Second half surge powers Celina to win No. 1

ELIDA - The plan was to get the ball to Nos. 10 and 22, then Celina felt it could end up with No. 1.

The Bulldogs succeeded in getting many plays for running back Alex Dues and receiver Blake Moran, and they locked up their first win of the season with a 34-13 win over Elida.

Moran caught nine passes for 135 yards and a pair of touchdowns. By far, he was the favorite target of quarterback Derek Gagle, who completed 11 of 15 passes - including nine straight at one point - for 152 yards.

"He's a competitor. He's poised, under control when he's out there. He's just a kid we trust," Celina coach Jared Rolfes said of Moran. "We tried different things to get him in different sets because our offense is pretty diverse in that regard."

With a lead in the second half, Celina strapped itself to Dues, who after halftime gained 70 of his 97 yards and had 15 of his 20 carries. He scored on runs of 1 and 8 yards in the half.

"We were happy for Alex, just for his sake because we've been trying to do that all year," Rolfes said. "It's nice to see him do a good job, and the offensive line did it for him up front.

Moran and Gagle opened the scoring with a 15-yard connection on Celina's first possession. Gagle rolled left and threw the ball deep into the end zone, and Moran made a spectacular play to go up, grab the ball and come down just in bounds.

Early in the second quarter, though, Elida evened the contest with a 3-yard run from Desmond Ragin off the right side. It capped a 79-yard drive that chewed up more than 3 1/2 minutes.

Celina pulled ahead late in the quarter on a 61-yard bomb from Gagle to Moran, and including the two-point conversion, it made the halftime score 15-7. And both coaches felt the home Bulldogs were still in the game.

The second half was a different story. Celina ran off 19 unanswered points and put the game out of reach. Elida had two yards on seven plays in the third quarter.

"They made some great halftime adjustments," Elida coach Jason Carpenter said. "That's what we have to do. We've been competitive in every first half this season. ... We just have to do it in the second half."

The turning point came late in the third and early in the fourth. Dues scored his first TD on a 10-yard run. After taking over on its own 31-yard line, Elida threw an interception on the next play.

Dues put the finishing touches on an 11-play drive with a 1-yard score. The 5-foot-8, 165-pound junior carried seven times for 26 yards on the drive.

"He's not very big, but he's strong," Rolfes said. "He benches 300 pounds. And he's a great wrestler, which helps on the football field."

Elida quarterback Alex McAdams completed 13 passes for 132 yards and a score. Receiver Matt Eilerman had six receptions for 54 yards.

The win keeps Elida winless at 0-6 and 0-5 in the Western Buckeye League. Celina dragged itself from the ranks of the oh-fer's and now stands at 1-5, 1-4 in the league.

"I'm just happy for the kids. We've been fighting and battling with all the teams we've played," Rolfes said. "Our kids play so hard and play with a lot of emotion, so it's just one of those things where you're happy for them."