Valle Catholic rebounds with fury against Potosi

By MATT KING

mking@dailyjournalonline.com

POTOSI – Any glaring mistakes that plagued the Valle Catholic football team during its previous outing seem to have been repaired within a week.

The Warriors efficiently scored on nine consecutive possessions, and created four first-half turnovers against an upward trending Potosi program on Friday night.

Colin Henderson tallied four touchdowns – three receiving and one rushing – and Valle Catholic took advantage of favorable field position throughout a 61-7 blowout victory.

Wyatt Fallert completed 10-of-14 passes for 206 yards and four scores, and linebacker Braden Smith registered two sacks for a starting defense that kept the Trojans away from the red zone.

Valle Catholic (2-1, 1-0) had been operating with two quarterbacks sharing time, but an injury to all-state linebacker and running back Josh Fallert dictated a change in strategy.

Conner Clanton was alongside Fallert in the backfield this time, and picked up 66 rushing yards on eight carries. He also threw a touchdown to Henderson on a halfback toss.

Trevor Roth and Smith each made stops behind the line of scrimmage during the opening series, and Valle began its first possession at the Potosi 16 after a big punt return by A.J. Basler.

Fallert rolled to his right and fired a pass that was tipped by a defender and caromed directly toward Tyler Gegg for a 12-yard touchdown moments later.

The Trojans endured more misfortune on a fumbled handoff between quarterback David Miller and standout tailback Noah Walton that lineman Tristan Fischbeck recovered.

Evan Fallert promptly capitalized for the Warriors with a 4-yard touchdown as the offensive line and receivers sealed an open corridor to the left side.

Potosi (2-1, 0-1) hoped to challenge last year’s Class 2 state runner-up after beginning this season in promising fashion with dominant wins over St. Clair and Salem.

But a couple of solid bursts by Walton for 22 and 27 yards, and a 33-yard scramble by Miller were squandered, as the visitors converted four takeaways into 27 points.

Kellen Tucker stopped the third Potosi drive with an interception, then caught a 28-yard pass over the middle to set up a 9-yard scoring sweep by Henderson for a 21-0 lead.

Fallert was flushed to the right sideline before zipping an 8-yard TD to Henderson in the back of the end zone, and Wil Kuehn used his speed to take a short screen 38-yards for another score.

Miller was 2-of-7 passing while facing his first sustained adversity as the freshman starter. He was picked off in a crowd by all-state lineman Zach Naeger in the second quarter.

Valle Catholic took over at the Potosi 8, and Henderson broke open for his second scoring catch on the next snap. His next touchdown, good for 21 yards, propelled the Warriors to a 48-0 halftime cushion.

Walton netted 79 yards on 11 carries for the Trojans, but did not return after tweaking an ankle prior to intermission. Thomas Lambing made two short receptions.

Ean Eaton registered a sack among two tackles for loss to lead the Potosi defense, which welcomed back sophomore linebacker Carter Pyatt after he was sidelined last week.

The Warriors continued to roll after removing their starters. Kaden Williams pocketed two touchdowns on carries spanning 12 and 41 yards in the second half.

Gegg compiled 81 yards and Henderson totaled 48 on four receptions each. Carter Viox had a fumble recovery for Valle in the MAFC White Division opener.

Potosi averted a shutout when freshman Tyson Fowler netted a 2-yard touchdown run with 2:27 to play. Blayne Maxwell returned a kickoff 41 yards just before the break.