NEW MADISON — With two unbeaten teams battling for position in the Western Ohio Athletic Conference, almost nothing came easily Friday night.
Tri-Village made just enough plays to remain unbeaten, holding off Ansonia 29–22 in a physical game that remained in doubt until the closing seconds.
The Patriots improved to 5–0 overall, while the Tigers fell to 4–1.
“It’s huge,” Tri-Village coach Matt Hopkins said of the conference victory. “Ansonia is a really good football team. They’re super well-coached, they’re super disciplined, and they play so hard and physical. It’s unbelievable to beat a team like that.
“They’re really, really good at everything they do. We just made one or two more plays than they did.”
That was an accurate description of a game in which both teams fought for every yard.
Tri-Village scored first and held a 7–0 advantage at the end of the opening quarter. The Patriots began finding success through the air during the scoring drive while also benefiting from a running game operating behind a large, physical offensive line anchored by Kentucky commit Dom Black.
Ansonia responded in the second quarter. Quarterback Cade Shellhaas connected with Graham Coppess for a touchdown, and the Tigers converted the two-point attempt to take an 8–7 lead.
That advantage lasted only seconds.
Tri-Village returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, immediately moving back in front 14–8.
Special teams played an important role throughout the night. In addition to the kickoff return, the Patriots recovered two Ansonia onside kicks.
“Our kicker is pretty good,” Hopkins said. “We covered really, really well. We didn’t do that last week against Belmont. We really challenged those guys this week, and they responded.
“Two onside-kick recoveries in a game like that are huge. Our guys stepped up and made big plays tonight.”
Ansonia leading rusher Jacob Schmitmeyer left the game during the second quarter and did not return. Schmitmeyer entered the night ranked second in the WOAC with 580 rushing yards, but the Tigers continued moving the football on the ground without him.
Ansonia drove inside the Tri-Village 20 late in the first half, but a penalty and turnover ended the threat. Black recovered the fumble, allowing the Patriots to carry their 14–8 lead into halftime.
Tri-Village struck quickly after the break. A long completion to Griffin Richards moved the Patriots to the 1-yard line, and they scored on the following play to extend the lead to 21–8 with 9:28 remaining in the third quarter.
The Tigers could have folded after allowing the quick score, particularly with their leading runner on the sideline. Instead, they answered.
Freshman Austin Tobe broke free for a touchdown of approximately 40 yards, and Ansonia added the two-point conversion to pull within 21–16 with 6:17 left in the third.
“I’m very proud of the effort that we played with tonight,” Ansonia coach Adam Hall said. “There were times where we could have easily gone into the tank and kind of packed it in, and I was very happy that our guys didn’t do that.”
Tobe had already been asked to fill several roles during his freshman season. He began the year as a running back before playing both left and right guard. When Schmitmeyer left Friday’s game, Tobe was called upon again.
“I don’t think it’s a secret that Austin Tobe is a good football player,” Hall said. “He’s going to be a really, really good football player. He got thrown in tonight, and he’s just a natural.
“He works extremely hard. He’s an extremely smart kid, so we’re glad that he’s a freshman.”
Tri-Village eventually extended its advantage to 29–16, but Ansonia refused to go away.
The Tigers put together a long fourth-quarter drive, continuing to run the football while also making a key completion as the clock wound down. Ansonia converted a fourth-and-one near the Tri-Village 5-yard line and scored with approximately one minute remaining to make it 29–22.
The Patriots recovered the ensuing onside kick and gained the first down they needed to enter victory formation.
One of the game’s defining moments came earlier when Tri-Village’s defense stopped Ansonia on fourth-and-four. Hopkins said those are the moments for which his team prepares.
“There are certain moments in life you don’t get back, and we talk about that all the time,” Hopkins said. “We challenged them on that play. You’ve got to want it more than they do at that moment in time.
“Everybody is gassed, and everybody is dying. You’ve just got to dig a little bit deeper. We always talk about half-inch effort. Everybody gives a little bit, but you’ve got to go a half-inch more. That’s what we did tonight.”
Richards provided several important plays for the Patriots. He entered the game fourth in the conference with 188 receiving yards and showed why defenses devote so much attention to him.
“Griffin reminded everyone how good he is tonight,” Hopkins said. “He does some special things with the ball. We try to make sure he gets the ball in his hands, and we should do it more.
“Everybody is double-teaming and triple-teaming him, so we’ve got to find creative ways to get him the ball. When he touches it, he can do some special things.”
Black also made his presence felt on both sides of the line. Although he is best known as a four-star offensive lineman committed to Kentucky, his name was called repeatedly for tackles on defense.
With Black standing just behind him following the game, Hopkins praised the senior’s complete performance.
“He’s a leader. He’s a two-year captain,” Hopkins said. “He’s going to UK for a reason. He loves football, he loves Tri-Village, and he’s playing his butt off.
“He didn’t take one snap off tonight, and that’s what you need from your best players. Our best players didn’t take a snap off tonight, and that’s what you’ve got to do to beat a team like Ansonia.”
The loss ended Ansonia’s unbeaten start, but the Tigers remained within one possession until the final minute despite losing their leading rusher and falling behind by two scores twice in the second half.
“We were in it until the end,” Hall said. “We still had a chance. I give a ton of credit to our guys for how they worked at it tonight and how they fought back.
“We just made too many mistakes, and you can’t beat a team like Tri-Village making those mistakes.”
Hall also credited the Patriots for capitalizing.
“They have tons of gifted athletes. Their line is big and strong, and their coaches are good,” Hall said. “They made more plays than we did tonight, and they deserve to win.”
For Tri-Village, the victory represented more than another mark in the win column. It showed the Patriots could withstand adversity, repeatedly answer a determined opponent and finish a close game against one of the conference’s best teams.
“I thought we grew up quite a bit tonight,” Hopkins said. “We’ve got to battle adversity because we’re in a really tough league and a really tough region. We’ve got to win these types of games.”
