Big plays help Chiefs crush Climbers
URBANA— Showing off its abundance of offensive weapons, Bellefontaine overwhelmed the Urbana defense with big plays in a 50-19 rout of the Hillclimbers here Friday night.
The Chiefs rolled up 528 yards of offense and five of their touchdowns came on plays of 34 yards or more.
“Coach Brown always preaches that we have to make teams defend every blade of grass,” said Bellefontaine quarterback Tavien St. Clair, who threw for 345 yards and four touchdowns while also running for a TD. “We call our group the game changers and playmakers. I am really proud of the guys for making plays for me.”
Bellefontaine improves to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in the Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail division. The Hillclimbers fall to 6-2, 1-2.
Chieftain head coach Jason Brown pointed to the play of his offensive line, which had to be overhauled this fall after being decimated by graduation, as a big part of Bellefontaine’s offensive success.
“I have to give a lot of credit to both of our lines,” said Brown. “On the offensive side, that group has made great strides. Look at (Tavien’s jersey). It’s the cleanest jersey on the team. That’s a testament to our players and coaches and all of the hard work they have put in.”
In addition to the damage Bellefontaine did to Urbana through the air, the Chiefs ran the ball for 183 yards. Junior Carter Caudill rushed for 179 yards on 17 carries including an 87-yard TD.
Raiders rally for comeback win
Benjamin Logan pulled off a come-from-behind 30-26 victory over North Union on Friday, overcoming a 14-point first-quarter deficit in a Central Buckeye Conference Mad River division game.
After falling behind 14-0 early, the Raiders battled back, scoring the final 10 points of the game and holding North Union scoreless in the second half to secure their first win in more than a full season.
The Raiders move to 1-7 overall and 1-2 in the Mad River. North Union falls to 1-2 and 2-6 overall.
North Union opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run by Tyler Krebehenne, followed by his own extra point, giving the Wildcats an early 7-0 lead. Shortly after, Nolan Draper added a 1-yard touchdown run, and with Krebehenne’s extra point, North Union seemed to be in control at 14-0.
However, Benjamin Logan’s special teams delivered a much-needed spark. On the ensuing kickoff, Carter Buck returned it 82 yards for a touchdown, narrowing the gap to 14-7 after Brandon Heater’s successful PAT.
In the second quarter, Krebehenne scored again, this time on a 2-yard touchdown run to extend North Union’s lead to 20-7.
But Benjamin Logan fought back as Alex Hassel powered in a 12-yard touchdown run, trimming the score to 20-13. North Union responded with a 10-yard touchdown run by Nick VanHoose, making it 26-13.
Big plays lift Tigers in win over Mechanicsburg
West Liberty-Salem used two defensive touchdowns to get going, then had a couple of huge offensive plays as they defeated Mechanicsburg 42-13 in Ohio Heritage Conference football action Friday at Mechanicsburg.
Hunter Knotts had the first scoop-and-score late in the first quarter for the Tigers. After a long run by Josiah Stidham made it 14-0, a fumble return by defensive lineman Mark Bair was the second one for the defense.
Mechanicsburg got a fumble return of its own by C.C. Schultz to make it 21-7 at the break. But three scores by the Tigers in the third quarter blew things open for the visitors.
West Liberty-Salem improves to 3-0 in the North Division and 7-1 overall with its fifth straight win. The Indians fall to 1-2 in divisional play and 5-3 overall.
“Our kids ran the ball well and they created some of those turnovers. It’s a rare thing to get a defensive score. It’s a really rare thing to get two in one game. It’s a testament to these guys’ film study, their hustle, their effort. I just couldn’t be more proud of those guys,” said WL-S head coach Dan McGill.
Defense lifts Lakers in win at Shawnee
Touchdowns on both sides of the ball in the second half Friday jumpstarted Indian Lake to a 14-0 victory over Springfield Shawnee Central Buckeye Conference Mad River division game.
Quest Clay scored twice for the Lakers (6-2, 3-0) in the third quarter, recording a defensive and offensive touchdown.
Clay intercepted a pass for the Lakers and returned it 89 yards to short-circuit a Shawnee (1-7, 0-3) possession at the 8:25 mark of the third quarter. The pick-six was the first touchdown in a game that was deadlocked in a scoreless tie after two quarters.
Clay’s second TD of the game came with 1:51 to go in the third quarter on a one-yard touchdown pass from Madden Lillard to Clay.
Those two touchdowns were more than enough for an Indian Lake defense that combined to allow just 173 total yards and forced four turnovers. The Lakers defense recorded a sack and held the Braves to 3-12 on third downs for the game.
Pirates upended 35-0 by Miami East
Riverside could not get anything going offensively Friday in a 35-0 loss on the road at Miami East in a Three Rivers Conference game.
The Pirates (3-5, 2-3) fell behind late in the first quarter and could not recover as a pair of touchdown passes from Miami East on consecutive possessions left Riverside trailing by double digits at halftime.
Despite falling behind by a touchdown, Riverside carried play for much of the first quarter.
Playing for a second consecutive week without starting quarterback Gavin Orsborne due to injury, Riverside was able to approach scoring territory in the first quarter, but could not punch it in.
The Pirates recovered a surprise onside kick to begin the game with possession of the ball, but that opening drive stalled out and resulted in a turnover on downs.