ST. HENRY, Ohio — The first play from scrimmage told Versailles everything about the night ahead. Drew Langenkamp took St. Henry’s first snap 60 yards for a touchdown, eleven seconds into the game, and finished with 229 rushing yards and four touchdowns as the Redskins beat MAC rival Versailles 38-14 on Friday night, November 13, in an OHSAA Division VI, Region 24 semifinal, according to Press Pros Magazine’s game report. The Mansfield News Journal’s statewide scoreboard, The Columbus Dispatch’s scoreboard and High School On SI’s statewide scoreboard all confirmed the 38-14 final.
Versailles, to its credit, answered twice. Blake Monnin sneaked 15 yards for a tying touchdown in the first quarter, and Landyn Knapke scored on the first play of the second quarter to put the Tigers ahead 14-7, Press Pros Magazine reported. It was the last lead Versailles would hold — and, though no one in the stadium knew it yet, the last points Versailles would score.
St. Henry’s response came in layers. Landon Schwartz found Will Gerlach down the middle for a 41-yard touchdown to tie it 14-14, Ian Schwieterman’s 24-yard field goal put the Redskins in front 17-14, and with a minute left in the half Schwartz hit Langenkamp in stride for a 43-yard touchdown and a 24-14 halftime lead, Press Pros Magazine reported. Schwartz finished 8-of-13 passing for 127 yards, and St. Henry’s offense totaled 402 yards.
“Our whole team is together all the time, and we’re having fun whether it’s playing cards or playing football,” Langenkamp told Press Pros Magazine. “Monday through Friday we’re doing something together and we’ve been doing it our whole lives. It’s a tight-knit group and there’s a bond.”
The second half belonged to the defense. Head coach Josh Werling told Press Pros Magazine that assistant Craig Dues adjusted back into an odd-man front after Versailles’ second drive — “They were attacking our flats so that odd front gave us some extra hats in that five to ten yard range and it kinda’ slowed them down” — and the Tigers were held to 177 total yards and no points after halftime. Langenkamp scored with 55 seconds left in the third quarter for 31-14 and again from close range with ten minutes to play to complete his night: 229 yards on just 16 carries.
The context makes the run louder. St. Henry is last year’s Division VII state champion — the team that snapped Marion Local’s 76-game win streak, Press Pros Magazine reported — and after a 3-2 start the Redskins have won seven straight and ten of their last eleven, including wins over Versailles, Minster, Anna and Coldwater. “First time in thirty years, to the date, that St. Henry has played for back-to-back regional titles,” Werling told Press Pros Magazine.
“We have a fun locker room environment,” Werling added to Press Pros Magazine. “I’m really proud of how they’re playing, and how they played tonight.” Versailles’ season ends one round short of the final it reached as a surprise semifinalist, shut out for the game’s final 35 minutes.
What happens next: St. Henry (10-3) faces Deer Park (11-1) in the Division VI, Region 24 final on Friday, November 20, at a neutral site the OHSAA announces on Sunday, November 15. The winner advances to the state semifinals on November 27.