Potter-Dix struggles against ranked Caliche squad

The Coyotes expected a whirlwind.

Visiting Caliche came into Friday night’s contest as Colorado’s fifth ranked team. Their roster features ten seniors and a total of 17 upperclassmen. On their way to a convincing 55-6 win over Potter-Dix, they hammered out 343 yards on the ground, allowing the hosts just 72 in return.

“They’re faster, they’re stronger—it was hard,” said Coyotes’ junior Caleb Shaw.

Caliche’s quality was obvious from the outset. On their second play from scrimmage, running back Austin Yahn raced through a sizeable gap 44 yards for a score, touched only by a diving Bryant Knigge. Caliche’s next possession was a little more drawn out, requiring four snaps before they hit paydirt.

The visitors led 36-0 at the halftime break. The issue was never in doubt.

“They’re probably the toughest team on our schedule,” Tyler Magninie observed.

Still, Potter-Dix acquitted themselves surprisingly well against the more experienced squad. The Coyotes’ defense held Caliche’s relentless backs to less than five yards on almost half of the Buffaloes’ 41 carries. They allowed only 28 yards in the air and were penalized just four times on the night.

“We played well,” head coach Dale Frerichs pointed out. “If we keep working hard, we’ll be alright at the end of the year.”

Keverett Rush dragged Caliche’s elusive quarterback Mitch Davison down one time. Anthony Vahlbusch refused to acknowledge a fake and popped him on another occasion. In the third period, Sam Gingerich hustled in to pressure the signal caller after an errant snap, recovering the loose ball.

“That was fun,” he said.

Offensively, Potter-Dix proved capable of moving the ball consistently. Midway through the first period, Magninie and company engineered a ten play drive that brought them into scoring position. The Coyotes earned one first down on the running of Kelsey Rozelle and Vahlbusch, another on a toss from Magninie to the versatile Rozelle.

But their momentum stalled on the Caliche 12. Going for it on fourth down, Knigge was hauled down just short.

Following Gingerich’s fumble recovery, the Coyotes struck. Shaw scored on a 12 yard run, fighting hard for the last two critical yards.

“I couldn’t have done it without my blockers,” he said. “I wanted it for them.”

An 18 yard scamper by Magninie set up the touchdown. Handed possession on the visitors’ 30, he tried to pass, but the ball fell incomplete. On second down, he faked a hand off, stepped left and cut upfield through a big hole.

“It was a simple zone read,” he explained. “The middle opened up.”

For a moment it appeared as if the sophomore might take it all the way. But Yahn caught him from behind, dragging Magninie down just outside the 10 yard line.

“Those guys are fast,” the Potter-Dix quarterback said.

With the Coyotes forced to throw in order to catch up, conditions didn’t help. The game opened in a drizzle, and haze closed in on the field, causing several receivers to lose the ball in the haloed lights. Potter-Dix completed only 3 of 14 passes on the night. Caliche attempted only 7 tosses.

In the end, Caliche’s experience and ground game proved to be the difference.

“They’re a good team,” Frerichs said. “But I was pleased with our effort.”

Potter-Dix hosts the Morrill Lions on Friday in a homecoming match up.

Score by Quarters

Cal 15 21 6 13 - 55

P-D 0 0 6 0 – 6

Potter-Dix

Rushing

Rozelle 12-37

Magninie 3-21

Shaw 3-10

Vahlbusch 4-5

Nelson 2- -1

Passing

Magninie 3-13 21 0td 1int

Nelson 0-1 0 0td 0int

Receiving

Rozelle 3-18

Knigge 1-3