St. John's meets Sidney Lehman for trip to state

DELPHOS - Last week Delphos St. John's defense went head-to-head with the high-octane Ada passing game.

This week the Blue Jays' defense will have a completely different challenge.

Sidney Lehman Catholic will try to impose its will on the Blue Jays by running the ball.

Delphos St. John's (11-2) will meet Sidney Lehman (11-1) in the Division VI football state semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Wapakoneta's Harmon Field.

"Our goal is to shorten the game by ball control and solid defense," Sidney Lehman coach Richard Roll said.

And that pretty much sums up the Blue Jays' top goals, as well.

Sidney Lehman battled through some tough years in the early part of the decade.

Enter Roll, who is now in his third season at the Cavaliers' helm.

"We had three wins in three years (before I came), but part of that was the schedule," Roll said. "We went 6-5 my first year and played a lot of sophomores that first year. We started eight sophomores that year and those guys have been with us for three years. ... We had high expectations this year."

Lehman is coming off a 28-13 regional championship victory over Mechanicsburg. Lehman ran for 240 yards and threw for 135.

Sophomore Kaleb Goins ran for 98 yards on 28 carries in the regional title game. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Goins has run for 1,359 yards.

"He has power, as well as some speed," Roll said.

There's also Max Cartwright, a 6-foot, 175-pound senior, who ran for 117 yards and had 78 receiving against Mechanicsburg. Cartwright has rushed for 1,200 yards this year.

Also in the backfield is 5-9, 165-pound Zac Schmitz, who had 57 yards rushing in the regional title game. Schmitz, who runs out of the slot, has close to 500 yards on the ground.

"The biggest problem they present to us is that we've seen over 40 different formations, with motion," St. John's coach Todd Schulte said. "They are primarily a run team, but they give you so many different looks.

"The fullhouse-T is what we've seen the most, but from there, they stem off of that and give you different looks."

Sidney Lehman quarterback Cameron Barton has thrown for 800 yards this year. Against Mechanicsburg, he completed 5-of-7 for 130 yards.

"It definitely is a challenge with all the formations, but we feel more comfortable as a defense going against a primary run team," Schulte said. "I thought we fared really well against Ada, but our forte is to stop the run."

Sidney Lehman has played a few area schools this year. It posted wins over Columbus Grove (28-13) and Allen East (24-7) and lost to Anna (28-21).

The Blue Jays' offense is keyed by junior quarterback Wes Ulm, who has run for 788 yards and eight TDs. In the air, he's thrown for 1,033 yards with 14 TDs.

"Their quarterback makes things happen," Roll said.

Sophomore running back Jordan Leininger has run for 1,076 yards and 10 TDs. The top receivers are Jordan Leininger (14 catches, 191 yards, 3 TDs), Adam Warnecke (13 catches, 133 yards) and Jay Leininger (10 catches, 203 yards, 2 TDs).

The Blue Jays' offensive line features four sophomores, along with senior two-way tackle Tyler Hayson.

"Especially our offensive line, where there are four sophomores starting, there has been a lot of improvement shown up front," Schulte said. "Overall, as a team, we've gained confidence."

On defense, Blue Jays sophomore linebacker Chris Pohlman has 140 tackles, while junior Chris Pohlman has 111 tackles. Defensive back A.J. Klausing has 81 tackles and five interceptions.

Tyler Bergfeld also has five interceptions. Defensive end Hayson has 68 tackles and six sacks.