SOLON — It was all Spartans from the get-go. The first possession set the tone for the rest of the game. Karsyn Regennitter set the offense up it great field position with a 38-yard return on the season opening kick. Then running back, Eddie Johnson, powered through Assumption defenders on his way to a 39-yard touchdown. It would be the first of two touchdowns for Johnson in the 33-7 rout of the Assumption Knights to open the season this past Friday.
The running game propelled the Spartan offense in the first quarter, giving Tyler Bell and the receivers time to chase the first game jitters. After struggling to pass the ball in the first quarter, Bell was able to sling it around in the second, helping extend the lead to 30-0 by halftime. Bell said, “They got rid of [the nervousness] quick. They just came out ready to play. We’ve got some dudes out there in the skill positions.”
Sophomore Maddux Kelley was the safety blanket for Bell, leading the team with five receptions. On those receptions, Kelley gained 38 yards and scored a touchdown at the end of the first quarter to give the Spartans a 14-0 lead.
Bell shared the wealth with his skill players. Eight players had a reception with four receivers achieving a multi-reception game. Senior wide receiver Regennitter lead the team with 67 receiving yards, including a 42-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.
Johnson ran all over the Knights with 120 yards rushing and two touchdowns. But he also got the job done on defense. Johnson came up with a big sack to force a third and long. It was the only sack of the game for the Spartans, but the front seven still limited the run-heavy Assumption offense to only one touchdown.
The Spartan defense took advantage of the Knights’ three false starts and two fumbled snaps in the first quarter to get the Spartan offense on the field as much as possible. The defense stood tall and showed they could replace the five All-State players they lost last year. Solon Head Coach Lucas Stanton said, “We knew they wanted to run the ball and that was one of our question marks for how we would replace our guy’s last year. I liked how we pursued the ball tonight.”
Colby Myers led the team with two tackles for loss. The junior, partnered with Cole Carney and Oliver Owens anchored the defense that came into the season with a lack of game experience.
The Spartans’ special teams made some waves in the home opener. They blocked a punt in the second quarter which lead to a 30-yard field goal for Spartan kicker Ryan Locke. The junior kicker went two for two on field goals and three for four on PATs.
Next up for the Spartans is an away game at Clear Creek-Amana in Tiffin Friday, September 6 at 7:30 p.m.