicked some butt," Van Wert running back Sam Tindall said. "This team is highly under-respected, and they have been for a while. It feels great. It gives us confidence when you beat up on somebody like that."

As the defending 100-meter track champion in the WBL, Tindall obviously has quite a bit of speed. It was there against Bath (1-2, 0-2 WBL) as he sprinted for 174 yards on 19 carries with three touchdowns. His scoring runs were of 23, 56 and 62 yards.

His backfield mate, Donny Sites, pounded out 68 yards and a score.

Van Wert gained 296 yards on the ground. Much of the credit goes to the Van Wert offensive line, which blew the Wildcats off of the line play after play.

"It was one of the things we've been harping on and harping on," Van Wert coach Bob Priest said. "They've gotten better this week in practice. It was hot. I mean, we were in full pads Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. I give them credit."

The Cougars came into the game overshadowed by the duo from Bath, Gavin Painter and Aaron Smith. The Van Wert defense held the two in check: Painter had 34 yards on 12 carries and Smith 28 yards on 11 totes.

"They can run the ball," Priest said. "That was a challenge that we put to our front seven, can we stop these two. I tell you what, I thought they answered it."

Van Wert held a 14-0 lead at halftime, both on Tindall rushes. The stats at the break were much worse of the Wildcats, out-gained 157 yards to 28. The average starting position for Bath was its 31 while Van Wert usually started at or near midfield.

The Cougars put the game out of reach with TDs on two straight possessions in the third quarter. With 5 minutes, 44 seconds left on the clock, Sites scored on a 29-yard rumble on fourth down. On the next possession, Tindall capped off a six-play drive with a 56-yard burst down the home-team sidelines.

Reserve quarterback Cory Clifton closed out Van Wert's scoring with an 18-yard bootleg to the left late in the fourth.

All told, the Wildcats mustered just 121 total yards. It was much worse before Todd Long's 61-yard touchdown dash with 1:52 to play.

"It's real simple - in the WBL, if you can't win at the line of scrimmage, you can't win football games," Bath coach Todd Clark said. "We've talked about how we think we've turned the corner and how we've gotten better, but right now we're not a very good football team."