Fostoria can't capitalize on chances, falls to Otsego 35-22

FOSTORIA – Trailing 21-6 midway through the third quarter, Fostoria High School's football team had their backs against the wall. But the Redmen rallied, as Gavin Miller's 22-yard pass to Machi Johnson on fourth-and-10 kept a drive alive and Matthew Balderama finished it with a 12-yard rushing touchdown. Miller ran for two points and cut Otsego's lead to 21-14 with 4:36 left in the quarter.Johnson intercepted a Devin Farley pass at the Otsego 38-yard line on the Knights' next possession. After a 17-yard pass from Miller to Jordan Ferguson moved the Redmen into the red zone, Fostoria faced a fourth-and-goal from the Otsego 7 and Miller scrambled away from the defense before hitting Julius Robinson with a pass deep in the end zone. Miller passed to Ferguson for the conversion and the Redmen went up 22-21 at 11:48 of the fourth quarter.It was a short-lived lead, however, as Farley completed a 69-yard drive with a 17-yard rushing touchdown, then passed to Cohen Feehan to regain the lead for the Knights 29-22 with 6:08 remaining in the game.Otsego went on to win the game 35-22 in the Northern Buckeye Conference opener for both teams at Dick Kidwell Field at Memorial Stadium on Friday."Frustrating," FHS coach Derek Kidwell said afterward. "We should have had a two or three score lead in the first half. The first quarter really comes to mind: we didn't put the ball in the end zone, we didn't punch it in when we had the opportunities when we were in the red zone."Self-inflicted wounds – you know, penalties, turnovers. Give Otsego credit, they battled, they hung in there until we made enough mistakes for them to capitalize."The Redmen got off to a fast start, scoring on the opening drive. Lance Miller put FHS in good field position, breaking free for a 49-yard run to Otsego-s 14-yard line on second-and-15. Machi Johnson completed the drive, pulling down a 12-yard pass in the end zone from quarterback Gavin Miller at 9:26. The touchdown was scored on fourth-and-8 from the Otsego 12, completing a six-play, 58 yard drive.Unfortunately FHS was unable to keep the momentum going, failing to convert from the red zone on each of the next two drives.Otsego had its share of struggles in the first half, going three-and-out on its first two possessions. The Knights punted on their third possession but after a Fostoria player fumbled the ball, Otsego recovered it in great field position at the FHS 18-yard line. Farley completed the five-play drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown and put the Knights up 7-6 at 3:27 of the second quarter.In the first half the Knights managed just 42 yards of offense to Fostoria's 174, but still clung to a 7-6 lead at halftime."We challenged our kids at halftime, we felt like we weren't playing up to par," Otsego coach Josh Lindke said. "That was a gritty win for our kids and it was great for them to kind of get challenged at halftime and then come out and respond. Not our best football in the first half, no doubt about that, but our kids responded and that's what you want to see as a coaching staff."The Knights responded with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Farley to Owen Atkinson on the second play of the third quarter to go up 14-6. Otsego extended its lead to 21-6 at 7:46 as Farley rushed for a 1-yard touchdown, completing a 70-yard drive in just five plays and one minute, 33 seconds.