Wide receiver Kaden Page caught six passes for 107 yards and a touchdown in Wapakoneta’s Week 1 win over St. John’s Jesuit.
Don Speck | The Lima News
It might only be Week 2, but there are two games on the schedule between four of the top five WBL teams from last season, and both could go a long way in deciding the winner of the league this year.
Both defending co-champs, Wapakoneta and St. Marys, take on teams that were locked in a three-way tie for third place, Defiance and Celina.
Wapakoneta and Defiance enter Friday night on complete opposite sides of the spectrum.
The Redskins notched a 14-point victory in their season opener over St. John’s Jesuit, 35-21, while Defiance dropped an overtime heartbreaker to Napoleon, 35-34, in the River Rock rivalry.
Following Wapak’s win last week, Travis Moyer commended his team’s effort against an unfamiliar opponent, while also knowing they have a big test coming on Friday.
“Credit our players for finding a way to be successful in the opening week of the season,” he said. “This is step No. 1 towards goal No. 1, and that’s winning a WBL championship.
“Defiance is sound and well-coached in all three phases of the game. Offensively, they’re very explosive with the ability to run and throw the ball effectively. Defensively, they’re physical up front and athletic on the back end.”
Moyer went on to say that his team needs to be sound in all three phases of the game against the Bulldogs.
Wapakoneta totaled 324 yards on offense last week against St. John’s Jesuit.
Quarterback Caleb Moyer threw for 209 yards and ran for another 65, scoring three times on the ground and twice more through the air.
Moyer’s top targets, as expected, were Kaden Page (6 catches, 107 yards, TD) and Grant Stauffer (2 catches, 54 yards, TD). Jarrett Mullin added 95 all-purpose yards between 12 carries and three receptions.
Defiance, who played without starting quarterback Brez Zipfel against Napoleon, focused on establishing the run and rushed for 245 yards and four touchdowns in the loss.
Anthony Wilder (18 carries, 103 yards) and Abel Rubio (16 carries, 85 yards) both found the endzone two times.
Noah Gomez filled in at quarterback and completed 15 of 20 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown to Brady Borton.
The expectation is that Defiance will have Zipfel back under center on Friday.
Defiance won last season’s matchup at home, 16-13, which sent the Redskins on a 10-game winning streak.
Cooper’s expectation is that Wapakoneta is eager to return the favor to his team.
“We’re sure they want revenge from last year’s loss at our place, and we’re going to have to play a much cleaner game this week if we want to have a shot on Friday,” Cooper said.
“This is a massive WBL opener. Wapak is reloaded and looks as good as expected. They have playmakers at all levels of their offense and defense.”
Friday night is Wapakoneta’s second straight home game to open the season. Defiance’s first comes next week against St. Marys as part of a stretch where they play on the road four times in the first five weeks of the season.
Reach Chris Howell at 567-242-0468 or on Twitter/X at @Lima_Howell
