Watkins Memorial passing attack stretches field in all directions
PATASKALA — Instructions were pretty simple for sophomore Drew Samsal as a first-year starting quarterback: Get the ball to junior John Apel and classmate Jaeden Ricketts.
That trio has turned the passing game into an explosive element for the Watkins Memorial football team. They combined for four TDs in last Friday’s 34-0 victory at Zanesville.
“That’s what our offensive coordinators preach: Get it to our guys in open grass,” Samsal said.
The offense has not missed a beat with Samsal at the helm as Watkins (7-2, 2-1) plays for a piece of its second consecutive Licking County League-Buckeye Division championship when Granville (9-0, 3-0) visits Friday. The Warriors also can earn at least one home game in the upcoming Division II playoffs.
“The important thing is making sure we are taking care of our quarterback and he has time to see what’s developing in front of him,” Watkins coach Darren Waters said. “That’s an area where we showed some improvement.”
Samsal was nearly perfect in 18 attempts against Zanesville missing three times, including just his third interception of the season. He racked up 305 yards as the Warriors went to air with junior running back Gerald Banks resting a minor injury.
The Watkins offense features a lot of quick throws into the flat to give speedsters Ricketts and Apel room to operate. The Warriors, however, also have begun to connect on the deep pass down the stretch.
Three of Ricketts’ four catches against the Blue Devils went for scores. His scores covered 30, 95 and 7 yards.
“(Chemistry) has worked out really well,” Ricketts said. “We knew we were going to come into the year really strong. We just kept practicing, practicing, practicing. It’s about the timing. … We don’t really communicate (on the field). It’s just there. If he sees he has a chance, he’s going to throw it, and I’m going to catch it.”
Samsal, who also has shown a knack for extending the plays outside of the pocket, is hitting an efficient 67% of his passes, reaching the 1,600-yard mark in Week 9, and his 17 passing scores rank him second in the LCL. Ricketts and Apel, who added a 63-yard TD reception against Zanesville, have combined for more than 1,000 yards, splitting their production almost evenly and have caught 11 of scoring passes.
“This year I haven’t done it as much because it’s my first year on varsity, and the goal is to stay healthy. When I was younger, I always used to scramble (for yards),” Samsal said. “We practiced all offseason, making all of the weird throws from all arm angles.”
Watkins’ balanced attack is keeping opponents on their toes. The running game took a back seat last Friday, but it began to take off through the middle of the season.
Because of the luxury of having so many one-way players, Banks spends much of the Warriors’ defensive series watching film with the offensive line. Seniors Ricky Williams, Ryan Sammons and Colton Rhoades and sophomores Keegan Murray and Wojo Moore all have rotated in around standout juniors Chris Flowers at center and Jimmy Bogle at either right or left tackle.
“Myself, Drew and Jaeden, we have been working all season,” Banks said. “We are the three-headed dragon where we can kill anywhere on the field.”
The defense also continued to dominate at Zanesville, recording its fourth shutout of the season. The linebacking corps of seniors Sean Sheehan, John Banks Jr. and Victor Oliver and sophomore Rocco Paschal combined for 10 tackles for loss, and senior Ayden Louks added four solo tackles and five assists out of the secondary.
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Watkins Memorial passing attack stretches field in all directions
