Rothhaar leads Willard past Trojans

WILLARD — The goal was smash-mouth football. That's the type of game plan Willard head coach Bill Speller had in place Friday night in his team's 46-12 win over visiting South Central in the season opener at Terry King Stadium. The game was originally slated to be played in Greenwich, but construction around the track and other plays at South Central High School forced the game to Willard. Willard quarterback Jake Rothhaar brought the heat against the Trojans. He scrambled for a few large gains before he found the end zone on a 38-yard run to put the Flashes on the scoreboard first. The Trojans and Crimson Flashes then traded three turnovers in just of two-plus minutes. But then the Flashes were able to slow down the tempo and put together a solid drive. Rothhaar earned his second rushing TD on the night fro six years out that put Willard up 14-0. After another punt by the Trojans, it was Rothhaar who turned on the jets and bolted to the end zone for his third rush TD of the night, this time a crowd-pleasing 85-yard score that propelled Willard to an early 22-0 On the next drive, South Central tried to slow down the Flashes. A few solid runs by from quarterback Brayden Viock and Cole Frankart sparked momentum. It was Viock that found Frankart downfield for the 45 yard TD pass that put South Central in the board. (22-6) Willard responded to the Trojans well, however. A big pass from Rothhaar to Paxton Flores amounted in 40 yards to set up the Flashes in the red zone. A few plays later, Rothhaar found AJ Speller for the 2 yard pass to put the lead up 30-6. South Central was able to grab a TD before the half was over with a Viock 2 yard run to cut the lead down to 30-12. The Trojans were unable to capitalize on their first possession of the second half. Willard opened their first drive of the second half around midfield. With AJ Speller going to work with a pair of 10 yard runs, he was able to find the end zone on a 4-yard run to increase the lead to 38-12. On its next drive, Willard went back to work again to put together another scoring drive. Rothhaar showed that he could pass the ball, too, completing an 18 yard pass to Paxton Flores to close out the scoring in the lopsided win. After the game, Coach Speller was proud of his coaching staff. "I have to give credit to them, because they have been getting this offensive line ready," Speller said. "I think that's the key to us winning right now." The Flashes might not be the biggest team, but the coach knows they have a lot of heart. "This is a really close team," he said. "These guys are like the true definition of what brothers are. They love to be around each other and work together." Willard takes on nearby rival Plymouth (0-1) back at King Stadium, but that game will be on Thursday instead of Friday. A shortage of game officials prompted the move for the short week. On the other side, South Central will head to Buckeye Central looking to bounce back next Friday night. S. Central 0 12 0 0 — 12Willard 22 8 16 0 — 46Scoring WIL — Jake Rothhaar 38 run (run failed)WIL — Jake Rothhaar 6 run (Rothhaar run)WIL — Jake Rothhaar 85 run (Speller pass)SC — Cole Frankart 45 pass from (pass failed)WIL — AJ Speller 2 pass from Jake Rothhaar (Rothhaar run)SC — Brayden Viock 2 run (pass failed)WIL — AJ Speller 4 run (Speller run)WIL — Paxton Flores 18 pass from Jake Rothhaar (Rothhaar run)