Toombs scores four touchdowns as Fredericktown overcomes early deficit to defeat Danville

Fredericktown football coach Scott Spitler has preached to his team all season how to overcome adversity. You do it by getting back in there and fighting for another play.

The Freddies have faced adversity all season, losing several key starters to injuries, but had been able to overcome that and win all but one its games. They faced more adversity Friday night when Danville scored on the first play of the game. But, once again, they were able to get back up off the floor and handed the Blue Devils a 33-18 defeat in a Knox Morrow Athletic Conference game at Fredericktown.

“We talked all week about there’s adversity throughout the entire game, and we’ve got to be able to play the next play and play for the guy next to you and trust. You can’t go back and change it once it’s happened, but you can prevent it from happening again by playing the next play instead of putting your head down and sulking. We did a good job of that tonight,” Spitler said.

Danville (4-5 overall, 2-4 KMAC) smacked the Freddies square in the mouth on the first play when freshman quarterback Parker Proper ran practically untouched for a 65-yard touchdown.

Fredericktown (8-1, 5-1) responded with a grueling drive, capped off by a 5-yard touchdown run by Gavin Toombs, the team’s tight end who was filling in at running back after the Freddies lost two starters to injuries.

Toombs scored again early in the second quarter, but things began to slow down for both teams after that. That is, until lightning struck quickly for the Freddies.

FHS quarterback Blake Sipes hit Cirk Parker for an 86-yard touchdown pass with about two minutes to go in the half. Then, after holding Danville to a three-and-out, the Freddies got another touchdown with just 13 seconds left in the half to go up 27-6.

“It’s what we talked about after the game. Our issue all year has been the avalanche effect where if one thing goes bad, it kind of goes down a downhill slope from there,” said Danville coach Matt Blum. “I don’t remember the exact time, but late in that second quarter, it was 14-6. Then we let up a long pass play, we punt the ball and give up another touchdown. It’s just not winning football.”

That wasn’t the knockout blow the Freddies were hoping for, though, as Danville was able to score on a 50-yard pass from Proper to Cyren Wallace on an untimed down after a Fredericktown penalty. That TD sent the teams into the locker room with Fredericktown leading 27-12.

Neither team had much going offensively until Danville scored early in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by Nolan Ridgway. The Freddies, though, responded with a clock-eating drive, capped off by Toombs’ fourth touchdown run of the night.

“We told them at halftime there’s going to be adversity in the second half, but we were able to rise up and the play the next play,” Spitler said. “You don’t move a mountain all at once. You’ve got to move one pebble at a time, one stone at a time. That’s been our message this week – a man doesn’t move a mountain but one pebble at a time. We knew we had the potential to do it. We’ve just got to quit shooting ourselves in the foot, which we did there early. But we stayed calm and the kids kept playing the next play.”

“We’ve got to be better, in all aspects. They were better up front tonight, on both sides of the ball. They established their ground game,” Blum said. “I thought we made some plays in the second half. They got the ball with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter and they had it for almost the rest of the game. That’s just tough. Credit to him (Spitler) and what he’s been able to do over here in the last calendar year.”

Toombs finished the night with 58 yards rushing and four touchdowns for the Freddies. Quarterback Blake Sipes threw just three passes, completing two, but they went for 103 yards. He also rushed for 125 yards on 12 attempts.

Proper connected on 11 of 14 passes for 110 yards to lead the Blue Devils. He also rushed for 82 yards, including the 65-yard TD on the first play of the game. Wallace caught four of those passes for 56 yards. His brother, Briggs, also caught four passes for 35 yards.

Jacob Byers led the Danville defense with 11 solo tackles. Owen Gronberg added eight, while Cyren Wallace had seven.