Alter faces Steubenville, the top seed from Region 15, next Friday in the state semifinals at Westerville Central High School. Steubenville (13-1) defeated Thornville Sheridan (12-2) 14-7.
The Knights are regional champions for the sixth time, all since 2006 and all under head coach Ed Domsitz. A team loaded with players who started last year as freshmen and sophomores have overcome a 2-2 start to reach 11-3.
“We’ve said as a coaching staff this group has really improved week to week to week,” Domsitz said.
The Knights led 7-0 when Collin Wehner lined up to punt. Special teams coach Rick Willits gives Wehner the option to run if he sees certain alignments. And Wehner can run. He is the team’s punt returner.
This time Wehner rolled right, saw the opening and took off for a 27-yard gain to the Wyoming 30 with 42 seconds left in the first half. The stunning play setup Tony Arcuri’s 42-yard field goal with the wind at his back for a 10-0 halftime lead.
“He has the confidence in our punt team that we have the option to do whatever we need to do,” Wehner said. “And if it’s there, I’m going to take it, and they did a great job lead blocking for me.”
Domsitz called the play one of the five or six in a tight game that make the difference. And they all went Alter’s way.
“It really comes down to what Collin Wehner sees, and that certainly was big,” Domsitz said. “But whenever you do that, especially when you’re taking that kind of a burden on yourself, then you better make it.”
Alter’s defense bent some, but made stops all night, including a third-down sack and a fourth-down stop on a scramble, both by junior end Okemdi Eze, that forced a field goal try in the first minute of the fourth quarter. A 36-yard try into the wind didn’t look promising, and senior Carter Sheets made sure of it.
Sheets, who is 6-foot-4 and can dunk a basketball, came in high and blocked the field goal. The Knights recovered it all the way back at the Wyoming 46. Six plays later Gavin Connor threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Micahel Russ for a 17-0 lead with 8:29 left.
“We drew up a nice block where we got a good push from tackles Jackson Wright and Jack Howard,” Sheets said. “They do a great job on that and opened up a hole, and we took care of business and flipped the field.”
Domsitz wants to see more consistency from his offense that fumbled in the red zone on its first drive and threw an interception in the second quarter. In between, Rod Owens capped a 71-yard drive with a six-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
“We put enough points on the board to have a comfortable lead there toward the end again,” Domsitz said. “But we got to get beyond the turnovers in the future if we want to get to Canton.”
Wyoming (12-2) had a 75-game regular season winning streak snapped by Cincinnati Indian Hill on Oct. 14. Alter beat Indian Hill 31-6 in the second round.
“This a good football program and a good football team,” Domsitz said, “and to be able to shut them out 17-0 is pretty special.”
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