Dehoet does it all in Jefferson-Morgan win
By Joe Tuscano
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
JEFFERSON – If you were using baseball terms, then Deakyn Dehoet hit for the cycle.
The senior-do-everything player for Jefferson-Morgan returned a kickoff for a touchdown, caught a touchdown pass, caught and threw a two-point conversion pass, ran for touchdowns of 50 and 65 yards and scored five times.
That type of effort is hard to stop, as Waynesburg found out Friday night at Parker Field.
Dehoet was a one-man wrecking in the Rockets second straight victory, this one 57-30 in this non-conference game.
“This was definitely the best all-around games I had,” Dehoet said. “I just showed up and made sure everybody was ready to play. On the kickoff returns, I was just patient and waited for the opening.”
Dehoet’s performance, 163 yards on 9 carries, put a smile on head coach Shane Ziats.
“He’s a game-changer. We just give him the ball and he does his thing,” Ziats said. “He’s improved each year, just gotten better. From last year to this year, he’s gotten better.”
John Woodward ran for two touchdowns, one a 58-yard kickoff return himself. He finished with 97 yards on seven carries.
“Our game plan against him was to tackle him,” said Waynesburg head coach Joe Kuhns after his team fell to 1-1. “He’s a special player. They did a good job sealing us off. Once he’s in space, well that’s it”
The first half was an up-and-down circus with eight scores and 45 points. Jefferson-Morgan held a 28-17 lead, tanks to two long returns. The first was by Dehoet, who returned a Waynesburg kickoff 85 yards for a matching score.
John Woodward had a 58-yard kickoff return for a touchdown right before the end of the first half that gave Jefferson-Morgan an 11-point lead at halftime.
Well, almost.
Jefferson-Morgan appeared to have the clock on its side. But there was a four-second difference between the time on the field and the time left on the scoreboard. Jefferson-Morgan head coach Shane Ziats argued with the official and was rebuffed. Waynesburg quarterback Teagan Crouse came within inches of completing a touchdown pass.
Woodward would open the scoring, capping a seven-minute drive with a three-yard touchdown.
Crouse matched the score with a one-yard run of his own to tie the score 7-7. Following Dehoet’s TD return, Nate Ricciuti connected on a 25-yard field goal.
Then Dehoet and quarterback Triton Farabee connected for a 31-yard touchdown pass.