Younger Versailles back in title game

Matchup vs. Mooney will feature four 1,000-yard rushers.
They had lost three out of four headed into their final regular season game. They had graduated every skill position player from last year's 15-0 state championship team. And they were playing a sophomore quarterback who was completing less than 50 percent of his passes.
With the playoffs looming, the Versailles Tigers looked like anything but a contender to repeat in Division IV.
All of which proves -- absolutely nothing.
"It just goes to show you," said Versailles coach Al Hetrick, "you never know with kids."
It is somewhat surprising, even to Hetrick, that it's his Tigers (11-3) who will play Cardinal Mooney (11-2) for the title on Friday afternoon in Fawcett Stadium. While Versailles boasts undisputed tradition -- six championships since 1990 -- and came into the season with considerable talent, Hetrick knew it was inexperienced talent.
Sometimes, it showed. Yet Hetrick, who is in his 37th season at Versailles, understood.
"We lost all those skill players, our quarterback was young, we played some good teams," Hetrick said. "And in one of our losses, we just played a bad game."
The Tigers righted themselves in that final regular season game, routing Rockford Parkway 48-2. Versailles went on to post two shutouts in its four playoff wins, including a 14-0 defeat of top-ranked Coldwater in the semifinals, avenging a 10-7 loss to the Cavaliers six weeks earlier.
As clich & eacute; as it sounds, Hetrick believes the Tigers' perpetually high expectations had something to do with the success.
"I think we've kind of overachieved from what we thought we'd do," he said. "But we've got great kids, the community really supports us, and we've got tradition. Nobody wants to be the team that didn't make it to state and that's how these kids are ... And right now, we're playing good football."
Topnotch ground games
In his three-plus decades as coach, Hetrick has never seen what he'll see Friday -- four 1,000-yard rushers in one game.
The Versailles offense is built around backs Adam Francis (1,036 yards) and Curtis Wourms (1,017 yards), while Mooney counters with Nate Burney and quarterback Kyle McCarthy. The Cardinals have two other backs, Eric Mariotti and Michael Rich, who have rushed for more than 600 yards.
Hetrick said the Mooney rushing attack is impressive, but he also knows what drives it.
"They look like an excellently coached team. They've got good size on the offensive and defensive lines, and they tend to dominate the line of scrimmage. They play like a nicely-oiled machine," he said.
Neither team prefers to throw the ball, with Versailles attempting an average of about 10 passes per game and Mooney putting it up even less at just six attempts per week.
Hetrick said he understands why Mooney doesn't throw much -- a quarterback who is a 1,000-yard rusher is a special weapon.
"Obviously, the quarterback is an outstanding player," he said. "He can take off at any time and burn you with his speed. We're going to have to defense the entire field."
"A lot of tradition"
Hetrick acknowledges his team throws just enough to "keep them honest," but added, "If they're going to load up on us, we're going to throw the ball."
Tigers quarterback Troy McNeilan has thrown for only 288 yards all season, but he's tossed 12 touchdown passes and three Versailles players have more than 10 receptions and at least two touchdown catches.
Still, like Mooney, Versailles wants to play ball-control and rely on backs with complementary styles. Hetrick describes Wourms as a "slasher who is a patient runner," while Francis is a "banger who explodes into the hole."
Versailles also has a dominant defensive player in lineman Kevin Paulus, the Div. IV defensive player of the year. Paulus (6-foot-3, 230 pounds) made 88 tackles this season, including nine for losses, and collected nine sacks.
Both schools hold lofty positions in Ohio prep football history. Versailles' six state championships place it fourth on the all-time list (Cleveland St. Ignatius is No. 1 with nine), while Mooney is tied for fifth with four titles. The Cardinals last won a championship in 1987.
"There's a lot of tradition," Hetrick said. "It's going to be fun."