Fredericktown Beats Newark Catholic on Fourth-Down Conversion

Freddies Edge Newark Catholic on Fourth-Down Gamble

Friday night playoff football usually breeds caution, but Fredericktown coach Scott Spitler threw the rulebook out the window when his season hung in the balance. Clinging to a razor-thin 20-16 lead late in the fourth quarter against visiting Newark Catholic, the eighth-seeded Freddies faced a perilous fourth-and-two at their own 44-yard line with just 1:57 remaining on the clock. Rather than playing for field position and handing the ball back to a dangerous Green Wave offense, Spitler trusted his backfield to pick up the necessary yardage.

Parker Saunders answered the call, powering over the right side to move the chains and seal a 20-16 victory in this Division VI, Region 23 opening-round matchup. The gutsy conversion allowed Fredericktown to maintain possession and safely run out the clock in victory formation, advancing to the second round of the postseason.

“I just felt like it was not a situation where we were not getting stopped for less than three or four yards and we did not want to give the ball back to them,” the coach explained.

“You have to believe in your kids,” Spitler said. “We spent a lot of time doing what we do.”

A Slow Burn and a Lightning Strike

The path to the tense final minute was fraught with momentum swings. Fredericktown quarterback Jonny Ashcraft opened the scoring with a 36-yard scamper at the 4:26 mark of the first quarter. Newark Catholic immediately countered when Jaxon Holman returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, grabbing a 7-6 edge after the successful point-after try.

The visiting Green Wave continued to pressure the hosts into the second quarter. Hal Gillespie booted a 28-yard field goal, and Alex Nagel hauled in a 43-yard touchdown reception, stretching the Newark Catholic lead to 16-6 with 3:42 left before halftime. Fredericktown stemmed the bleeding right before the break when Ashcraft connected with Laken Hunter on a 26-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 16-13.

Ashcraft wasted no time taking control after intermission. To start the second half, the elusive quarterback shook loose on an 80-yard counter run, racing all the way to give the Freddies a 20-16 advantage that they would never relinquish.

Defense Holds Firm as the Bracket Thickens

Both teams threatened inside the red zone during a scoreless second half without capitalizing. Ashcraft ripped off another explosive run of 69 yards, yet the Freddies stalled before punching it in. Even so, Fredericktown’s defense locked down the four-point margin.

Fredericktown football celebrates — Photo: knoxpages.com

“I thought we played well. One of their scores was on special teams, so we gave up, what, eight points?” Spitler said.

With the win, Fredericktown improved to 9-2 on the season. The Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference runners-up now face a grueling three-hour road trip next week to take on undefeated, top-seeded Hannibal River, which stands at 10-0. Meanwhile, the ninth-seeded Green Wave concluded their campaign with a 7-4 overall record.

Reflecting on the identity of his squad heading into the next round, Spitler kept his perspective rooted in simple labor.

“We are not afraid of hard work,” Spitler said. “We are a blue-collar-team. That starts at home and in the community. “We just roll our sleeves up and get to work.”