By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Dayton quarterback Chad Nickell did a good job running his team’s veer offense during a 14-0 win over Brossart on Friday, but he knew defense was the deciding factor in the Class 1A playoff game.
“We came out strong and we all worked together and we stopped them every time,” said Nickell, who is also a starting linebacker for the Greendevils. “We set the tone with our defense, for sure.”
It was the first shutout of the season for Dayton’s defensive unit. They did it by stopping Brossart on fourth-down plays five times and forcing the home team to punt from its own end zone twice.
The final statistics reflected the impact that had on the game. Dayton had a 16-minute advantage in time of possession and finished with 214 total yards compared to 137 for Brossart.
“It takes both sides of the ball to win a football game,” said Dayton coach Jesse Herbst. “To win championships at playoff time, you need defense. And our defense came out to play.”
Brossart opened the game with its longest offensive possession and ended up turning the ball over on downs at the 5-yard line.
The next time the Mustangs got the ball they had to punt from their own end zone and Dayton took over near midfield.
After moving the ball to the 29-yard line on seven running plays out of the veer, a delay of game penalty pushed it back to the 34. On a third-down play, senior Mason Johnson kept the drive alive by catching a 22-yard pass from Nickell at the 12.
Three plays later, Nickell faked a handoff up the middle and raced around the right end on a 4-yard touchdown run with 1:30 left in the second quarter.
“Chad is a warrior,” said coach Herbst. “He does it all for us. He’s our quarterback, he’s our linebacker, he’s our punter and our kicker. He’s our leader. Good thing is, he’s a junior so I get him back next year.”
Brossart turned the ball over on downs at its own 29-yard line with just 49 seconds remaining in the half, but that proved to be enough time for the Greendevils to extend their lead.
Three runs by Nickell put the ball at the 7-yard line and Johnson scored from there on a pitch-out sweep to the right side.
On the two-point conversion attempt, Johnson took the snap from center and threw a pass to Nickell in the end zone to put their team on top, 14-0, at the halftime break.
Brossart’s offense continued to struggle in the second half. The Mustangs punted from their own end zone once again and then turned the ball over on downs three times at the Dayton 23, 15 and 18 yard lines.
“Our defense had big plays when it mattered and we stopped them,” Nickell said of the shutout that ended a seven-game losing streak against Brossart. “We stepped up big time and we’re going celebrate.”
Dayton’s leading rusher was senior fullback Dangelo Jimenez with 92 yards on 17 carries. Johnson picked up 47 yards rushing and 22 receiving. Nickell ran the ball 19 times for 39 yards. Brossart junior quarterback Keegan Gulley completed 10 of 23 passes for 93 yards and rushed for 22 yards to account for most of the Mustangs’ offense.
Dayton (5-6) will play Newport Central Catholic (7-4) in the second round of the Class 1A playoffs next week. NewCath has a 23-4 record in the series, including a 49-8 win in a district seeding game last month.
“They’re a bear,” Herbst said. “Confidence and attitude make all the difference. When we played them last time our confidence was low. Now we’re up here, so let’s see what happens.”
BROSSART 0 0 0 0 — 0
DAYTON 0 14 0 0 — 14
D — Nickell 4 run (run failed)
D — Johnson 7 run (Nickell pass from Johnson)
RECORDS: Dayton 5-6, Brossart 5-6.
High school football playoffs scoreboard
FRIDAY
Dayton 14, Brossart 0
Ludlow 46, Bellevue 14
Beechwood 49, Danville 0
Lloyd 55, Fleming County 7
Covington Catholic 49, Greenup County 12
Highlands 43, South Oldham 0
Scott County 63, Conner 13
Cooper 42, Collins 8
Dixie Heights 60, Woodford County 14
Ryle 59, Louisville Southern 0
Bullitt East 20, Campbell County 17
Fern Creek 36, Simon Kenton 32
SATURDAY
Holy Cross (5-5) vs. Newport (7-3) at Highlands, 1 p.m.