Chiefs punish Pioneers 49-7
St. Clair goes over 100 career passing touchdowns
With Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly in the house watching future Buckeye quarterback Tavien St. Clair, St. Clair and his Chieftains put on a clinic against Jonathan Alder on Friday.
St. Clair was 20-of-25 passing for 246 yards and three touchdowns, going over 100 career TD passes for his career, and Carter Caudill ran for four TDs as the Chiefs dismantled the Pioneers 49-7 on senior night.
Bellefontaine is now 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the Central Buckeye Conference. The Pioneers drop to 4-5, 1-3.
“I am really proud of our senior group,” said BHS head coach Jason Brown. “It really makes me happy to see them have a game like this on senior night. We are very grateful for what these guys have given the program the last four years.”
Bellefontaine scored on every offensive possession of the first half en route to a 35-7 halftime lead.
The Chiefs tacked on two more touchdowns in the second half and ended up outgaining the Pioneers 388-139 in total yards.
“Defensively, it just felt like we changed the line of scrimmage and were able to get them behind the sticks,” said Brown. “We also tackled well and came up with three turnovers.
“Offensively, we continue to find a great rhythm. We have a lot of guys making plays and our offensive line continues to jell. Those guys are doing a great job.”
Bellefontaine grabbed the momentum in the early going Friday.
The Pioneers received the opening kickoff, but went 3-and-out and had to punt deep in their own territory.
The Jonathan Alder punter bobbled the snap and then had his punt blocked by the Chiefs’ Jordan Hensley, who also came up with the recovery at the Pioneers’ 3-yard line.
Then, on Bellefontaine’s first offensive play of the game, St. Clair shoveled a pass to Braylon Newcomb, who took it into the end zone. Alex Crabill’s extra-point kick made it 7-0 at the 10:53 mark of the first period.
It was the 100th career touchdown pass for St. Clair. The game was stopped and St. Clair and his parents were presented the game ball at midfield.
Lakers clinch share of CBC Mad River with win over Warriors
Indian Lake built a three-touchdown lead early on Friday that the home-standing Northwestern Warriors cut to just one point in the third quarter, but a pair of late touchdowns were a knockout blow for the Lakers in a 41-19 runaway victory in a Central Buckeye Conference Mad River Division game.
With the victory, the Lakers clinch at least a share of the CBC Mad River Division title and can clinch the championship outright next week at home against North Union.
The Lakers (7-2, 4-0) on Friday surged out to a 20-0 lead after the first quarter, only to have Northwestern (5-4, 2-2) score 13 unanswered points of their own in the second quarter to draw to within 20-13 at halftime.
Indian Lake pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Warriors 21-6 over the final two quarters, including 21 unanswered to close out the game.
Madden Lillard threw for 323 yards and four touchdown passes to three different receivers to help lead the charge offensively Friday for Indian Lake. He was 14 of 18 overall, including nine completions to Quest Clay for 213 yards.
Explosive plays helped carry the day, and the Lakers wasted little time putting points on the board. Lillard found Clay for a 66-yard catch and run less than two minutes into the game to put the Lakers up 7-0 following a successful PAT.
Raiders earn second straight win with 17-9 victory over Shawnee
Two second-quarter rushing touchdowns were all Benjamin Logan needed Friday in a 17-9 victory of Springfield Shawnee in a Central Buckeye Conference Mad River Division game.
The Raiders claim their second victory in a row and improve to 2-7, 2-2. Shawnee drops to 1-8, 0-4.
After trailing early, Ben Logan took control in the second quarter. The Raiders grabbed the lead in the second quarter when Wyatt Predmore scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Raiders ahead 7-3 following a successful PAT by Brandon Heater.
The Raiders found the end zone again later in the second quarter. Jordan Pender found the end zone with a 6-yard rush to extend the lead. Heater’s second successful PAT made it 14-3 heading into halftime.
Defense dominated much of the game, but Benjamin Logan sealed the win in the fourth quarter when Heater nailed a 23-yard field goal, putting the Raiders up 17-3. Despite a late 13-yard touchdown pass from Springfield Shawnee’s Ed Boehmer to Connar Earles, the Raiders’ defense held strong, preventing a two-point conversion and securing the 17-9 win.
Pirates run past Covington for 26-14 victory
A well-rounded effort on both sides of the ball got Riverside back in the win column Friday in a 26-14 victory over Covington on senior night in a Three Rivers Conference game.
The Pirates (4-5, 3-3) turned a defensive turnover on the first play from scrimmage into an early touchdown and never trailed. The win snaps a two-game losing streak.
Covington (3-6, 1-5) didn’t score until the fourth quarter as the Pirates built a 20-point lead in the second half.
“Seniors made a lot of big plays for us,” Pirates head coach Bryce Hodge said. “Mason Armbruster had a fumble recovery on the first play of the game and Landon Purtee caught a TD three players later.”
That early touchdown was the lone score of the first half. Covington received the opening kickoff and promptly turned the ball over, as a mishandled shotgun snap fell to the turf and was recovered by the Pirates defense.
Gavin Orsborne returned Friday from a two-week absence due to a knee injury. He quickly found his groove, connecting with Purtee for a 4-yard touchdown pass to give the Pirates the lead early on.
Riverside’s defense helped to make sure that lead stood up, forcing four turnovers on the night and holding Covington to just 3-16 on third downs.
