LEO-CEDARVILLE – Connor Kacsor had no grass stains on his uniform, no dirt on his helmet, not even a bead of sweat on his brow.
On a Friday night the Leo senior racked up 284 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries, and reeled in a screen pass for a 35-yard touchdown, he showed none of the wear and tear you would expect after the game.
“It’s because of the linemen,” Kacsor said after the Lions defeated Adams Central 43-15. “It’s about the linemen, linemen, linemen, I give the credit all to them. I make some good plays, but they make me look good.”
Three plays into the game, Kacsor’s touchdown reception got things going for the Lions (2-1). On the ensuing Leo drive, Kacsor fumbled his first carry, thanks to a jarring hit from Adams Central junior Colby Cauble. That set up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Flying Jets sophomore Dalton Combs to senior Nathan Busse.
The fumble, the audacity of Adams Central (2-1) going for the two-point conversion and the 8-7 deficit lit a fire in Kacsor and the Lions.
“When they scored, I think our team actually got angry,” Kacsor said. “We wanted to come back on the field and show it to them.”
An 82-yard touchdown run down the left sideline from Kacsor did the trick.
Leo junior quarterback Ryan Leiter completed 5 of 9 passes for 95 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception. Senior Kyle Marzec had touchdown catches of 11 and 35 yards, a two-point conversion run and 66 rushing yards.
The defense got interceptions from senior Adam Sauder and junior Taylor Horn, limiting Combs to 9-of-20 passing for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Flying Jets junior tailback Spencer Sharp had 133 yards on 31 carries.
“Our defense did a pretty good job tonight controlling the line of scrimmage,” Lions coach Jared Sauder said. “I give a lot of credit to Adams Central. They did a nice job, at times, and made it difficult on us, but our defense stepped up.”
