Senior Isaac Rupe rushed for 176 of his 201 yards and two of his three touchdowns in the second half and the Madeira defense shut out Indian Hill after halftime to carry the Mustangs to a 26-15 victory Saturday night at Madeira Stadium and take control of the Cincinnati Hills League.
The Mustangs, ranked No. 2 in the EnquirerÂ’s Division II-VI poll, improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the CHL. Indian Hill falls to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the league.
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Madeira is alone in first place in the league with three games remaining. It is seeking its first league title since 1999 when it shared the championship with Indian Hill and Wyoming. The Mustangs have never won an outright CHL football title.
“We talked about if we wanted to be a great team and you’re in a ball game, great teams will come back and win the second half,” said Madeira coach Mike Shafer. “It was a battle all night long.”
The Mustangs came into the game having outscored their opponents 236-51 but Indian Hill senior quarterback Tyler Marrs, despite being sacked four times, completed seven of nine passes for 119 yards and one touchdown to lead the Braves on three scoring drives to take a 13-7 lead.
Marrs threw 12 yards to junior Jon Griggs in the second quarter, while junior Alex Thompson kicked field goals of 37 and 43 yards to provide Indian Hill its advantage.
The BravesÂ’ defense limited Rupe to 25 yards on eight carries in the first half. After Madeira went 75 yards on nine plays with its first possession, which Rupe capped off with a nine-yard touchdown run, Indian Hill held Madeira to 35 net yards the rest of the half.
“We made some adjustments and went back to some of our old stuff that we thought would work,” said Indian Hill coach Mike Theisen. “We played on our heels that first drive. Take nothing away from Madeira. They’re a good football team.”
The Mustangs opened the second half with a seven-play, 65-yard drive that junior quarterback Zack Jansen capped with a one-yard sneak for a touchdown. Jansen added the extra point for a 14-13 lead.
Rupe had three carries for 49 yards on the drive, nearly doubling his yardage total from the first half.
Indian Hill retook the lead on MadeiraÂ’s next possession. Senior linebacker Joe Becker sacked Jansen in the end zone for a safety and a 15-14 lead.
The Braves got excellent field position on its ensuing drive after senior Teddy Kremchek returned the free kick to the Madeira 39-yard line. MadeiraÂ’s defense didnÂ’t allow Indian Hill to take advantage of the opportunity.
Junior Andrew McDulin sacked Marrs for a 10-yard loss on third-and-six and forced a punt. McDulin finished the game with 14 tackles and three sacks.
“We stopped them by running to the ball all night on every play,” said McDulin. “That (stop) was super important. It helped us win the game.”
Madeira started the next drive at its own 13 but went the 87 yards in nine plays, with Rupe covering the final 26 for his second touchdown run with 9:23 left to play. The two-point conversion failed but the Mustangs had the lead, 20-15.
Rupe would add a 64-yard run with 2:26 remaining to seal the victory. He followed the block of senior lineman Kyle Williamson, who was lined up as a fullback, and outraced everyone to the end zone.
“The coaches inspired us at halftime to come out and drive it down their throats,” said Rupe. “We got back on course after halftime and our offense got back to doing what we’re supposed to do.”
IH – Thompson 37 field goalM – Rupe 9 run (Jansen kick)IH – Marrs 12 pass to Griggs (Thompson kick)IH – Thompson 43 field goalM – Jansen 1 run (Jansen kick)IH – safety, Becker sack in end zoneM – Rupe 26 run (pass failed)M – Rupe 64 run (pass failed)
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