Yeager steps up in Granville’s time of need
GRANVILLE — With star receiver Dante Varrasso out of the game with injury and the Licking Heights football team’s defense having intercepted his quarterback twice, Granville coach Wes Schroeder had the option of playing it close to the vest and leaning on an emerging running game.
Schroeder, however, zigged when others might have zagged last Friday. The Blue Aces kept the ball in the air, and junior quarterback Beckett Long threw a pair of TD passes in a pivotal second quarter during a 28-20 road victory.
Junior receiver Jack Yeager stepped into the spotlight. Just after Varrasso’s injury occurred, Yeager and sophomore Jakob Culver each caught two passes, keying a 14-play drive that ended when Long’s 1-yard sneak late in the first quarter.
“Dante’s a great player. We appreciate him. He makes tough plays, but we have a deep wide receiver room,” Yeager said. “We have a lot of guys who can make plays. Everyone on our team still had confidence and no doubts.”
With the game tied at 7 on Granville’s next drive, Yeager caught a pass while wide open in the middle of the field. He sprinted toward the end zone, reaching across the goal line as he was being tackled from both sides for a 42-yard TD.
“Beckett just threw a great ball. Props to him. It wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for him,” Yeager said. “I saw the end zone, and I just ran.”
It was a Yeager 12-yard catch on third-and-10 that then jump-started Granville’s third consecutive scoring drive. Culver followed with back-to-back catches before eventually grabbing an 11-yard TD pass from Long.
Yeager totaled 101 yards on his five receptions, and Culver added 83 yards on his nine. Yeager came into the game with just six catches and 37 yards in the Blue Aces' spread attack.
“Dante is obviously a really big piece to our puzzle, but we have other guys we trust,” Schroeder said. “We knew (they could step up).”
Long had his first hiccup of his first season at the helm, throwing his first four interceptions. He, however, persevered, throwing for 251 yards and adding 91 yards on the ground, including a 37-yard TD scramble to give the Blue Aces needed insurance.
“Every guy on this team has confidence and trust in each other,” Yeager said. “We are going to make mistakes. (Schroeder) talks all the time about forgetting the last play and moving on. It really was just putting that into action.”
Granville (6-0) hosts Linden-McKinley (0-6) on Friday before returning to Licking County League-Buckeye Division play for the stretch run. The Blue Aces are jockeying for position in what is a top-heavy Division III, Region 11, and Schroeder said he wants his team to be more efficient in their play.
"We are a very young team, and we keep making inexperienced mistakes," Schroeder said. "We have to get rid of them if we are going to make a run here. We keep making the same mistakes, and it's very disappointing. When we get stuff fixed, we will get better, and we are not quite there."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Jack Yeager steps up in Granville Blue Aces football’s time of need
