Defense, punt return lift Lima Senior past Celina

CELINA - Pressure always seems to be part of the package when Lima Senior and Celina play football.

After the Spartans hung on for a 14-10 win over the Bulldogs on Friday night, it marked the fourth time in the four meetings between the two teams the game was decided by a touchdown or less.

But it was another kind of pressure that secured the win for the Spartans in their nonleague season opener. Defensive pressure played a major role in Lima Senior's win.

"Our defense really stepped up tonight. It bailed us out quite a bit," Lima Senior coach Darnell Collins said. "We had ample opportunities to put the game away three or four times and the offense sputtered. But the defense stepped up every time and made a good stand for us."

Lima Senior's offense turned the ball over on fumbles three times in the second half, allowing Celina to start drives at the Spartans' 31-yard line, at midfield and at the Bulldogs' 48-yard line. But none of those Celina possessions produced any points.

Defensive pressure on the passer also made a big difference. After Celina QB Derek Gagle picked Lima Senior apart to the tune of 10 of 14 in the first half, he was limited to 4 of 15 in the last two quarters. Gagle missed his final eight attempts.

"The first half we weren't getting a lot of pressure on him and when you're not getting pressure on the quarterback your defensive backs can only cover for so long," Collins said.

"In the second half we started sending more pressure and we came out of our zone a little and kind of mixed it up and he didn't have as much time to set up and get comfortable."

Celina took an early lead when Gagle scored on a 5-yard touchdown run in the first minute of the second quarter.

Lima Senior tied the game at 7-7 when Chaz Foster (154 yards on 20 carries) went 4 yards for a TD with 1:12 left in the first half.

The Spartans took the lead for good when Cortey Edwards returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown after Celina's first possession of the second half.

The Bulldogs narrowed the lead to 14-10 on a 28-yard field goal by Aaron Snyder with three minutes to play in the third quarter.

"The punt return was huge. That gave us the momentum," Collins said.

Celina's first-year coach Jared Rolfes also singled out Edwards' return as a major moment in the game.

"That hurt. The punt return was not a good thing for us, obviously," he said.

"We got opportunities. We had plenty of opportunities to win the ballgame," the Celina coach said.

Celina's final opportunity came in the final minutes of the game when it got to Lima Senior's 8-yard line before the Spartans' defense provided one final stop.

Gagle finished 14 of 29 for 156 yards.