“Wow … I don’t know what to say,” Badin coach Bill Tenore said. “I really believe you should be able to win a ballgame being up 19-0. Hats off to Alter for coming back. If we bounce back from this and do our own thing, we can still get in the (Division IV) playoffs and see what happens.”
Cody Boxrucker ran 12 times for 153 yards and two touchdowns for the Rams, who fell to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the GCLC Central Division.
Boxrucker broke Tony Farquis’ school records for career points (260 to 252) and rushing yards (2,894 to 2,832), but couldn’t keep Badin from suffering its 18th straight loss to the Knights (6-1, 3-1 GCLC North).
“I’m getting awfully old for these kinds of games,” Alter coach Ed Domsitz said. “I can’t remember the last time we were down 19-0 that early. The kids kept coming after it. That was special.”
The Knights scored the game’s final 20 points, with quarterback Ryan Markoff pushing the visitors ahead on a 12-yard touchdown run with 5:36 left. Matt Ruffolo’s extra point made it 27-22.
The Rams responded by driving to the Alter 2, but quarterback Zach Larkin got stopped on fourth-and-goal with 1:55 remaining.
Badin thought it notched a safety on an Andy Turpin run from the 3-yard line two plays later. Turpin finished the play in the end zone, but the officials gave him forward progress to the 1.
“I think I got forward movement,” Turpin said. “I don’t think I was stopped in the end zone.”
“We got a safety,” Tenore said. “Clearly we tackled the guy in the end zone.”
The Knights faced third-and-11 from there when the Rams jumped offsides. The Badin bench was then hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with 0:44 on the clock, giving Alter a game-clinching first down.
Tenore wasn’t happy about the safety decision and the no-call on a possible late hit on Larkin — which caused him to lose his helmet and have to come out for a play — near the goal line on the Rams’ last drive. He was also told by an official that he had no timeouts left when he actually had one, and Tenore’s discussion on that point led to the unsportsmanlike flag.
“The refs didn’t determine it, but they affected the outcome of the game,” Tenore said. “It’s a shame. It takes the game away from the kids.”
Larkin was 14 of 25 for 243 yards and hit Philip Dozier for a touchdown. Logan Heintzman booted a 29-yard field goal for Badin.
Turpin rumbled for a career-high 245 yards and a TD on 31 carries for the Knights. Markoff ran for a pair of touchdowns and connected with Matthew Zelinski for a 35-yard score.
“I really believe that our team kicked it into overdrive in the second half,” said Turpin, a 5-foot-11, 189-pound senior. “We worked hard all week to get this win, and I think we knew what we were doing the whole game. I think they beat us 34-0 freshman year, so this is a nice win for our seniors.”
Turpin choked up when he mentioned Joey Kraemer, his former AHS teammate who was killed in a recent car crash.
“I have the 39 on the back of my helmet for Joey,” Turpin said. “I really believe that he was pushing me and our team the whole way.”
He was remarkably consistent carrying the ball. Turpin had 16 carries for 122 yards in the first half and 15 carries for 123 yards after intermission.
“I told coach to give me the ball,” Turpin said. “When it was 19-0, I was just thinking that I’ve got to push through, I’ve got to put the team on my back. The O-line really stepped up and did the same thing.”
“Andy’s a load,” Domsitz said. “He’s got some wheels. He can turn the corner.”
Markoff gained 59 yards on 13 rushes for Alter, also completing 3 of 5 passes for 59 yards. The Knights took advantage of Badin’s multiple two-way players in the second half.
“There was no quit in the Badin kids,” Domsitz said. “But after a while, going both ways does take its toll. They’re a solid team that ought to be in the playoffs. Lord, Lord, we may have to play each other again. Maybe Alter and Badin. Maybe Alter and Fenwick. Maybe both.
“The game was every bit as physical as I thought it would be. I was very proud of the way our kids came back. I really believe we fell apart against Fenwick (in a 24-0 loss in Week 4). No poise … we just crumbled. Tonight, the kids played their hearts out.”
Tenore conceded the Rams did wear down in the second half, but added, “I still believe we played well enough to win.”
Jack VanSteenkiste caught four passes for 134 yards and Dozier had five receptions for 64 yards for Badin. VanSteenkiste gained 62 yards on a bomb right down the middle on the first play after the Knights went up 27-22, but Jordan Coovert made a touchdown-saving tackle.
Coovert had an interception and teammate David Rueth racked up 17 total tackles. Dominic Valentino (17) and Boxrucker (13) were the leading tacklers for Badin, with Valentino marking seven tackles for loss.
Alter will host McNicholas at Franklin next Friday. The Rams will face Chaminade Julienne at Wayne next Saturday.
Record-breaking night: Tony Farquis was thrilled to watch two of his Badin/Hamilton Catholic records fall Friday.
Boxrucker took down his scoring record with an 80-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage, then passed him on the yardage list with a 3-yard run with about five minutes left in the second quarter.
Farquis, a 1981 Badin graduate who still lives in Hamilton and has a daughter at HHS, met Boxrucker for the first time before the game.
“He seems like a really good kid, a lot bigger than I thought,” Farquis said. “I got to meet his parents at halftime, and it was just a really great all-around experience. I’m really happy that I went.”
Farquis, 52, hadn’t been to a Badin game in several years, but he knew Boxrucker was closing in on his records and wanted to make sure he was in attendance when they were broken.
“Thirty-four years is a long, long time,” said Farquis, who owns a Subway restaurant in Ross. “As you get older and it’s like nobody’s even getting close, you start to wonder if anybody will get there. I’m just really tickled to death that it was a kid like that who really seems to enjoy the game. He can keep it forever.”
Alter 0-14-0-13—27
Badin 19-3-0-0—22
B: Cody Boxrucker 80 run (Logan Heintzman kick)
B: Boxrucker 2 run (Kick failed)
B: Philip Dozier 8 pass from Zach Larkin (Pass failed)
A: Matthew Zelinski 35 pass from Ryan Markoff (Matt Ruffolo kick)
B: Heintzman 29 field goal
A: Markoff 9 run (Ruffolo kick)
A: Andy Turpin 11 run (Pass failed)
A: Markoff 12 run (Ruffolo kick)
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