MAUMEE — Perrysburg played just well enough to keep its game against Maumee within reach at halftime
Friday.
But the Yellow Jackets faced a far more talented team in the annual Battle for the Ding Dong Bell, and it
obviously showed in the second half at Maumee High School.
Maumee broke open what was a two-point game at halftime between the cross-river rivals and cruised to a
42-12 win in the final regular season game for both teams.
As a result, Perrysburg (7-3 overall, 4-3 Northern Lakes League) will not make the playoffs and finishes
two games back of first place in the NLL.
Maumee (9-1, 6-1) earns a share of the NLL title with Southview and advances to the Division II state
playoffs next weekend. PHOTO
GALLERY CLICK HERE
“They’ve got better athletes than we do. They’ve got better athletes than everybody in our league right
now,” Perrysburg coach Matt Kregel said. “That’s why they’re league champions. They’re just better than
we were.”
Perrysburg trailed 14-12 at halftime, hanging in against a Panther team that was faster and more skilled.

Senior Nick Schrader blocked a Maumee punt and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown to cut the Panthers’
lead to 7-6 on the first play of the second quarter, but the point-after try was blocked.
Freshman Steve Slocum scored Perrysburg’s other TD on a six-yard pass from his brother Matt Slocum with
3:23 left in the half to cut the lead to 14-12. Perrysburg failed on the ensuing two-point conversion
attempt.
“We put ourselves where we were supposed to be,” Kregel said.
To be so close was surprising, considering Perrysburg converted only three first downs and totalled 83
yards of total offense in the first half.
However, that would change quickly when the teams got back on the field for the second half.
Maumee’s first two plays from scrimmage in the third quarter were runs of 26 and 31 yards, respectively,
and the Panthers pushed their lead to 21-12 when running back Eric Long took an option toss 13 yards for
a score to cap an 86-yard drive.
Long finished with 148 yards rushing on 18 attempts. As a team Maumee had 231 yards rushing and 437 yards
of total offense.
“They’re hard to match up with. They’ve got the best tailback in the league … probably not
statistically, but athletically,” said Kregel of Long, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound junior.
Perrysburg was forced to punt on its next possession and Maumee’s Jake Schneider returned the kick 86
yards for a touchdown, making several nice cuts and shaking a Perrysburg defender 20 yards from the end
zone. That made the score 28-12 and Maumee’s scoring barrage was in full effect.
“That was a killer,” Kregel said of the punt return. “We’re not built to come from behind, especially
against a team with better athletes.”
Maumee added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, as quarterback Jake Goatley threw two of his four
touchdowns in the quarter to close out the scoring. Goatley finished 20-of-26 passing for 206 yards and
added 62 yards rushing.
The Panthers had four players finish with over 30 yards receiving, with Erik Studyvin and Damon Contat
combining for 11 catches and 123 yards and two touchdowns.
“They’ve got three receivers that can really play and the best quarterback in the area right now,” Kregel
said. “They made some adjustments and picked on some things in the second half and that was the
difference. They got up on us. If we had to play from behind there was no way we were going to dig
ourselves out and we knew it.”
The loss ends a pleasantly surprising season for Perrysburg, a team that was not expected to do much this
season.
“They got a lot further this season than anybody thought they were going to,” Kregel said. “It’s very
disappointing, but this team going 7-3 with what we started with, we’re very impressed with this group
of seniors and what they did with this team.
“It was a fun year.”
MAUMEE 42, PERRYSBURG 12
PERRYSBURG
12
—12
MAUMEE
7
7
14
14
—42
M — Gebhart, 15 pass from Goatley (Olman kick)
P — Schrader, 33 blocked punt return (kick blocked)
M — Long, 9 pass from Goatley (Olman kick)
P — S. Slocum, 6 pass from M. Slocum (pass failed)
M — Long, 13 run (Olman kick)
M — Schneider, 86 punt return (Olman kick)
M — Studyvin, 39 pass from Goatley (Olman kick)
M — Contat, 13 pass from Goatley (Olman kick)
TEAM STATISTICS
Category
P
M
First downs
10
19
by rushing
7
11
by passing
3
8
by penalty
Total net yards
201
437
Rushing
97
231
Passing
104
206
Attempts
22
27
Completions
9
20
Interceptions
1
Punts/average
6/36.3
3/31.7
Penalties/yards
6/36
8/60
Fumbles/lost
1/0
0/0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: (P) S. Slocum, 15-49; Carter, 5-37; M. Slocum, 9-11; Gordon, 1-0; (M) Long, 18-148; Goatley,
11-62; Hubbard, 3-21.
PASSING: (P) M. Slocum, 9-22-1—104; (M) Goatley, 20-26-0—206; Schneider, 0-1-0—0.
RECEIVING: (P) McKinley, 2-3; S. Slocum, 2-12; Noland, 4-86; Guy, 1-3; (M) Gebhart, 3-32; Hall, 3-36;
Contat, 6-56; Studyvin, 5-67; Schneider, 1-(minus-3); Long, 2-18.