NR Lions football
Building champions for a lifetime
| Branson, Mazzaro choose colleges
Two stars from New Richmond's 2009 playoff squad have picked their colleges according to head coach Dan Scholz. Brian Mazzero, a first team all-SBAAC selection as a wide receiver/defensive back for the 9-2 Lions football team, has decided to play football at Capital University. Mazzaro also was a second team all-city selection by the Southwest Ohio Football Coaches Association. "I couldn't be more proud to have Brian Mazzaro represent our football program at Capital University," said Scholz. "Brian has worked very hard to become a good player, and I have all the confidence that he will go to Capital and work to become a successful student as well as a successful football player. Brian is an overachiever, and I am very happy for him." Mazzaro recorded 11 receptions for 206 yards and six touchdowns for the Lions in 2009. He also carried the ball nine times for 106 yards. On defense, Mazzaro recorded four interceptions with nine unassisted tackles. Brandon Branson has chosen to go to Eastern Kentucky University to play football. Despite suffering rib and knee injuries that limited him to eight games during the 2009 season, Branson still finished fourth on the team in total tackles with 34 unassisted tackles and 29 assists. "Brandon Branson going to Eastern Kentucky is exciting for him. He has played great here at NR, and we are going to miss his production on the field," said Scholz. "The challenge of playing with the caliber of players at EKU is going to push Brandon to become the best he can be." Brian Gelter named first-team all-city New Richmond senior Brian Gelter led a list of six members of the 2009 Lions football team to be honored as Division III-IV all-city players by the Southwest Ohio Football Coaches Association.
 Gelter, a 6-1, 241-pound senior, was selected as a first-team offensive lineman. Named to the second-team on offense were senior wide receiver Brian Mazzaro and junior offensive lineman Isaac Stroud.The Lions placed three players on the all-city second team on defense led by junior linebacker Austin Warden. He was joined by sophomore linebacker Danny Scholz and sophomore defensive back Jake Gundler. Gelter along with Mazzaro, senior Andrew Nealan and juniors Garrett Myers and Warden also received first team all-Southern Buckeye Conference honors this season while seniors Andy Case, Mike Maupin and Joe Smith and Danny Scholz were second-team all-SBAAC selections. Nine Lions make SBAAC all-star team Nine members of 2009 New Richmond football team have been named to the first and second team all Southern Buckeye Conference all-star team released today by league commissioner Bud Phillips. Named to the first team were seniors Brian Mazzaro, Brian Gelter and Andrew Nealan and juniors Garrett Myers and Austin Warden. Named to the second team were seniors Andy Case, Mike Maupin and Joey Smith and sophomore Danny Scholz. They will be honored at the SBAAC All-Star banquet Nov. 9 at Hammersville School. Dramatic win puts Lions into Div. III playoffs Everything they had worked for since conditioning started 28 days after the end of the 2008 season seemed to be slipping away fast after Greenville stopped the Lions on fourth down at the Greenville 5-yard line and promptly marched 95 yards for a TD to go with 13-6 with 2:47 left in the game. But Lions coach Dan Scholz was having none of that.
“They scored and we never wavered. We had about two minutes and 30 seconds left and I told Mike Maupin ‘We are going to score and I’m going to run the fake extra point and you are going to win the game.’ And old Mikey did it just like we practiced and got it into the end zone.” Actually it was 2:47 left when the Lions put the ball in play from their 20-yard line. Led by junior quarterback Garrett Myers and senior fullback Andrew Nealan, the Lions ran offensive coordinator Chuck Warden’s 2-minute, spread option drill to perfection, marching the 80 yards in the next 2:07 for a touchdown to draw to within 13-12 of the Green Wave. Nealan ran 5 times for 51 yards and Myers ran three times for 29 yards, the last 14 resulting in a touchdown. "The last drive of the game is something we practice pretty consistently. I think we caught their defense off guard a little because we're not a spread team.," noted Warden. "But we can execute a hand full of plays out of the spread . . . and under the conditions of the game -- the wet field, the wet ball, the pressure of the game -- our kids executed. "When you get into the 4th quarter in week 10 and you have to make plays, seniors have to lead and that's exactly what happened. Andrew Nealan on the last drive did a great job and the offensive line did a great job. You execute at the end and you give the ball to seniors who can make plays. "The last play was a great ready by Garrett who cut it back in when the defense over pursued and got it into the end zone." Scholz then sent in his kicking team with senior Mike Skaggs as the holder and Mike Maupin lined up as the kicker for what everyone thought would be a game-tying PAT. Skaggs, who started the year as the starting QB until an injury in the team’s first scrimmage, ran the option-left to perfection, keeping the ball until the defender committed to him and then pitching the ball to Maupin who went untouched into the end zone. “What a blessing Chuck Warden has been to me,” said Scholz. “I ask him about every decision that is made except for the extra point.” The win put the Lions into next Friday’s Region 12 playoffs as the fifth seed at fourth seed Logan Elm. It means another 2 ½ hour bus trip for the Lions, but no one will be complaining. It’s been three years of hard work under Scholz to get to the 11th week of the season. “Two things were on my mind this week,” said Scholz in his postgame interview. “I never won a week 10 as a coach here and I always felt like I did something wrong. Both years we should have won. We were able to do that this time. “The other thing for this team is I felt I never prepared this team for a close game. We either won by a blowout or we lost. In my opinion that’s a coaching thing not a player thing. They believed and they cared and it was a fun thing to finish strong like we wanted.” In Logan Elm (located south of Circleville) the Lions will be facing a playoff tested team that finished 12-1 last year after reaching the regional finals and 8-2 this season. The Braves, who were defeated by New Richmond 42-14 in their first ever playoff game in 2000, are led by senior Johnnie Brown, a 5-10, 181-pound double threat at quarterback. Brown has completed 76 of 131 passes for 1137 yards and 9 EDs and has ran the ball 167 times for 828 yards and 13 touchdowns. Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Total New Richmond 0 6 0 8 14 Greenville 0 7 0 6 13 Qtr Time Scoring Play V-H 2nd 10:39 NR - McCabe 41 yd pass from Myers (Ritter kick failed), 5-42 2:48 6 - 0 01:03 GR - Watkins 21 yd run (Navas kick), 7-55 3:01 6 - 7 4th 02:47 GR - Ramjattan 7 yd pass from Burk (Navas kick failed), 17-94 8:40 6 - 13 00:40 NR - Myers 14 yd run (Maupin rush), 8-80 2:07 14 – 13 RUSHING: New Richmond-Nealan 15-91; Myers 18-53; Maupin 9-27; Warden 2-2. Greenville-Zimmerman 16-51; Burk 11-50; Watkins 10-47; Ramjattan 4-18; Sxhricker 2-1. PASSING: New Richmond-Myers 3-4-0-54. Greenville-Burk 5-8-1-36. RECEIVING: New Richmond-McCabe 2-43; Hamilton 1-11. Greenville-Belew 2-15; Watkins 1-9; Ramjattan 1-7; Guillozet 1-5. INTERCEPTIONS: New Richmond-Hamilton 1-0. Greenville-None. FUMBLES: New Richmond-Myers 1-0. Greenville-Burk 2-1; Zimmerman 1-0. SACKS (UA-A): New Richmond-None. Greenville-None. TACKLES (UA-A): New Richmond-Case 7-5; Gundler 7-0; Mahaffey 5-3; D.Scholz 4-4; Branson 4-3; Deller 3-5; Maupin 5-0; Warden 3-4; Mazzaro 2-0; M.Skaggs 2-0; Hamilton 2-0; Chesney 1-0.Greenville-Shields 8-2; Sxhricker 4-5; Adkins 5-1; Bricker 5-0; Belew 3-4; Barger 3-1; Guillozet 3-0; Holzapfel 3-0; Trent 2-1; Flynn 2-0; LeGrand 2-0; Goehrich 1-2; Houdeshell 1-0; 26 1-0; Keaser 1-0; Kolling 0-1.
Listen to the game broadcast with Chris Sheldon and Bill Gantzer
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