By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
FRANKFORT – There is a three-pronged explanation for host Frankfort’s 30-0 victory over Peru in second-round Class 3A Sectional 20 play Oct. 30.
First, the Hot Dogs are simply a better team. Second, the monsoon conditions eliminated Peru’s ability to pass and forced the Tigers to rely on a running game that did not feature much deception. Finally, every decision Frankfort coach Tom Potts made turned to pure gold.
The game was played in rain and a gale-force wind. Peru was moving into the wind in the first quarter, and Potts used his final two first-half timeouts in the last minute of the quarter to force the Tigers to punt into the wind from near midfield.
The result was a poor punt, a short field for the Hot Dogs (7-4), and a solid drive for a touchdown. At the start of the second half, Potts deferred his right to receive and kicked off for the second time. The result was Peru (2-9) being pinned deep in its own territory and an ensuing safety.
Those are just a couple of examples of how Potts masterfully manipulated field position throughout the game.
Unable to move on its first possession of the night, Peru punted to give Frankfort possession at the Tiger 45. Peru would survive that threat, stopping the Hot Dogs on downs. Tempting fate, they gave the ball to Frankfort at its own 45 the second time.
This time they paid the price as the Hot Dogs drove for the game’s first touchdown. It came on a one-yard plunge by senior Kolin Dunn. The drive was aided by a 15-yard scamper from senior quarterback Blake Ayres on a fourth-down play.
Ayres would become a consistent thorn in the side for Peru on this night.
Frankfort’s next scoring drive came after the timeout strategy. It went 44 yards in 10 plays and culminated on a one-yard sneak by Ayres, ending the first-half scoring.
It was a half dominated statistically by the Hot Dogs. At intermission, Peru had just 27 yards of total offense. Contrastingly, Frankfort had 172 yards – all on the ground. Ayres had 67 of those on seven carries.
Following Potts’ decision to kick off to start the third quarter, Peru began at its own 24. Three plays later, the Tigers were dumped in their own end zone for a safety. The Tigers had moved backward nearly as far in three plays as they had moved forward in the entire first half.
Unfortunately for the visitors, that offensive frustration lasted the remainder of the evening. Frankfort scored two more times in the second half, each on big plays. The first was a 52-yard gallop by Ayres, the second a 54-yard burst from running back Korben Shirar.
It was a convincing performance by the Hot Dogs. Two things should be mentioned, however. The weather clearly affected Peru more than Frankfort. Secondly, Peru senior Joe Bockover played a stellar game on defense. He was in on nearly every Tiger tackle and was their only disruptive force most of the game.
Next up for Frankfort is a trip next weekend to undefeated second-ranked West Lafayette. The Red Devils (11-0) were a 21-6 Week 11 winner at Western.
Sectional 20
Peru 31, Mississinewa 0
Frankfort 32, Twin Lakes 7
Western 41, Maconaquah 0
#2 West Lafayette 28, Benton Central 8
Frankfort 30, Peru 0
#2 West Lafayette 21, Western 6
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