Sheridan defense throws up sec...

THORNVILLE ― Sheridan's fears about having to replace most of its 2022 defense were never realized Friday night.

Not in the traditional season opener against visiting Licking Valley. Because in the words long emblazoned on Generals' tee-shirts by the late Paul Culver Jr., the stadium's namesake, "tradition never graduates."

On a night that saw both teams cramping up often, Sheridan kept rotating in fresh bodies on its defensive front, held the Panthers to 89 second-half yards and pulled away to a 33-14 victory, after Valley had rallied to forge a 14-14 halftime tie.

"I'm proud of the way we were able to rotate sophomores into the defensive line, including guys who were playing linebacker last week," said Culver's son, Generals' head coach Paul Culver III. "But in the end, our seniors made the plays."

They held the Panthers to just two-second half first downs until a last ditch drive, culminated by senior Bryson Ruff's end zone interception. Senior linebacker Ryan Kuhn pounced on a third-quarter fumble.

"He's our 'Sam' backer this year, and the last three we've had there have made All-Ohio," Culver said.

But the game really turned on Valley's first turnover of the second half.

The Panthers lost playmaking junior wideout-defensive back Kam Walker to second-quarter injury, after he had reeled off a 26-yard run. He's also the long snapper, and as the Generals lined up to punt midway through the third, the backup snapper bounced it back to Jacob Wheeler, who had trouble getting the handle and Sheridan pounced on the ball at the Valley 6. Quarterback Caden Sheridan ran it in at 5:00 for a 20-14 lead.

It turned out to be a backbreaker for Valley, which stopped the Generals on downs at the Panthers' 13 on the first drive of third quarter. And after the TD and Kuhn's fumble recovery, Carter Hartman picked off a pass at the Valley 20.

Senior Zach Hines then churned out 41 of the 53 yards on a drive against the Panthers' tiring defense, capped by Caden Sheridan's 5-yard TD run with 9:58 left. Hines, who had 82 of his game-high 86 yards after halftime, later had a 30-yard burst to set up Caden Sheridan's 2-yard with just 1:38 to play.

"Their size wore us down a little bit. It definitely wears on you," said Valley coach Randy Baughman.

Culver said the Generals' offensive line remains the team's strength. "We have five very good ones and a sixth who we have to play on defense," he explained.

Both offenses had trouble getting untracked before another big crowd in Culver Stadium.

Sophomore Evan Lohr's 10-yard sack of Sheridan at the Valley 25 ended a first-quarter threat, but Justin Munyan pinned the Panthers at their 1-yardline with his punt. The Generals capitalized on the field position, with Sheridan's 23-yard keeper setting up Munyan's 3-yard TD run with 9:30 before the half. Dominic McKinney kicked the PAT for a 7-0 lead.

"Caden reads the option so well. It's a very under-appreciated part of our offense," Culver said. "He's just so good at it."

But the Panthers responded with a 62-yard drive, Hayden Rodgers finding tight end Alex Phelps for 14 on third down and Wheeler for 11. A 26-yard jaunt by Trent Markus set up his 1-yard TD plunge at 2:31 and Wheeler's kick tied it 7-7.

The Generals used the no huddle to seemingly take a 14-7 halftime lead with a quick 80-yard drive, aided by a key facemask penalty erasing a Valley sack. Sheridan found Ruff for 12, then favorite target A.J. Winders for 15, 18 then a 14-yard TD in the left corner of the end zone with just 58 seconds.

"No matter what the situation, I know Winders is going to be there," Sheridan said. Winders said they've been throwing together since the fourth grade. "But this is really the first year we've truly been able to make this connection," he said.

The Panthers weren't done yet. Wheeler, a stellar kicker who booted three into the end zone, is also an athletic guard in basketball. He ran under a 56-yard bomb from Rodgers down the left sideline, then caught a 16-yard slant for the TD with only five seconds for the 14-14 tie.

"We hadn't even seen him (Wheeler) on film," Culver said.

However, the Generals weren't fazed. "We knew we would get punched in the mouth by them, just like we did last year," Winders said. "It's all in how you respond."

Said Sheridan: "We knew we were the better team, physically and all the way around. We knew we didn't play very well in the first half, and in the second half, we played great. Our defense was lights out. They were a question mark and stepped up. They picked me up after that interception. They were amazing."

Defensive end Cole Davis noted that not a lot had to be said during intermission.

"In the locker room. some of the guys were feeling down. We just reminded them, it's 0-0 now, so what's next?" he said. "Our defense lost a lot of seniors from last year, but the new guys rotated in with the cramping and they knew what we had to do to win."

Sheridan added 74 yards on 14 carries and Munyan had 65 in 17 attempts, as the Generals rushed for 151 of their 229 yards in the second half. Winders caught eight passes for 110 yards, including a 47-yarder, and Sheridan hit on 11-of-18 for 153 yards with one interception.

Rodgers completed 14-of-26 for 177 yards with one picked off, and also led Valley with 40 yards on 10 tries. Markus added 39 yards in nine attempts. Wheeler snagged five passes for 99 yards and Trent Clark had five receptions for 45 yards.

"We didn't execute as well as we should have, but give credit to them," Baughman said. "We'll get back to work tomorrow and correct some things. We still really like this group. It's a good bunch, and they care about each other and trust in each other."