Panthers, Trojans tangle in key styles clash

By PAUL BOGGS

Photo’s by Tim Gearhart

Portsmouth vs Chesapeake

PORTSMOUTH – Two squads with the same goals are essentially taking different roads to get there.

 

In a key Ohio Valley Conference clash on Friday night, and with Division V Region 19 playoff points and positioning at stake, the 3-3 Chesapeake Panthers face the 5-1 Portsmouth Trojans – and indeed a styles contrast should be on display.

 

The Panthers, which have been a much healthier club this season, plan on a ball-control clock-consuming approach – given that Portsmouth’s now all-time leading rusher lines up in the opposing backfield.

 

#
1
Name
Talyn Parker
Position
2020
Height
5-11
Weight
195
Current Team
Portsmouth
Leagues
OVC, SEO
Seasons
2019

 

The Trojans, conversely, have obviously relied heavily on the running of senior tailback Talyn Parker – and his ability to score touchdowns and break big plays.

 

In truth, something will have to give on Friday night, as kickoff inside sparkling Trojan Coliseum in Portsmouth is set for 7 p.m.

 

In addition to contrasting offenses and gameplans, the measuring stick that is strength of schedule should show itself – as the Panthers are 1-2 and the Trojans 2-1 in the OVC.

 

But Chesapeake’s three defeats are to teams with a combined 16-2 record – as they have allowed at least 50 points to Minford (5-1 record and 54 points), Gallia Academy (6-0 and 55) and Ironton (5-1 and 50).

[the_ad id=”2695″]

The Trojans – by contrast – aside from their 32-27 season-opening triumph over visiting Valley, have not defeated a team with a .500 or better record.

 

The winner will remain in the OVC championship chase, but a loss absolutely eliminates Chesapeake – and definitely dampens Portsmouth’s hopes.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Both have already lost at defending champion Gallia Academy, and the Trojans travel to Ironton for the regular-season finale.

 

Both are also ranked among the top-10 in the OHSAA’s Region 19 computer ratings, as the Trojans (7.9833 computer points average) sit sixth while the Panthers are 10th (5.95).

 

The top eight teams in each region qualify for the playoffs – with the top four squads earning first-round home bouts.

 

But both coaches, in interviews over the telephone this past week, agree that all standings and computer points will work themselves out later.

 

By their own admission, their teams are off to good starts, and that Friday night’s game is the “most important” on their up-to-date schedules.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

“We just have to take care of business with the team that’s right in front of us. That’s Portsmouth right now,” said Chesapeake coach Todd Knipp. “One of our ultimate goals is to qualify for the playoffs, and this would be a big Level 2 points game, but the only thing we can control right now is playing Portsmouth this week  and doing what we can to win the game. If we block, tackle, and take care of the football, good things will happen to us.”

 

“We approach every week the same. That is the team that’s on the schedule this week. Our focus is on Chesapeake, and they have a host of big, strong linemen and some good fast athletes in the backfield. It’s easy to look ahead in the OVC and to week 11, but we can’t get there if we don’t take care of weeks seven, eight, nine and 10,” said Portsmouth coach Bruce Kalb. “Chesapeake presents a new set of formations and a style that we have to be ready for.”

 

But, are the Panthers ready for Parker?

Last season, while Chesapeake was young and suffering through injuries, Parker pasted the Panthers for 381 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries.

 

Portsmouth put up 55 points, as the Panthers scored 39 themselves.

 

This season, scoring-wise especially, Parker has picked up where he left off – and ever since Valley bottled him up in the opener for 21 yards on 17 carries, he has run wild to the point of surpassing his father’s all-time career rushing yardage record at the school.

 

While Portsmouth only had the football for 18 minutes and 37 seconds against Coal Grove – with the visiting Hornets holding onto the pigskin and keeping Parker on at least defense – Parker did run for all 112 of the Trojans’ rushing yards on a dozen carries, as his 75-yard touchdown dart with five minutes and 20 seconds remaining broke his father Jo Jo’s record.

 

Jo Jo Parker’s mark of 5,572 rushing yards had stood for two decades, as Talyn now has 5,626 yards in his career.

 

But breaking off long runs has been Talyn’s talent this season, as he has four touchdown jaunts of at least 59 yards in the past three weeks.

 

Knipp said his Panthers must pursue Parker with good tackling angles, but what is more important is wrapping him up and getting him down.

 

“Talyn Parker is an extremely talented football player. But the thing with him is you can’t let him just make big explosive plays. He has really hurt teams by breaking off big plays at any time. It happened to us last year,” said the coach. “We know he is going to get the football, especially in space, and therefore we have to get as many hats to the ball, and just do a good job of tackling him. He has a great ability to break tackles, so we have to get to him, and make sure we tackle.”

 

Kalb is counting on Chesapeake, like several teams, to try and stack the box on Parker and the Trojans.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

That makes the other Portsmouth playmakers much more dangerous, and they have not disappointed.

 

#
2
Name
Drew Roe
Position
2022
Height
235
Weight
5-06
Current Team
Portsmouth
Leagues
OVC, SEO
Seasons
2019, 2020, 2021

 

In the past three weeks, Trojan quarterback Drew Roe has completed 35 passes on 56 attempts for 514 yards with five touchdowns – while wide receiver Eric Purdy has made half of those receptions (18) for 218 yards.

 

#
9
Name
Eric Purdy
Position
2020
Height
5-08
Weight
155
Current Team
Portsmouth
Leagues
OVC, SEO
Seasons
2019

 

“We know how teams are going to gameplan us, either try to take Talyn away or just try to keep him on defense by keeping the ball,” said Kalb. “We need to have the ball, and our skilled kids have really stepped up and made plays for us. Drew Roe has done a really good job leading this team, has become much more comfortable out there, and we’ve made plays in the passing game. We want to be a team that can strike at any time with any one player.”

Knipp knows the Trojans are no longer a one-man show.

 

“You watch them on film, and you quickly see they have other guys to account for besides Parker,” he said. “They want to get the ball to their athletes in space, so it is up to us to tackle and make plays in space.”

 

Of course, the best defense can be a team’s offense.

 

Chesapeake – with its wing-T base – has a size and experience advantage up front, and will attempt to play keep-away from Portsmouth.

 

The Purple Rushing Attack

PlayerPositionATTRUYDSTD
Kamren Harless20201659517
Will Todd20201188826
Donald Richendollar20211027339
Logan Walsh2020522341
Carson Nida202020950
View all players

 

Coal Grove won the time-of-possession battle, and full-house Rock Hill had its way with running straight at the Trojans, so expect the Panthers to try the same.

 

“That’s the type of offense we are, we want to ball control, run the clock, wear teams down at the line of scrimmage, and not turn the ball over while staying ahead of the chains,” said Knipp. “A good way to keep Parker from breaking big plays is not letting him have the ball.”

 

Kalb said his Trojans must defend the misdirection, and be successful on third downs.

 

“Chesapeake runs the wing-T, they run a lot of misdirection, they play their positions well,” he said. “It’s similar to what we’ve seen with Coal Grove and even some with Rock Hill, but we have to be disciplined defensively, and use our leverage and quickness on our lines to our advantage. We also have to get off the field on third down, not let them convert third-and-longs, third-and-mediums.”

Still, given the history of this series, don’t be surprised to see a lot of scoring.

 

The two teams played consecutive from 2001 thru 2007, and resumed the series once Portsmouth joined the OVC starting in 2015.

 

The Panthers’ only wins were that season and again the next, as the Trojans have scored at least 20 points in all of those series victories.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

So far this fall, they have scored at least 28 in each, including exactly 28 in the past two – and 40 in the two before that.

 

For the Panthers to win, though, they probably prefer a lower-scoring affair – and shortening the game by keeping the ball.

 

The Trojans, meanwhile, will likely seek to strike on any given snap.

 

Indeed, it’s a contrast of styles – but both teams have the same goal of a key win.

 
0 - 28
OVC
2023
South Point

South Point vs Gallia Academy

2 - 38
OVC
2023
Chesapeake

Chesapeake vs Fairland

21 - 6
OVC
2023
Ironton

Ironton vs Portsmouth

23 - 16
OVC
2023
Rock Hill

Rock Hill vs Coal Grove

17 - 27
OVC
2023
Gallia Academy

Gallia Academy vs Ironton

21 - 33
OVC
2023
Chesapeake

Chesapeake vs Rock Hill

22 - 56
OVC
2023
Coal Grove

Coal Grove vs Fairland

21 - 7
OVC
2023
Portsmouth

Portsmouth vs South Point

7 - 44
OVC
2023
Rock Hill

Rock Hill vs Gallia Academy

20 - 38
OVC
2023
Chesapeake

Chesapeake vs South Point

43 - 27
OVC
2023
Fairland

Fairland vs Portsmouth

12 - 54
OVC
2023
Coal Grove

Coal Grove vs Ironton

28 - 12
OVC
2023
Gallia Academy

Gallia Academy vs Coal Grove

28 - 6
OVC
2023
Portsmouth

Portsmouth vs Chesapeake

14 - 35
OVC
2023
South Point

South Point vs Fairland

42 - 0
OVC
2023
Ironton

Ironton vs Rock Hill

40 - 35
OVC
2023
Fairland

Fairland vs Gallia Academy

7 - 48
OVC
2023
Chesapeake

Chesapeake vs Ironton

14 - 6
OVC
2023
Portsmouth

Portsmouth vs Coal Grove

20 - 53
OVC
2023
Rock Hill

Rock Hill vs South Point

50 - 18
OVC
2023
Gallia Academy

Gallia Academy vs Portsmouth

44 - 30
OVC
2023
Coal Grove

Coal Grove vs Chesapeake

40 - 7
OVC
2023
Fairland

Fairland vs Rock Hill

8 - 42
OVC
2023
South Point

South Point vs Ironton

47 - 21
OVC
2023
Gallia Academy

Gallia Academy vs Chesapeake

27 - 28
OVC
2023
Rock Hill

Rock Hill vs Portsmouth

20 - 33
OVC
2023
Coal Grove

Coal Grove vs South Point

62 - 14
OVC
2023
Ironton

Ironton vs Fairland

48 - 7
OVC
2019
Ironton

Ironton vs Portsmouth

36 - 33
OVC
2019
Fairland

Fairland vs Chesapeake

33 - 20
OVC
2019
Rock Hill

Rock Hill vs Coal Grove

26 - 57
OVC
2019
South Point

South Point vs Gallia Academy

0 - 52
OVC
2019
Gallia Academy

Gallia Academy vs Ironton

22 - 28
OVC
2019
Chesapeake

Chesapeake vs Rock Hill

12 - 27
OVC
2019
Coal Grove

Coal Grove vs Fairland

47 - 16
OVC
2019
Portsmouth

Portsmouth vs South Point

12 - 49
OVC
2019
Coal Grove

Coal Grove vs Ironton

35 - 27
OVC
2019
Chesapeake

Chesapeake vs South Point

7 - 48
OVC
2019
Rock Hill

Rock Hill vs Gallia Academy

12 - 20
OVC
2019
Fairland

Fairland vs Portsmouth

46 - 0
OVC
2019
Ironton

Ironton vs Rock Hill

34 - 20
OVC
2019
Portsmouth

Portsmouth vs Chesapeake

44 - 20
OVC
2019
Gallia Academy

Gallia Academy vs Coal Grove

13 - 53
OVC
2019
South Point

South Point vs Fairland

6 - 50
OVC
2019
Chesapeake

Chesapeake vs Ironton

28 - 13
OVC
2019
Portsmouth

Portsmouth vs Coal Grove

0 - 28
OVC
2019
Fairland

Fairland vs Gallia Academy

26 - 21
OVC
2019
Rock Hill

Rock Hill vs South Point

2 - 38
OVC
2019
South Point

South Point vs Ironton

38 - 45
OVC
2019
Coal Grove

Coal Grove vs Chesapeake

 

 

Mohawks run, and pass, way past Titans

vs

Results

TeamTOutcome
Notre Dame12Loss
Northwest41Win

Mohawks run, and pass, way past Titans

By PAUL BOGGS

Photo by Laci Timmons

 

PORTSMOUTH — Believe it or not, what you saw from the Northwest Mohawks on Saturday night was indeed a bonafide passing attack.

That’s because the heavy run-oriented Mohawks – which almost always operate from their distinct double-wing and tight foot-to-foot line splits formation – went to the air early and often against the Notre Dame Titans, and succeeded.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Austin Newman attempted 11 passes, and threw two touchdowns while completing two others of at least 26 yards, as the visiting Mohawks handled the Titans 41-12 inside historic Spartan Stadium in Portsmouth.

With the victory, on Notre Dame’s Homecoming night, the Mohawks snapped a two-game losing streak – and evened their record to 3-3.

The youthful yet undermanned Titans, donning their white throwback uniforms which celebrated the 1967 and 1970 state championship squads, remain winless at 0-6.

The contest marked the Southern Ohio Conference Division I opener, as Northwest – with overwhelmingly winning the numbers game now in the SOC I – was going against the 25-man Titans.

Speaking of retro, while Northwest did succeed, and even surprise, some with their opening up of the passing playbook, they still ran the football with precision – amassing 283 yards on 42 carries.

In fact, a half-dozen Mohawks had at least three carries, as – with the score at 41-6 and the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s running-clock rule in effect for six-and-a-half minutes – several players had the opportunity to touch the football at least once.

Northwest even showed some traditional running formations, but its base is the two tight-end appearance with everybody within a few feet of one another along the line of scrimmage.

But the first point addressed with first-year Northwest coach Bill Crabtree was the Mohawks’ passing game.

“We changed things up and threw the ball a little more tonight. We need to have success with that, and the passing game will open up the running game for us,” he said.

It definitely did on the Mohawks’ opening drive, which was the game’s initial possession.

With Northwest facing a 3rd-down-and-17 situation from its own 21-yard line, Newman threw a high downfield pass to Nathan Rivers, who out-jumped his Titan defender to make the nice catch for 27 yards.

Two plays later, Newman completed a 26-yard pass to Timmy Emmons to the Notre Dame 8, as Brayden Campbell capped off the seven-play, 72-yard drive that spanned just three minutes and 36 seconds.

#
11
Name
Brayden Campbell
Position
2022
Height
5-11
Weight
165
Current Team
Northwest
Leagues
SEO, SOC1
Seasons
2019, 2020, 2021
Campbell, who rushed for 101 yards on only nine carries – ran in from eight yards on the next play – as Dakota Secrest kicked the first of his five extra points.

The Mohawks then forced the Titans into their first of three first-half three-and-outs – and this time drove 70 yards in 10 plays in four minutes and 18 seconds.

All but one of those plays were runs, as Newman called his own number from two yards out at the two-minute mark.

With Secrest’s second extra-point kick, the Mohawks had 14 points – all they ended up needing for the win.

On Northwest’s next series, it needed just two plays and 55 seconds to score again – and go up 20-0.

Newman connected with Campbell for a deep skinny post pattern, hitting him in stride and ahead of the Notre Dame defender for a 59-yard touchdown strike.

#
14
Name
Austin Newman
Position
2022
Current Team
Northwest
Leagues
SEO, SOC1
Seasons
2019, 2020, 2021
As Newman completed six passes for 136 yards with two TD, and Rivers rushed for 64 yards on a dozen attempts including two touchdowns on short third-quarter runs (one and seven yards), Crabtree praised the play of his young offensive line.

The Mohawks had a size and obvious depth advantage on the Titans, but they still have to execute and improve upon every snap.

Northwest never punted on Saturday night, never committed a turnover, and doubled up the Titans in first downs 24-12.

The Mohawks made it 27-6 by scoring on their fourth consecutive series to start the game, as Campbell picked up 25 yards to the Titan 30 – for Northwest’s largest running gain of the night.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

They needed just seven plays and two-and-a-half minutes to score again, as Billy Crabtree capped the march with a 13-yard touchdown reception in the front corner of the end zone.

Secrest kicked his third extra point at the 2:17 mark of the second quarter for the three-touchdown (27-6) advantage.

“Our offensive line is doing as well as we can ask for up there,” said Coach Crabtree. “They are big and strong up front, and Austin is getting more comfortable throwing the ball. It’s coming together for sure.”

Not to be overlooked was Northwest’s defense, which limited the Titans to 163 yards.

Notre Dame needed to stay close early in order to have an upset opportunity late, but the Mohawks held its run-oriented offense to only 54 yards on 22 carries in the first half.

“Our defensive line is really coming along and we’re rotating a lot of guys in there, sometimes six or seven. We want to keep everybody as fresh as we can,” said Crabtree. “We definitely have a numbers advantage on a lot of these SOC I schools, but it’s a blessing and is paying off for us. We need to take advantage of our numbers.”

Notre Dame did score twice – the first following an impressive 13-play, 63-yard drive that consumed six minutes off the second-quarter clock.

The Titans picked up five first downs, and quarterback Jake McGuire snuck in from a yard out on 4th-and-goal at the 4:51 mark.

The Titans twice turned the ball over on downs in the third period, but didn’t give up and stopped the running clock with 5:23 remaining.

It was another six-minute scoring drive, covering 65 yards in 10 plays and ending with Logan Emnett scoring from four yards away.

Emnett amounted 78 yards on 15 carries to pace the Titans, as McGuire carried 11 times while completing two of his six passes.

Beau Hobbs – who had 46 yards on 12 rushes – had one reception for 17 yards, while Caleb Nichols made a good diving catch going out of bounds for 15 on the Titans’ second scoring series.

Notre Dame’s second touchdown gave it 38 points for the season, although the small-school Division VII Titans have now allowed 247 – as their last three opponents are the OHSAA equivalent of at least Division VI.

Notre Dame travels to Green on Friday night, while the Mohawks – a consensus favorite for the SOC I title – host Sciotoville East (1-4) in their second game since the sparkling renovation of Roy Rogers Field.

Northwest successfully shook off the outcome of its first game there – a 21-14 overtime heartbreaking loss against archrival Valley.

The Mohawks have the primary goal of capturing the SOC I championship, and – with some fancy passing on display on Saturday night – took that first step.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

“We’ve talked all week about nothing else matters now except winning games and doing things right in the conference,” said Crabtree. “The kids overcame the heartbreak with Valley last week, came out tonight and responded well for the first conference victory. The kids are working, the kids are getting better, and they are gaining confidence. We’re focusing on one game at a time.”

*     *     *

Northwest 41, Notre Dame 12  

Northwest 14 13 14 0 – 41

Notre Dame 0 6 0 6– 12

NW — Brayden Campbell, 8-yard run (Dakota Secrest kick), 8:22, 1st (7-0 NW)

NW — Austin Newman, 2-yard run (Dakota Secrest kick), 2:04, 1st (14-0 NW)

NW — Brayden Campbell, 59-yard pass from Austin Newman (kick failed), 10:50, 2nd (20-0 NW)

ND — Jake McGuire, 1-yard run (kick failed), 4:51, 2nd (20-6 NW)

NW —   Billy Crabtree, 13-yard pass from Austin Newman (Dakota Secrest kick), 2:17, 2nd (27-6 NW)

NW — Nathan Rivers, 1-yard run (Dakota Secrest kick), 6:06, 3rd (34-6 NW)

NW — Nathan Rivers, 7-yard run (Dakota Secrest kick), 1:12, 3rd (41-6 NW)

ND — Logan Emnett, 4-yard run (pass failed), 5:23, 4th (41-12 NW)

Team statistics

NW ND

First Downs 24 12

Plays from scrimmage 53 47

Rushes-yards 42-283 41-131

Passing yards 136 32

Total yards 419 163

Cmp-Att-Int. 6-11-1 2-6-0

Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0

Penalties-yards 6-55 7-55

Punts-average 0-0 3-37.7

——

Individual Leaders

RUSHING —Northwest: Nathan Rivers 12-64 2TD, Brayden Campbell 9-101 TD, Billy Crabtree 3-27, Kory Butler 3-25, Evan Lintz 3-23, Wyatt Brackman 3-8, Zane Gulley 2-15, Darius Williams 2-12, Dakota Secrest 1-3, Austin Newman 1-2 TD, Caleb Goodson 1-2, Chad Bowen 1-1, Team 1-0; Notre Dame: Logan Emnett 15-78 TD, Beau Hobbs 12-46, Jake McGuire 11-5 TD, Austin Vaughters 2-2, Tanner Richards 1-0

PASSING — Northwest: Austin Newman 6-11-1-136 2TD; Notre Dame: Jake McGuire 2-6-0-32

RECEIVING — Northwest: Brayden Campbell 1-59 TD, Nathan Rivers 1-27, Timmy Emmons 1-26, Billy Crabtree 1-13 TD, Levi Tackett 1-6, Wyatt Brackman 1-5; Notre Dame: Beau Hobbs 1-17, Caleb Nichols 1-15

Notre Dame

# Offense CMP ATT INT PYDS TD ATT RUYDS TD REC REYDS TD
3Caleb Nichols000000001150
4Logan Emnett0000015781000
5Jake McGuire2603201151000
8Austin Vaughters00000220000
12Tanner Richards00000100000
15Beau Hobbs00000124601170
 Total2603204113122320
# Defense Sacks Tackles INT FGM FGA
 Total00000

Northwest

# Offense CMP ATT INT PYDS TD ATT RUYDS TD REC REYDS TD
1Billy Crabtree0000032701141
2Dakota Secrest00000130000
3Darius Williams000002120000
8Chad Bowen00000110000
10Timmy Emmons000000001260
11Brayden Campbell 000001011811591
14Austin Newman61211372121000
15Kory Butler000003250000
18Caleb Goodson00000120000
24Nathan Rivers00000127521270
25Zane Galley000002150000
31Wyatt Brackman000003100150
33Levi Tackett00000000160
34Evan Lintz000003130000
 Total6121137242303461372
# Defense Sacks Tackles INT FGM FGA
 Total00000

Details

Date Time League Season
October 5, 2019 7:00 pm SEO 2019

Court

Notre Dame

Pirates pull one off…again

vs

Results

Team1234OTTOutcome
Wheelersburg0707721Win
Minford0068620Loss

‘Burg clips Falcons 21-20 in OT epic

By Paul Boggs

Photo by Ruth Boll

Video by Litter Media

 

MINFORD — It’s no secret that these are not exactly your older brother’s Wheelersburg Pirates.

 

They do make their share of mistakes.

 

Their current roster doesn’t have the same star power of the past few successful seasons.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

And, believe it or not, they had lost three football games entering Friday night’s Southern Ohio Conference Division II opener at the undefeated Minford Falcons.

 

But, one thing is for certain – and that’s the king is indeed not dead.

 

That’s because the visiting Pirates, despite being plagued by more mistakes and even forced to improvise on the fly, somehow – and someway – found a way to extend their SOC II winning streak.

 

Wheelersburg never trailed, got massive plays from its playmakers, and made the memorable stop on Minford’s two-point conversion try to prevail 21-20 in overtime in front of an electric and standing-room-only crowd at Minford High School.

 

With the victory, the Pirates – with losses to teams with a combined record now of 16-2 – pulled even to 3-3.

 

In easily arguably their most difficult SOC II test of the past six seasons, the Pirates pushed their division win streak to 22 games – dating back to a loss against Valley in 2013.

 

It absolutely wasn’t easy, but then again, these Pirates have battled injury and adversity unlike any Wheelersburg squad in at least the last half-decade.

 

The same was true at Minford – as the Pirates threw a pair of interceptions and opted to change quarterbacks, punted five times following three-and-out possessions, committed 10 penalties for 105 yards including three personal fouls, and even lost an onside kick following the Falcons’ first touchdown midway through the third quarter.

 

However, they made the big plays when they needed them the most – defensively, offensively, and on special teams.

 

“Every year is different, but this is a huge win for us because it’s an SOC II game. When you look at the adversity we have faced with the schedule we have played, and our guys have recognized the tall task that’s been ahead of them throughout those five weeks, I can’t say enough about our kids and the effort they put forth, especially our seniors,” said an elated Wheelersburg coach Rob Woodward. “We came in here tonight against a great team in Minford, and we faced a lot of adversity in this game. But again, all of our seniors…the battles that they have had, what a way for them to come out on top in this SOC II game.”

 

The Falcons, which were 5-0, found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard for the first time all year.

 

However, it remains 2009 when Minford last defeated Wheelersburg – by a 16-15 final score.

 

It was almost another one-point Falcon triumph on Friday, as Minford’s Matthew Risner made a simply acrobatic over-the-shoulder catch in the back of the end zone in overtime to make it 21-20.

 

Facing 2nd-down-and-11 from the 21-yard line, Minford quarterback Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis landed the ball where only Risner could catch it – in bounds and near the back line, but over the top of Wheelersburg’s Makya Matthews.

 

It was then decision time for fourth-year Minford head coach Jesse Ruby – to either kick the extra point and force a second overtime tied at 21-21, or to go for the two-point conversion and the victory.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Ruby rolled the dice and elected to go for two, but the Pirates stacked the box and brought the house against the Minford run formation.

 

Ty Wiget –in attempting to squeeze inside through the line – was stuffed at the goal line as a result, and the Pirates poured onto the field in a wild celebration.

 

Ruby, when asked about the decision to play for the win and the two points, simply said “there was no doubt”.

 

“I had full faith and confidence in our kids. We were playing well and moving the ball well and decided to go for the win. Our kids’ attitude and effort were great the whole game. Unfortunately, we came up just one play short,” he said. “It was so tight in there and kind of hard to see, but Wheelersburg just made a good play. It was the last of several that they made.”

 

And, making plays – particularly Matthews – was something the Pirates did all night.

 

Truth be told, none were bigger than his dead-sprint chase-down defensive effort on the game’s fourth play  – when Wiget broke free for a 52-yard run and was well on his way to the end zone.

 

But Matthews didn’t give up on the run, caught Wiget from behind at the 5, tomahawk-chopped the ball with his right arm out of Wiget’s hands – and the Pirates pounced on the pigskin for a stunning turn-of-events touchback.

 

As that play faded in the memory banks as the game wore on and advanced into overtime, it was highly discussed afterward as the night’s biggest play.

 

“That was just a great job by Matthews to track Ty down and strip the football,” said Ruby. “It was just an unfortunate play for us right there.”

 

Indeed it was, because had Wiget scored, then the Falcons would be in front four plays in – and maybe overtime is never reached.

 

“Makya Matthews is just a warrior. Makya is the most competitive player that I believe I have ever coached. He does everything he can on a given play to make sure that if he can make the play, he is going to make it,” said Woodward. “He was just outstanding in this game and it all started on that play.”

 

It then extended to the Pirates’ first touchdown with just a minute and 52 seconds before halftime.

Following a mistake-prone first half by both clubs – which featured a touchdown apiece negated due to holding penalties, 13 combined flags for 135 yards and a turnover apiece – the Pirates made a major stop of a Minford drive on 4th-down-and-inches at the Wheelersburg 24 with 2:06 remaining.

 

On the Pirates’ first play following the turnover on downs, Evan Horsley – who replaced an ineffective Aaron Masters at quarterback – hooked up with Matthews for a 76-yard touchdown strike that made it 7-0 with Braxton Sammons’ extra-point kick.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Matthews made the high grab of Horsley’s pass at the Wheelersburg 40, broke a tackle, then outraced Falcon defenders all the way to the end zone.

 

“We dialed up a big play there, Evan (Horsley) throws a floater up there, but Makya just goes up and snatches it out of the air and is able to take it all the way for a touchdown,” said Woodward.

 

#
Name
Evan Horsley
Current Team
Wheelersburg
Leagues
SEO, SOC2
Seasons
2019
Horsley completed three of his seven passes for 82 yards, as Matthews made two receptions for 73.

 

On the ground, Matthews amassed 133 yards on 24 carries, while Horsley had 92 yards on 14 totes.

#
29
Name
Makya Matthews
Current Team
Wheelersburg
Leagues
SEO, SOC2
Seasons
2019

“Evan (Horsley) put this team on his back tonight. He carried the ball a number of times and grinded out those tough yards,” said Woodward. “Our offensive line was opening up holes continuously. It’s a game of big plays and battles in the trenches.”

 

And, also, a game of mistakes.

 

Besides Matthews turning Wiget’s touchdown into a touchback, the Falcons had two holding penalties for 17 yards apiece – the first of which wiped out a 67-yard scoring strike to Risner while the second stalled a Minford march to near midfield with time running out in the first half.

 

“Mistakes just kill you in close tight ballgames like this,” said Ruby. “Unfortunately, we had some more tonight.”

 

But one pass completion from Vogelsong-Lewis to Risner did not produce any penalty flags – and instead resulted in a 59-yard TD on a screen pass that began with a catch in the flat.

 

That occurred with 6:47 remaining in the third quarter, but Minford missed the extra-point kick – and thus trailed 7-6.

 

“We just kept stressing that we were still in the ballgame and had plenty of time left. We have plenty of weapons and we can score really fast. We showed that with Risner’s long touchdown reception,” said Ruby. “We just had to keep battling back.”

 

The Falcons then recovered the aforementioned onside kick at midfield, but that – and two other possessions – resulted in three three-and-outs, sandwiched around a Horsley interception by Minford’s Levi Warren which ended a 10-play Pirate drive and reached the red zone.

 

However, the next Pirate possession produced points – an eight-play, 67-yard drive that spanned 3:09 and picked up four first downs.

 

Matthews, whose 24-yard gainer moved Wheelersburg from the Falcon 46 to the 22, capped off the drive with a seven-yard inside run with eight-and-a-half minutes to go.

 

Sammons’ second successful extra-point kick made it 14-6, but Minford answered with a colossal 13-play, 61-yard, five-and-a-half minute march – ending with Wiget going in from eight yards away at the 2:51 point.

 

But with the Falcons trailing 14-12, they still needed the two-point conversion for the tie – and amazingly and inexplicably somehow converted it.

 

With a high snap in the shotgun to Vogelsong-Lewis, he deftly and quickly handed off to Wiget, who shocked the stadium by faking everyone out and executing an option pitch back to Vogelsong-Lewis, who ran it in.

 

Whatever it was worked, and tied the tilt at 14-14.

 

Wheelersburg was getting more line surge and better rushes in the second half, but a 10-play series between the 35s in the final 2:51 resulted in a turnover on downs.

 

In the overtime, though, the Pirates punched it in on four plays – with Matthews carrying for six yards to the 14, followed by 13 more yards to the one.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Two plays later, Horlsey hit paydirt from a yard out off tackle – and Sammons’ PAT kick made it 21-14.

 

Of the Pirates’ 191 second-half and overtime rushing yards, Matthews mustered 107 on 18 carries, while Horsley had 71 on 11.

 

“Wheelersburg was just doing a good job up front of getting movement and producing some running lanes,” said Ruby. “I thought our kids read their keys pretty well, and were flying around to the football and making them earn it, because we kept them from getting any more big plays.”

 

At least on offense – as the Pirates made the stop on Wiget’s two-point conversion run following Risner’s incredible TD catch in overtime.

 

Minford’s playmakers made a difference as well, with Wiget actually amounting a game-high 143 rushing yards on 25 carries, as Vogelsong-Lewis completed eight of his 12 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns to Risner.

 

Risner, who also intercepted Masters on the Pirates’ first possession, recorded four receptions for 105 yards.

 

Still, Woodward thought Wheelersburg’s defense “played lights out”.

 

Head Coach Rob Woodard

Current Team
Wheelersburg
“It’s tough to cover everything Minford throws at you,” he said. “With (Matthew) Risner out there and the speed that he has, and with Wiget and Vogelsong-Lewis with the speed that they have, you have to account for both sides of the field and that was a challenge to our coaches and players.”

 

 

 

The Falcons’ challenge now is to recover for the remainder of their difficult SOC II slate – and get back to their winning ways which originally vaulted them to the top spot of the OHSAA Division V Region 19 computer ratings.

 

The Pirates and Falcons are both in Region 19 – and a potential playoff rematch is indeed a distinct possibility.

 

“It’s all about attitude and effort, and we just have to treat every opponent with the same respect we gave Wheelersburg. And we may very well see Wheelersburg again,” said Ruby. “We have to focus on ourselves every week, and improve upon limiting mistakes, penalties and turnovers. We have to prepare ourselves for the rest of the SOC II schedule.”

 

That rest of the schedule starts next week at Portsmouth West, while Wheelersburg – for the fourth consecutive week – hits the road when it takes on division newcomer Oak Hill.

[event_scoreboard id=”1703″ number=”10″ align=”none”]

[event_scoreboard id=”1698″ number=”10″ align=”none”]

Furthermore, the Pirates play at Oak Hill for the second season in a row – although that SOC II winning streak remains intact, as the king is indeed not dead.

 

“A huge part of high school football is mentally having your kids ready. The SOC II is strong, and we’re getting everybody’s best shot. And our number-one goal is winning the SOC II,” said Woodward. “That’s a great football team that we just beat tonight, and our kids should be extremely proud. We’re a good football team too, we just have continue to move forward and get better.”

 

*     *     *

Wheelersburg 21, Minford 20, OT 

Wheelersburg 0 7 0 7 7 – 21

Minford 0 0 6 8 6 – 20

W — Makya Matthews, 76-yard pass from Evan Horsley (Braxton Sammons kick), 1:52, 2nd (7-0 W)

M — Matthew Risner, 59-yard pass from Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis (kick failed), 6:47, 3rd (7-6 W)

W — Makya Matthews, 7-yard run (Braxton Sammons kick), 8:34, 4th (14-6 W)

M —  Ty Wiget, 8-yard run (Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis run), 2:51, 4th (14-14 tie)

W — Evan Horsley, 1-yard run (Braxton Sammons kick), OT (21-14 W)

M — Matthew Risner, 21-yard pass from Elijah-Vogelsong Lewis (run failed), OT (21-20 W)

Team Statistics

W M

First downs 15 12

Plays from scrimmage 58 52

Rushes-yards 48-263 40-149

Passing yards 88 143

Total yards 351 292

Cmp-Att-Int. 4-10-2 8-12-0

Fumbles-lost 2-0 1-1

Penalties-yards 10-105 8-75

Punts-average 5-31.6 6-37.3

——

Individual Leaders

RUSHING —Wheelersburg: Makya Matthews 24-133 TD, Evan Horsley 14-92 TD, Aaron Masters 4-20, Carson Williams 3-14, Hunter Ruby 2-2, Jay Holsinger 1-2 ; Minford: Ty Wiget 25-143 TD, Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis 14-8, Team 1-(-2)

PASSING — Wheelersburg: Evan Horsley 3-7-1-82 TD, Aaron Masters 1-3-1-6; Minford: Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis 8-12-0-143 2TD

RECEIVING — Wheelersburg: Makya Matthews 2-73 TD, Hunter Ruby 2-15; Minford: Matthew Risner 4-105 2TD, Drew Skaggs 3-28, Ty Wiget 1-10

 

POST GAME CHATTER HERE

Video

Wheelersburg

# Offense CMP ATT INT PYDS TD ATT RUYDS TD REC REYDS TD
Evan Horsley37182114921000
Hunter Ruby000002202150
Carson Williams000003140000
14Aaron Masters131604200000
29Makya Matthews000002413312731
55Jay Holsinger00000120000
 Total41028814826324881
# Defense Sacks Tackles INT FGM FGA
 Total00000

Minford

# Offense CMP ATT INT PYDS TD ATT RUYDS TD REC REYDS TD
2Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis9130138214110000
7Matthew Risner0000000041032
11Drew Skaggs000000003290
25Ty Wiget00000251471260
 Total9130138239158191382
# Defense Sacks Tackles INT FGM FGA
 Total00000

Details

Date Time League Season
October 4, 2019 7:00 pm SEO 2019

Court

Minford

Vikings, Bobcats open SOC I slate; Ironton @ Chesapeake, Trimble @ Waterford, Logan @ Athens

By PAUL BOGGS

Photo by Robert Stevens

Symmes Valley vs Green

Don’t look now, but the Symmes Valley Vikings are quietly creeping up the Division VII, Region 27 playoff ladder.

 

They are also aiming – with the Oak Hill Oaks having moved up to the Southern Ohio Conference Division II – to significantly scale the totem pole of the SOC I.

 

But so too are the Green Bobcats – with their numbers and hopes on the rise and coming off their first winning season and state playoff appearance since 1990.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

With Northwest now the largest SOC I school for football, and according to many observers the favorite for this season’s division championship, the 4-1 Vikings and 3-2 Bobcats will surely have something to say about that – as they open SOC I action on Friday night in Lawrence County.

 

Kickoff at Symmes Valley High School is set for 7 p.m.

 

The Vikings, whose lone loss was to archrival and Division V Chesapeake, have shut out Fairfield Christian (37-0) before steamrolling Fairview (50-6) and Sciotoville East (47-6) in non-conference clashes the past two weeks.

 

The Vikings vanquished South Gallia 14-12 in the opener, and are currently 10th in the official OHSAA Region 27 computer ratings.

 

The Bobcats are 12th in those same computer rankings, but Green is coming off a bad 26-22 setback at Fairview (Ky.).

 

Green will now likely need to run the table to qualify for a second straight playoff appearance, and it doesn’t help that the three teams it has defeated – Cincinnati Dohn Community (1-4), Manchester (0-5) and Federal Hocking (1-4) – are a combined 2-13.

 

That trio will also unlikely yield anymore possible playoff points.

 

The run-oriented Vikings are considered a heavy favorite, despite the Bobcats winning two of the past three meetings – albeit by a combined 11 points (32-28 in 2016 and 22-15 in 2018).

 

The series is lopsided in Symmes Valley’s favor with only those two victories by the Bobcats – besides Green’s only other win since the turn of century in 2006.

 

Oak Hill has dominated the division for the past decade, as the Vikings split the crown with the Oaks and Mohawks in 2014 – while winning it outright in 2011.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Northwest now wins the numbers game by being a Division V program – with the other five SOC I squads belonging to Region 27.

RankPlayerPositionHeightWeightATTRUYDSTDRECREYDSTD
1Josh Ferguson20215-101751081111113230
2Ethan Patterson20226-001557155073330
3Jack Leith20206-03170904816000
4Luke Leith20216-0116014148451025
5Nick Strow20225-10160351350000
View all players

But numbers on the field are with the Vikings, as three backs (Josh Ferguson 51 carries, 426 yards and 4 TD; Jack Leith 46 carries, 236 yards and 4 TD; Eli Patterson 28 carries, 229 yards and 2 TD) have amassed at least 28 carries, 231 yards and two touchdowns.

 

Jack Leith has completed 9-of-14 passes for 156 yards and four TDs, as three players have at least three receptions – with Luke Leith’s three catches all going for scores.

 

Gavan Yates, a starting Symmes Valley offensive lineman, has successfully kicked 13 extra points and one field goal.

 

 Ironton at Chesapeake

Chesapeake vs Ironton

 

In another matchup of 4-1 at 3-2, but also along the lines of David vs. Goliath, Ironton (4-1) invades Chesapeake (3-2) for maintaining front-running status in the Ohio Valley Conference.

 

Kickoff inside Phil Davis Stadium in Chesapeake is set for 7 p.m.

 

The Fighting Tigers, the consensus preseason favorite for the OVC championship along with defending champion Gallia Academy, bounced back from their only loss of the season (16-10 in overtime at Ashland) – with an expected league defeat of South Point (38-2) last week.

 

Ironton is 2-0 in the league, and attempting to make it 5-for-5 against the Panthers in all of their meetings since joining the OVC in 2015.

 

The Fighting Tigers took the league championship in their first two campaigns.

 

The Panthers are 1-1 in the league, having lost 55-27 at Gallia Academy – before  winning a shootout at Coal Grove last week by a final score of 45-38.

 

Ironton, however, is a heavy favorite against the Panthers, which have remained much healthier through the first half of this year.

 

There is also a bevy of state playoff points at stake, as the Tigers (8.95 computer points average) trail only Minford (9.65 CPA) for the top spot in Division V Region 19, but have five more Level-2 points than do the Falcons.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Speaking of Minford, Ironton will benefit from a Wheelersburg victory over the Falcons this week, while Minford is rooting for a Panther upset of the Fighting Tigers.

 

Chesapeake’s only other loss is against the Falcons in week two, as the Panthers (5.6 CPA) currently occupy the eighth and final playoff spot in Region 19.

 

The top eight teams in each region qualify for the playoffs – with the top four squads earning first-round home bouts.

 

Trimble at Waterford

Waterford vs Trimble

So somebody, anybody, finally scored upon the undefeated Trimble Tomcats this season.

 

But while the Tomcats didn’t win that trivial battle, they did win their latest war – defeating the Worthington Christian Warriors 34-6 to move to 5-0.

 

This week, Trimble returns to Tri-Valley Conference Hocking Division play – and tangles with the host Waterford Wildcats, which will arguably be their toughest opponent in the remainder of the regular season.

 

Waterford, with only a lopsided loss against arch-rival but Division VI Fort Frye, stands at 4-1 – and welcomes the defending champion Tomcats for the inside track to the latest TVC-Hocking championship.

 

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

 

Both clubs are 3-0 in the TVC-Hocking, and while the Wildcats have allowed only 34 points in three conference tilts, the Tomcats – against 3-2 Belpre, 3-2 Meigs Eastern and 1-4 South Gallia – have not surrendered a single solitary one.

 

Waterford will need not only to score against the Tomcats, but they will need to do so several times.

 

They didn’t against Fort Frye in being blanked 49-0, and Trimble – like the Cadets – is considered one of the top Division VI programs in the entire state.

 

Zane Heiss has completed 22-of-54 passes for 496 yards and four touchdowns, as Nick Fouss has caught 14 passes for 372 yards and three scores.

 

Heiss has also been a primary running threat from the quarterback spot, rushing for 335 yards and four TD on 33 carries, while Holden Dailey leads the Wildcats with 369 yards and 10 touchdowns on 36 attempts.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Joe Pantelidis has the most carries for Waterford with 40, and has 290 yards with a trio of touchdowns.

 

Waterford will face Trimble’s vaunted wishbone rushing attack, as Connor Wright will enter Friday’s affair at four carries short of 100 – and already 99 rushing yards shy of exactly 1,000.

 

Wright also has 13 touchdowns.

 

Quarterback Cameron Kittle has rushed for 285 yards on 32 attempts and five trips to paydirt, while completing 15-of-21 passes for 354 yards with seven scores.

 

The Wildcats sit sixth in the Division VII, Region 27 computer ratings, so an upset win would open so many doors for them.

 

Waterford won back-to-back TVC-Hocking titles in 2016 and 2017, following Trimble’s run of three consecutive from 2013 thru 2015.

 

The Tomcats’ last league loss was at Waterford two years ago, as Trimble has captured 13 consecutive conference victories.

 

Trimble (8.8) trails only New Middletown Springfield (9.5) and Fort Frye (9.15) for the top spot in the Region 21 computer ratings.

 

Logan at Athens

Athens vs Logan

Talk about two programs really needing – and even craving – a victory, and against an old enemy at that.

 

That’s the setting for Friday night’s matchup at Rutter Field in The Plains, as longtime rivals Logan and Athens square off in an important and now non-league duel – despite both entering with losing records.

 

Kickoff at Athens High School is set for 7:30 p.m.

 

The Chieftains are 1-4 and the Bulldogs are 2-3 – something seldom seen or even heard of when the Route 33 rivals did battle during their former Southeastern Ohio Athletic League days.

 

Logan, now an independent program playing in Division II, landed its first victory of the season last week – an 18-7 Thursday night special over host Chillicothe.

 

The Chieftains had scored just seven points apiece in each of their previous four bouts, but snapped a school-record 11-game losing streak by stymieing the offensively-struggling Cavaliers.

 

Logan – whose four losses are to teams with a combined 16-4 record – turns its attention to the Bulldogs, which have won two consecutive in this series, which was renewed four years ago.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

However, in the two-decade stretch from 1996 thru 2016, Athens lost 14 in a row to Logan, as the Bulldogs departed the SEOAL – and joined the Tri-Valley Conference starting in 2008.

 

It’s been an excellent move for Athens, which has won or shared six TVC-Ohio championships over the past decade, including its first last season since a four-year span from 2011 thru 2014.

 

But the Bulldogs began this season at 0-3, losing to 4-1 Waverly (30-27) and undefeated Jackson (31-26) by a combined eight points – before falling 42-20 at undefeated Parkersburg South in West Virginia.

 

As a result of those non-league losses, Athens must win out if it is to have any shot at qualifying for the Division III, Region 11 playoffs.

 

The Bulldogs, with a computer points average of 4.0, are only 17th in Region 11.

 

This week, Athens’ finesse and spread-the-field formation attack indeed will be tested against the Chieftains’ physicality.

 

Under the direction of first-year head coach Nathan White, junior Joey Moore is thriving at quarterback – having completed 86-of-137 passes for 1,204 yards and 14 touchdowns.

 

Moore is also the Green and Gold’s leading rusher, totaling 377 yards and four TD on 93 carries.

 

At least six Athens receivers have at least six receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown, as Nate Trainer is easily Moore’s top target – with 35 catches for 522 yards and four scores.

 

Look for Logan to try and play ball control, and keep Moore and company confined to the sidelines, as Caden McCarty (105 carries for 437 yards) and quarterback Braeden Spatar (100 carries for 350 yards) spearhead a 1-2 Chieftain rushing attack.

 

McCarty has scored six rushing touchdowns for 36 points – as the Purple and White have only scored 46 points all season.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Spatar has thrown just 51 passes, but has completed 31 of them for 286 yards and one TD, including 14 for 148 yards to Garret Mace.

 

Falcons face ‘Burg in huge SOC II opener

By PAUL BOGGS

Photo’s by Ruth Boll

Wheelersburg vs Minford

 

Simply put, if you can’t remember the last time the Wheelersburg Pirates lost a Southern Ohio Conference Division II football tilt, then you likely aren’t alone.

 

That said, you likely won’t remember the last time the Minford Falcons defeated the Pirates.

 

However, with Wheelersburg off to its worst five-game start in recent memory, the undefeated Falcons have an opportunity to end those pair of dubious streaks on Friday night – as 5-0 Minford hosts the 2-3 Pirates in an all-important and highly-anticipated SOC II opener.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

In fact, it can be argued it’s the most important matchup in all of Southeastern Ohio this week.

 

Kickoff at Minford High School is set for 7 p.m.

 

In answer to the original two questions, the Pirates last lost an SOC II affair in 2013 – a division winning streak that stretches a massive and impressive 21 games.

 

In addition, a full decade (2009) has passed since Minford last defeated Wheelersburg.

 

But nobody can likely remember – without looking it up online – when the tradition-rich Pirates last started 2-3, and perhaps showing signs of vulnerability despite their three losses to teams with a combined mark of 13-2.

 

Head Coach Rob Woodard

Current Team
Wheelersburg
“We’ve scheduled those teams that are extremely challenging to raise our level of play and get us ready to attack the SOC. What we haven’t done well in the three losses is execution,” said Wheelersburg coach Rob Woodward. “We haven’t been lined up right in situations on defense, we haven’t been disciplined in our play, taking poor angles and thus bad tackling. We need to do a better job of controlling the line of scrimmage. Our offensive gameplan needs to take pressure off our defense. All three games we lost we basically played on our side of the 50. Our offense can be our best defense, but we have to execute better in all three phases. We just didn’t play the way we needed to play against good opponents like that. We just have to move forward and make adjustments.”

 

Indeed, don’t tell fourth-year Minford coach Jesse Ruby about the Pirates being “down” this season.

 

In fact, he believes the highly-touted Pirates are the best team his Falcons have faced to date – and are indeed the SOC II champions until they are defeated.

 

Wheelersburg has lost to three teams by at least 20 points, but that trio of 4-1 Ironton (30-6), 4-1 Columbus Hartley (44-6) and undefeated Jackson (35-15) just happens to be three of the best programs in the south central quadrant of the state.

 

Head Coach Jesse Ruby

Current Team
Minford
“Wheelersburg has been the best team in the conference for years. They have been undefeated in the conference for five seasons in a row. In my opinion, they are still the best team in the conference until someone proves otherwise, despite their three loses this season. The teams they have lost to this year have a combined record of 13-2,” said Ruby. “Wheelersburg, even though they are 2-3, is a very good football team. They will be the best team we have faced by far.”

 

Although, despite their quality wins over Ashland (34-33 in overtime) and Greenup County (38-7), the Pirates haven’t been completely healthy this season, which impacted them in their losses against Ironton and Hartley.

 

Then last week, while perhaps the healthiest Wheelersburg has been all season, the Pirates allowed almost 300 rushing yards and committed three critical turnovers in their 35-15 loss at Jackson.

 

That was actually only[the_ad_placement id=”in-feed”] the Ironmen’s second victory against the Pirates since that series restarted in 2012 – with the other coming five years ago.

 

The Pirates got burned on a 54-yard touchdown run by Jackson freshman Jacob Winters on the opening play of the second half, then were the victims of a pair of Evan Spires fourth-quarter “pick-sixes”.

 

In all, Jackson scored 21 of its 35 points off Wheelersburg turnovers.

 

“We had poor execution in all three phases last week. We were trying to change up a few things, but we got down 14 points in the first quarter. We tried to rally and make some adjustments, but Jackson did a great job of adjusting on their part and having different things ready for us,” said Woodward. “Moving forward, we have to make adjustments in the areas we were exposed in and clean things up.”

 

For one, Ruby isn’t counting on the Pirates to make the same self-inflicted mistakes as they did a week ago.

 

#
29
Name
Makya Matthews
Current Team
Wheelersburg
Leagues
SEO, SOC2
Seasons
2019
Instead, he is depending on his Falcons to play solid defense, keeping Wheelersburg’s many offensive play-makers – primarily Makya Matthews – in check.

 

“In the last game, Jackson was able to capitalize on a few mistakes that Wheelersburg made. But defending Wheelersburg is extremely challenging due to the number of weapons they have on offense,” said Ruby. “They run a lot of different formations, they can run the football with many different players and they have many skilled receivers. Their quarterback is well-coached in where to put the football. They do a lot of things offensively to put the opposing defense in a bind.”

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Woodward said Minford does the same thing – with the likes of its fast-paced high-powered spread offense engineered by left-handed quarterback Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis.

 

#
2
Name
Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis
Height
5-10
Weight
175
Current Team
Minford
Leagues
SEO, SOC2
Seasons
2019, 2020
Vogelsong-Lewis has completed 35-of-60 passes for 648 yards and six touchdowns, while rushing for 506 yards and four TD on 60 attempts.

 

 

 

#
25
Name
Ty Wiget
Position
2020
Height
5-09
Weight
175
Current Team
Minford
Leagues
SEO, SOC2
Seasons
2019
Meanwhile, senior running back Ty Wiget has simply ran wild this season – to the tune of 880 yards and a dozen scores on 107 carries.

 

 

#
11
Name
Drew Skaggs
Height
5-10
Weight
150
Current Team
Minford
Leagues
SEO, SOC2
Seasons
2019, 2020
The Falcons’ top receiver is Drew Skaggs with 250 yards on 11 receptions.

 

“Minford is a mirror of what we try to do,” said Woodward. “Their quarterback and running back are really good and they have the ability to run out of any formation. They can go either way with running or passing, and those guys do a lot of damage with their feet. We have prepared this week in practice for a system that looks a lot like ourselves.”

 

But what Minford doesn’t need nor want to help Wheelersburg out is turn the football over – or make other mistakes.

 

The Falcons, despite winning 28-21 at East Clinton last week, were guilty of five turnovers – three interceptions and two lost fumbles.

 

Ruby said his squad started the year by limiting its miscues, but has committed eight turnovers in the past two weeks, while also being flagged for too many penalties and missing too many tackles.

 

“We started the year off really well by playing team football and limiting our own mistakes. In the first three games, we played sound defense, committed very few penalties, punted once per game, and only turned the ball over once. The attention to the little things allowed us to play at a high level in those first three weeks. The past two weeks have been a different story as we have made too many mistakes – too many penalties, too many missed tackles and too many turnovers,” said the coach. “The good thing is our players were able to overcome adversity and still find a way to win in the past two games.”

 

But against Wheelersburg, those same mistakes will result in a loss.

 

“Taking care of the football is extremely important. Any time you have more turnovers than your opponent, you are at a disadvantage. We need to limit our own mistakes – missed assignments, penalties and turnovers to be successful in this game. If we fail to do that, we will be in for a long night. We have to be able to maintain our blocks, take care of the football, and play as mistake-free as possible to give us the best chance to win,” said Ruby. “That goal is something we preach each and every week.”

 

What Ruby also preaches each and every week is that the next opponent on the Falcons’ schedule is Minford’s most important of the season.

 

However, it’s difficult to ignore what’s at stake for both teams – as Friday night marks a playoff-points bonanza for the winner.

 

Both teams are members of Division V, Region 19, as the Falcons (9.65) are top-ranked and the Pirates are seventh (6.05) in the second release of the official Ohio High School Athletic Association football computer ratings released on Tuesday.

 

The top eight teams in each region qualify for the playoffs – with the top four squads earning first-round home bouts.

 

Minford is also the seventh-ranked club in the third release of the Associated Press Ohio high school football poll for Division V.

 

More times than not, the top spot in the Region 19 computer ratings and a top-10 ranking the Division V AP poll belong to Wheelersburg – but not this season, so far.

 

Although, it can all change on Friday for the Pirates, but then again, the Falcons can snap a pair of infamous streaks involving Wheelersburg.

 

“One thing that we talk about each and every week is that we treat each week as if it is the most important game of the year. Every game has playoff points. Aside from the distractions from the outside, we try to treat every opponent as they are the best team we have faced to this point in the year. This week is no different from the opponents we faced weeks one thru five,” said Ruby. “We have to focus on ourselves and work to improve how we have played in our most recent games. That goal is our focus each and every week.”

 

The Pirates’ first focus, Woodward said, regardless of record, is defending their SOC II championship.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Which is something they’ve done an outstanding job of – given it has been six seasons since they last lost a league game.

 

“We know the SOC teams especially raise their level of play against us and circle us on their calendar. We just approach it as the next opponent, knowing and expecting to get their best shot. We don’t worry about our past or our future, we only worry about that week’s game,” said Woodward. “Our goal is to win the SOC, we prepare our guys for this, and so far in practice, this has been one of the best weeks of preparation and being healthy that we’ve had this year. That’s good to see.”
43 - 12
SEO
2019
Minford

Minford vs Rock Hill

Headline: Big plays, speed spark Falcons' win over Redmen
21 - 53
SEO
2019
Chesapeake

Chesapeake vs Minford

27 - 45
SEO
2019
Greenup County KY

Greenup County KY vs Minford

27 - 31
SEO
2019
Wilmington

Wilmington vs Minford

21 - 28
SEO
2019
East Clinton

East Clinton vs Minford

[the_ad_placement id=”in-feed”]
30 - 6
SEO
2019
Ironton

Ironton vs Wheelersburg

6 - 44
SEO
2019
Wheelersburg

Wheelersburg vs Columbus Bishop Hartley

34 - 33
SEO
2019
Wheelersburg

Wheelersburg vs Ashland KY

7 - 38
SEO
2019
Greenup County KY

Greenup County KY vs Wheelersburg

35 - 15
SEO
2019
Jackson

Jackson vs Wheelersburg

Indians rally past Mohawks in OT thriller

vs

Results

Team1234OTTOutcome
Northwest14000—14Loss
Valley———6821Win

Indians rally past Mohawks in OT thriller

 

Valley erases 14-0 deficit for 4th straight win

 

By PAUL BOOGS

Photos by Laci Timmons

McDERMOTT – It was almost the best possible birthday gift for Bill Crabtree.

 

It was almost the perfect Homecoming Night at Northwest High School.

 

And, it was almost that utopian moment that the Mohawk football community had desired for so long.

 

But thanks to the visiting Valley Indians on Friday night, they made sure it was “almost”.

 

That’s because the archrival Indians, trailing 14-0 following the first quarter, rallied past the Mohawks for 21 unanswered points – and ultimately captured a 21-14 non-league overtime victory inside Northwest’s sparkling nice and newly-renovated Roy Rogers Field.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

The matchup marked the first between the Scioto County nearby neighbors since 2013 – the final season before Northwest dropped down to the Southern Ohio Conference Division I for football, following many years of competing in the larger-school SOC II.

 

The Indians, however, had simply dominated the series – last losing in the closest contest before Friday night in 2000 by a single point (21-20).

 

This time, veteran Valley head coach Darren Crabtree was just happy his squad was somehow, someway, making the short trek back to Lucasville with the ‘W’.

 

It was Valley’s fourth consecutive win – following its mistake-filled 32-27 season-opening loss at Portsmouth.

 

The Indians are now 4-1, while the Mohawks suffered their second straight defeat to fall 2-3.

 

Head Coach Darren Crabtree

Current Team
Valley
“Somehow, we’re sneaking out of here with a win. We were grabbing some sophomores and freshmen and throwing them in there for their first varsity game and in this environment. Through the adversity of losing some key starters, we had people step in and make plays for us,” said Crabtree. “We keep preaching to the kids to do your job, trust your teammate beside you, and late in the game when we needed big plays on offense and defense, they stepped up and made those plays. It’s a good win for us, it’s a win they won’t forget. We played a lot better in that loss against Portsmouth than we did tonight, but when our backs were against the wall, we came out fighting and figured out a way to win one.”

 

It was also an unforgettable night for the Mohawks, with the exception of the final score.

 

Northwest coach Bill Crabtree was celebrating his birthday, and his Mohawks held the lead for all but the final four plays.

 

The program itself was celebrating its first game played at superbly-renovated Roy Rogers Field, complete with new FieldTurf and bleachers.

 

“As far as the facilities, it’s amazing with what they’ve done here,” said Crabtree. “I still can’t even comprehend it, really.”

 

The Mohawks had played their first scheduled home bout this year at Valley (against McClain), before being forced to switch sites for their tilt two weeks ago against Huntington.

 

While disappointed in the final outcome, Bill Crabtree couldn’t complain about anything else.

 

“Valley had kids step up for them and make plays at the end of the game. It’s that simple. Our kids played their butts off. Valley is a solid team, and it’s been a long time since we’ve played them in a tight ballgame like that,” he said. “We had our chances for sure, but it was great to see our kids come out and fight like they did.”

[the_ad_placement id=”in-feed”]

Mistakes – and a bevy of Indian injuries – made Friday night’s encounter extremely interesting, as two first-quarter turnovers by the Indians resulted in two short fields for the Mohawks to work with.

 

The Mohawks, an overwhelming underdog according to some observers, made Valley pay with their two touchdowns over the final five minutes and 23 seconds of the opening quarter for a 14-0 advantage.

 

From there, though, following running 17 scrimmage plays in the first quarter, the Mohawks had just 26 snaps the rest of the way – not including four punts.

 

The Indians answered by overcoming ALL of their adversity – the early deficit, more players exiting due to injury, and the gauntlet of emotions Northwest was playing with.

 

Valley – following its two turnovers in its first seven scrimmage plays – executed its final 48 without another.

 

None were bigger than on the game-tying touchdown drive, which lasted a minute and 25 seconds and covered 53 yards in seven plays – and aided originally by a 15-yard Northwest penalty for fair catch interference on a Mohawk punt.

 

Connor Fell – the senior wide receiver now playing quarterback thanks to the unfortunate injury Andrew Andronis suffered on the first play of Valley’s first scoring series – first found Devin Wiley with a pass completion that gained 24 yards.

 

Wiley was open at the 35 and made the catch, then bounced off a would-be Northwest tackler and gained to the 29.

 

George Arnett, the six-foot freshman tailback who took over in the opening quarter for the injured Kayden Mollette, amounted 21 yards on the next play to the eight-yard line – his longest pickup of any of his 27 carries.

#
17
Name
Kayden Mollette
Position
2020
Current Team
Valley
Leagues
SEO, SOC2
Seasons
2019

Finally, facing 4th-down-and-goal from the Northwest 7, Fell found Arnett open in the front of the end zone for the touchdown – as the left-handed Fell rolled left towards the Mohawk pursuit and threw back right.

 

Arnett made the clutch catch on one knee, as just 35 seconds remained with the Indians now trailing 14-12.

 

Thus, the subsequent two-point conversion was just as big – if not bigger.

 

Fell rolled out again, and this time found Daegan Glover in traffic with three Mohawks immediately around him.

 

Glover made a difficult grab, then hit the paydirt hard – but held onto the ball – after taking a hit from one of those defenders.

 

As a result, the Indians and Mohawks were now tied for the first time since the five-and-a-half minute mark of the first quarter, as Northwest kneeled down at its own 29 and settled for overtime.

 

“They had big play-makers and we knew that. To keep them from making plays, we had to control the clock, which we did for the first quarter and part of the second half. But when they had the ball, we just kept getting ourselves out of position,” said Bill Crabtree. “They picked up momentum and we were comfortable with our lead, but credit them for making plays.”

 

Darren Crabtree certainly did.

 

“I was really happy with the way the kids responded to where we put them in at. We always say ‘next man up’, and they produced. That’s all we can ask of them,” he said. “I don’t believe George (Arnett) had any idea that coming into tonight he was going to touch the ball, but he is going to be a good one. It was good to see him make some plays. Connor Fell ran our offense extremely well, George kept getting more confidence, and we kept pounding them and wearing them down with our base plays. Then Fell made a couple of nice plays through the air on that fourth-quarter drive, including the throwback to George for the touchdown.”

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Arnett amassed 135 rushing yards, as the Indians rushed for 173 as a team on 44 attempts – most of which were without senior starting right guard Jacob Ward (6-2, 250), who was injured in the second quarter and did not return.

 

Fell finished 2-of-5 passing for 31 yards, and caught both of Andronis’ completions for 19.

 

The Indians punted twice compared to five times for Northwest, and doubled up the Mohawks in first downs 17-9.

 

Valley’s final first down was an Arnett 16-yard gain on the second play in overtime, setting up Glover going in from a yard away.

 

Austin Sommers, who missed his first extra-point kick, redeemed himself and made his second – making it 21-14.

 

Northwest then got two yards apiece on two carries by Nathan Rivers, sandwiched around a five-yard pickup to the 13 by Brayden Campbell.

#
24
Name
Nathan Rivers
Position
2021
Current Team
Northwest
Leagues
SEO, SOC1
Seasons
2019, 2020

But on 4th-down and less than a yard, the Indians’ defensive front got great surge – and stopped Wyatt Brackman before he reached the necessary 10-yard-line.

 

“We got the stop on third down to force 4th-and-1, and we got a good push from our down guys on that final play. We just trusted those guys up front to do what they are supposed to,” said Darren Crabtree. “Our linebackers then scraped in there and cleaned up the play at the end.

 

With that, the Indians had shut out the Mohawks for the final 36 minutes and 41 seconds of regulation – and overtime.

 

“We were our own worst enemy in the first quarter, giving them a short field two times to trail 14-0, then we had two opportunities to score in the second quarter and screwed that up,” said Crabtree. “We were moving the ball, and if we could just get some stops defensively…”

 

The Indians actually drove nine plays apiece and into the red zone on both of their second-stanza possessions before two turnovers on downs, so it wasn’t until their second series of the third quarter that finally paid dividends with precious points.

 

The entire march spanned 70 yards in 11 plays, and consumed six minutes and seven seconds off the clock.

 

Andronis opened the drive by scrambling for 13 yards to the 38, but he suffered an injured clavicle on the fall and tackle – with Fell then taking over under center.

 

Arnett actually carried on the next nine plays, breaking tackles for 14 yards to midfield before a 15-yard run moved the Indians into the red zone at the 7.

 

On the previous play, he gained seven yards, but another 15-yard personal-foul penalty on the Mohawks moved the ball to the Northwest 22.

 

Glover garnered his first 1-yard TD run on 3rd-and-goal – at the 1:55 mark.

That drive followed Northwest’s second three-and-out series, as the Mohawks – which had just 64 second-half and overtime yards on 23 plays compared to 89 yards on 22 plays in the first half – punted twice more before Valley went on its game-tying drive.

 

The Mohawks, operating from their traditional double-wing with tight line-splits formation, managed 153 yards on 43 carries – with Billy Crabtree leading the way with 59 yards on a dozen attempts.

 

Campbell and Rivers recorded 29 yards on seven and 10 totes respectively, while Brackman boasted 23 yards on seven tries.

 

Campbell converted Crabtree’s interception of Andronis with a 10-yard scoring run that capped a 21-yard, five-play drive.

 

Evan Lintz landed the Mohawks’ other touchdown from two yards out, ending a seven-play, 42-yard drive that spanned three minutes and three seconds – and  followed a fumbled Valley quarterback-center exchange.

 

While there were plenty of anxious Indian moments from opening kickoff to closing whistle, the bottom line was Valley rallied for the win.

 

“This isn’t exactly the way we drew it up coming in here, but we’ll take it,” said Darren Crabtree. “We have some work to do, some spots to patch back together, more injuries to overcome. But like I told our kids, sometimes an ugly win is a lot better than a pretty loss.”

 

The Indians open SOC II play next Friday night against Oak Hill, as the Oaks have rejoined the larger division from the SOC I.

Valley vs Oak Hill

Meanwhile, Northwest – a consensus favorite for the SOC I championship – travels to historic Spartan Stadium on Saturday night to begin league play at Notre Dame.

Notre Dame vs Northwest

The birthday boy Crabtree, while almost getting an ultimate gift with an upset of Valley, believes another present is in store for his Mohawks.

 

“I feel like we’ve turned a corner here. Things are headed in the right direction,” he said. “In the past, we would line up against Valley and they would have their way with us. Tonight we fought and clawed to the bitter end. Going into conference play, I am excited about the momentum we have going and it’s a great feeling thinking we have a chance (to win SOC I). We haven’t had that in a while.”

 

*     *     *

Valley 21, Northwest 14, OT   

Valley 0 0 6 8 7 – 21

Northwest 14 0 0 0 0 – 14

N — Brayden Campbell, 10-yard run (Dakota Secrest kick), 5:23, 1st (7-0 N)

N — Evan Lintz, 2-yard run (Dakota Secrest kick), :41, 1st (14-0 N)

V — Daegan Glover, 1-yard run (kick failed), 1:55, 3rd (14-6 N)

V — George Arnett, 7-yard pass from Conner Fell (Daegan Glover pass from Connor Fell), :35, 4th (14-14 tie)

V — Daegan Glover, 1-yard run (Austin Sommers kick), OT (21-14 V)

Team statistics

V N

First downs 17 9

Plays from scrimmage 55 45

Rushes-yards 44-173 43-153

Passing yards 50 0

Total yards 223 153

Cmp-Att-Int. 4-11-1 0-2-0

Fumbles-lost 3-1 2-0

Penalties-yards 5-35 6-70

Punts-average 2-29.5 5-39.6

——

Individual Leaders

RUSHING —Valley: George Arnett 27-135, Andrew Andronis 9-11, Daegan Glover 5-13 2TD, Kayden Mollette 2-16, Team 1-(-2) ; Northwest: Billy Crabtree 12-59, Nathan Rivers 10-29, Brayden Campbell 7-29 TD, Wyatt Brackman 7-23, Evan Lintz 4-13 TD, Austin Newman 2-0, Team 1-0

PASSING — Valley: Andrew Andronis 2-6-1-19, Connor Fell 2-5-0-31 TD; Northwest: Austin Newman 0-2-0-0

RECEIVING — Valley: Connor Fell 2-19, Devin Wiley 1-24, George Arnett 1-7 TD; Northwest: none

Northwest

# Offense CMP ATT INT PYDS TD ATT RUYDS TD REC REYDS TD
1Billy Crabtree0000012610000
11Brayden Campbell000007291000
14Austin Newman02000110000
24Nathan Rivers0000010270000
31Wyatt Brackman000008230000
34Evan Lintz000004121000
 Total02000421532000
# Defense Sacks Tackles INT FGM FGA
 Total00000

Valley

# Offense CMP ATT INT PYDS TD ATT RUYDS TD REC REYDS TD
1George Arnett00000251320170
11Connor Fell2502511602200
12Andrew Andronis27120010120000
17Kayden Mollette000002220000
21Devin Wiley000000001180
51Levi Osborne00000312000
 Total41214514117324450
# Defense Sacks Tackles INT FGM FGA
 Total00000

Details

Date Time League Season
September 27, 2019 7:00 pm SEO 2019

Court

Northwest

Another high stakes tilt between Pirates, Ironmen

Another high stakes tilt between Pirates, Ironmen

Jackson vs Wheelersburg

By PAUL BOGGS

 

Indeed, it’s this way with the Wheelersburg Pirates and the Jackson Ironmen once again.

 

Plenty of buildup, plenty of anticipation, plenty of hype, plenty of mutual respect, and plenty of ramifications following.

 

Oh, and absolutely don’t forget, PLENTY of computer points towards qualifying for the state playoffs awaiting the winner.

 

With Friday night’s annual week-five football clash between the two tradition-rich programs, there is – once again – much at stake.

 

This time, with Wheelersburg reviving its campaign with back-to-back victories after an 0-2 start, the Pirates travel to Jackson’s Alumni Stadium to square off against the undefeated Ironmen.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Since the renewal of this series in 2012, it has been one-sided in the win-loss column with Wheelersburg winning six of the previous seven meetings – as  Jackson’s 27-0 victory in 2014 was the only exception.

 

That was also the last time in which the Ironmen enjoyed an undefeated regular season, as they will need to knock off the improving Pirates if they are to accomplish such a feat once again.

 

Kickoff inside what should be an electric Alumni Stadium in the Apple City is set for 7 p.m.

 

The Pirates, which lead the Ironmen in the all-time series 15-7, played Jackson – prior to 2012 – in every season from 1976 thru 1989, and actually have won 11 of the past dozen meetings.

 

In fact, of the last six Wheelersburg victories, the closest the Ironmen have come was a 28-7 decision four years ago.

 

But, as 11-year Jackson head coach – and Wheelersburg graduate – Andy Hall said on Tuesday, the Ironmen aren’t shying away from playing the powerful Pirates.

 

“We’re always going to play Wheelersburg. These are teams you should want your program to play every year. It’s a measuring stick for your program, and I’m sure they look at it the same way,” he said.

 

This season’s Pirates, following the graduation of the winningest senior class in school history that produced two state semifinal appearances and the 2017 Division V state championship, have successfully righted the ship from season-opening lopsided losses against Ironton (30-6) and Columbus Hartley (44-6).

 

“The last two weeks have been extremely important for our team to grow and develop,” said Wheelersburg coach Rob Woodward. “We have been challenged in a number of ways defensively, offensively and in special teams and our guys have improved in all phases of the game.”

 

In both victories against Ashland (34-33 in overtime) and Greenup County (38-7), both Kentucky schools, the Pirates were certainly healthier – with Wheelersburg standout senior Makya Matthews the primary returnee.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Matthews, who scored the Pirates’ only points against Ironton on a 72-yard run, suffered a second-half shoulder injury in that contest – and did not play against Hartley.

 

#
29
Name
Makya Matthews
Current Team
Wheelersburg
Leagues
SEO, SOC2
Seasons
2019
Matthews made a major difference against Ashland, catching nine passes for 135 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown from quarterback Aaron Masters that put the Pirates on the board.

 

He also rushed nine times for 32 yards, and was one of three Wheelersburg ballcarriers with at least that many carries and yards.

 

Against Greenup, Matthews carried just three times for 50 yards, but 40 of them went for Wheelersburg’s initial score just 37 seconds in.

 

Masters completed 7-of-13 passes for 124 yards, as Evan Horsley (10 carries for 62 yards) and Carson Williams (eight carries for 59 yards) also rushed at least three times for 50.

 

Woodward said the current Pirates, in replacing several standouts on the offensive side from a year ago, are just now settling nicely into their roles.

 

“Our guys are really starting to adjust to not only their roles, but the roles of those around them and come together as a team,” said the coach. “We continue to improve in our overall health and that in turn provides us with more depth.  Practices have been fast, loose and focused, which is just what we want.”

 

And this week, the Pirates are expected to get senior wide receiver/defensive back Hunter Ruby back from injury.

 

Hall discussed Wheelersburg’s multi-dimensional offense.

 

“They are dangerous with several playmakers. (Makya) Matthews is the go-to guy, but these guys are just as good as some of their players of the past. They played two of the best programs in the state of Ohio in any division in Ironton and Hartley, and maybe didn’t have the experience level right away of some of the past Wheelersburg teams, but they are rolling right now. They can run it well, they can throw it well, they can line up in the spread and stretch your defense out, or they can line up in a power-I two-tight with eight men on the line and run it right down your throat which they have done to us before,” said Hall. “They have good size and speed as they always do, and we’re going to have to be at our best as far as being physical and tackling their athletes in space.”

 

Indeed, the 3-4 Ironmen defense – especially against the pass  – must be on its ‘A’ game.

 

While Jackson’s run defense has been dominant, the Red and White have surrendered some passing yards, although against the Pirates those yards can’t result in points.

 

The Ironmen must play physical against Wheelersburg, as the Pirates will try to establish the likes of Matthews, Horsley and Williams on the ground.

 

“Our calling card has always been being physical. We have to be physical up front Friday, or they will try to do to us like they did in 2015 (28-7 Wheelersburg win),” said Hall. “We are not real big up front, but we have speed to get to the ball. But we can’t let them push us around.”

 

Expect the Ironmen to employ their ball-control, clock-consuming running attack, which has produced 1,1,27 rushing yards on 211 carries to date.

 

Three senior running backs – Jayden Spires (65 carries for 444 yards and six touchdowns), Brice Graham (55 carries for 300 yards and four TD) and Mitchell Johnson (35 carries for 251 yards and 2 TD) – have complimented senior quarterback Jared Icenhower, who has completed 28-of-50 passes for 269 yards and four scores.

 

Woodward would prefer the Pirates’ offense be on the field as much as possible, so preventing the Ironmen from offensively shortening the game will be important.

 

“This week’s test will again be a huge challenge for our players to rise and show more growth and maturity. Jackson has a great run game with the ability to stretch the field on the play-action pass,” he said.

 

Hall hailed the Pirates’ defense, which is just as strong as their offense.

 

“Their defensive line sheds blocks so well, their linebackers play downhill and swarm to the football, and their secondary is always making plays around the ball,” he said. “We have to be able to hold onto the ball, and we really have to eliminate penalties.”

 

Eliminate the penalties, cut out the turnovers, and pick up the playoff points.

 

With the initial release of the official Ohio High School Athletic Association computer ratings, the Ironmen are seventh in Division III, Region 11, while Wheelersburg is sixth in Division V, Region 19.

 

The Pirates picked up valuable points in defeating the two Kentucky clubs, which are the equivalent of OHSAA Division III programs.

 

Wheelersburg especially benefited from four-win Ashland’s overtime victory against Ironton, which is already a three-win program and tied for the top ranking in Region 19 with Minford.

 

The Fighting Tigers already own 39-and-a-half Level 2 points, and a win over the Ironmen amounts the Pirates even more.

 

However, Jackson can pretty much say the same thing should it defeat the Pirates, which according to some observers are favored for Friday night’s outcome.

 

Indeed, it’s this way with Wheelersburg and Jackson once again.

 

“It’s a non-league game, but so much is always at stake,” said Hall. “Regardless of record, this game is great for both programs to see where you are at.”

 

Wheelersburg @ Jackson Game Thread

Jackson Leading Rushers

Wheelersburg Leading Rushers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trojans, Blue Devils duel in battle of unbeatens, Week 5 Preview Worthington Christian at Trimble, Valley at Northwest, Amanda-Clearcreek at Waverly

Trojans, Blue Devils duel in battle of unbeatens

Gallia Academy vs Portsmouth

By PAUL BOGGS & Kent Sanborn

 

 

Two tradition-rich and proud programs, which just happen to be 4-0 for the first time in ages, do battle on Friday night.

 

In a key Ohio Valley Conference clash, the Portsmouth Trojans travel the long trek to Gallia County to take on the Gallia Academy Blue Devils – the defending OVC champion.

 

Both teams are 4-0, with the Trojans 4-for-4 for the first time since 2002, while the Blue Devils hold that same mark – for the first time since 1994.

 

But, for the here and now, the winner will move to 2-0 in the OVC, as both captured their conference openers last week while looking to complete the first half of this season still undefeated.

 

Kickoff inside historic Memorial Field in Gallipolis is set for 7 p.m.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Dating back a decade ago in the now defunct Southeastern Ohio Athletic League, the Trojans have defeated the Blue Devils just twice – in 2009 and 2016.

 

That (2016) was Gallia Academy’s initial season in the OVC, as Portsmouth has been a member since a year earlier.

 

The Trojans tied Ironton for runner-up to the Blue Devils last season, thanks largely to senior running back Talyn Parker, who is back to his rushing – and scoring – ways.

 

#
1
Name
Talyn Parker
Position
2020
Height
5-11
Weight
195
Current Team
Portsmouth
Leagues
OVC, SEO
Seasons
2019
The reigning Division V Southeast District Offensive Player of the Year, Parker put up 266 rushing yards last week against injury-riddled Rock Hill, scoring all five of the Trojans’ touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversion runs in Portsmouth’s 40-28 victory.

 

Meanwhile, the Blue Devils – after edging arch-rival Point Pleasant 14-13 in the Big Blacks’ season-opener the week before – dominated against visiting Chesapeake, rolling to a 55-27 triumph.

 

#
3
Name
James Armstrong
Position
2021
Height
6-00
Weight
190
Current Team
Gallia Academy
Leagues
OVC, SEO
Seasons
2019, 2020
Gallia Academy’s own primary playmaker, junior James Armstrong, enjoyed an excellent game against the Panthers – running wild for 214 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.

 

Hence, one of the keys to Friday’s contest will be stopping the other’s speedster tailback.

 

Two years ago, in the Blue Devils’ 36-35 nailbiting win, Parker played big as a sophomore, so Gallia Academy is going to have to swarm him under and keep him in check.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

The Blue Devils do have an experience advantage up front, however, and are seen by many observers as a decided favorite for Friday night’s outcome.

 

The Trojan lines are indeed young, and two of Parker’s touchdowns last week went for 59 and 69 yards – in which he broke tackles, got free and utilized his speed.

 

Both teams, with the initial release of the Ohio High School Athletic Association computer ratings, are fourth in their respective regions (Portsmouth in Division V Region 19, Gallia Academy in Division IV Region 15).

 

Worthington Christian at Trimble

Trimble vs Worthington Christian

 

There must be something about the end zone that the Trimble Tomcats are overly protecting.

#
42
Name
Sawyer Koons
Position
2020
Height
6-00
Weight
225
Current Team
Trimble
Leagues
SEO, TVC-Hocking
Seasons
2019

That’s because the undefeated Tomcats – in scoring 35 points in the season opener against Nelsonville-York before back-to-back-to-back Tri-Valley Conference Hocking Division shutouts against Belpre (46), Meigs Eastern (48) and South Gallia (45) – have NOT been scored upon all season.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

You heard correct.

 

Not one touchdown, not one field goal, and not even one safety.

[event_scoreboard id=”1724″ number=”10″ align=”none”]

But this week, that shutout streak to start 2019 will face – by far – its most difficult challenge yet, as the 3-1 Worthington Christian Warriors will invade Tomcat country for an extremely significant non-league tilt.

 

Kickoff on Friday night inside Glouster Memorial Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m.

#
10
Name
Conner Wright
Position
2020
Height
5-11
Weight
190
Current Team
Trimble
Leagues
SEO, TVC-Hocking
Seasons
2018, 2019

The Warriors’ only loss is against undefeated Galion Northmor, as the remainder of WC’s opponents have combined for a mark of 2-10.

 

Like Trimble, the Warriors play primarily Division VI or VII squads, as the Tomcats’ toppled opponents are all 2-2 with the exception of 1-3 South Gallia.

#
12
Name
Cameron Kittle
Position
2020
Height
6-01
Weight
175
Current Team
Trimble
Leagues
SEO, TVC-Hocking
Seasons
2019

While Worthington Christian is only 13th in the Division VI, Region 24 computer ratings, the Tomcats sit in third in Division VI, Region 21.

 

Valley at Northwest

Northwest vs Valley

Speaking of protecting a house, that’s exactly what the Northwest Mohawks will attempt on Friday night when they welcome their nearby neighbor – the Valley Indians.

 

But this time, the Mohawks’ house has been superbly renovated, as Northwest will play its first true home game this season – amid its nice new upgraded facilities.

#
12
Name
Andrew Andronis
Position
2021
Current Team
Valley
Leagues
SEO, SOC2
Seasons
2019, 2020

Kickoff at Northwest High School is set for 7 p.m.

 

Both schools are members of the Southern Ohio Conference, but like the Oak Hill Oaks of last week, Northwest of the SOC I faces Valley of the non-league SOC II.

 

Between the lines, the Indians are 3-1 and on a three-game win streak – and could be 4-0 had they not been plagued by mistakes in their 32-27 season-opening loss at Portsmouth.

 

The young Mohawks (2-2), meanwhile, had their two-game win streak snapped at Oak Hill, as the Oaks are now in the SOC II after dominating the SOC I for a decade.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

Northwest is now the biggest fish in that small-school pond, as it plays primarily juniors, sophomores and freshmen – despite its dramatically increased numbers.

 

The Indians are more experienced, and currently hold the eighth spot in the Division VI Region 24 computer ratings.

 

Amanda-Clearcreek at Waverly

Waverly vs Amanda-Clearcreek

 

The Amanda-Clearcreek Aces and Waverly Tigers will play some serious computer games this week, with Friday night’s non-league encounter between a pair of Ohio playoff regulars.

 

The Aces are undefeated while the Tigers are 3-1, as kickoff inside Raidiger Field in Waverly is set for 7 p.m.

 

In a potential playoff points pick-me-up, the Tigers – with wins over Athens and at Fairland – can make a major move in the Division IV, Region 15 rankings.

 

That’s because the Aces are 4-0 in Division V, Region 19, although two of those triumphs are against Liberty Union and Fairfield Union – both winless on the year.

 

Amanda is third in Region 19 while Waverly is fourth in Region 15, as the Tigers’ lone loss is against Unioto, which handled them to the tune of 41-14.

 

That is the same Sherman squad that the Aces, operating out of the power-I and succeeding, trumped 32-14.

 

Raidiger Field will also double as Payton’s Place on Friday night.

#
1
Name
Payton Shoemaker
Position
2020
Height
5-09
Weight
155
Current Team
Waverly
Leagues
SEO, SOC2
Seasons
2019

 

While Waverly and its spread-the-field finesse philosophy is paced by senior running back Payton Shoemaker, Amanda-Clearcreek counters with a power-running attack – engineered by senior quarterback Payton Madison.

 

Expect the Aces to employ a ball-control style, trying to play defense by keeping Shoemaker on the sidelines.

 

Jesse Connell is the lead running back and the Aces’ top defensive player, while wide receiver Jayse Miller is a nephew of former legendary A-C head coach Ron Hinton.

 

Amanda’s aerial assault – unlike the Tigers – isn’t expected to be much more than screens, slants and comeback routes.

 

The Aces have, however, had eight turnovers in the previous three weeks.

Parker, Trojans push past Rock Hill

vs

Results

Team1234TOutcome
Portsmouth8816840Win
Rock Hill866828Loss

Parker, Trojans push past Rock Hill

By PAUL BOGGS

Photo’s by Kent Sanborn

PEDRO — Speed kills.

So do turnovers at the most inopportune times.

For two-and-a-half quarters on Friday night, the undermanned Rock Hill Redmen matched the heavily-favored and visiting Portsmouth Trojans score for score.

But, like many other teams before them, the Redmen simply couldn’t catch Portsmouth senior Talyn Parker – before they were undone by two lost fumbles which led directly to 14 second-half Portsmouth points.

[the_ad id=”2695″]

#
1
Name
Talyn Parker
Position
2020
Height
5-11
Weight
195
Current Team
Portsmouth
Leagues
OVC, SEO
Seasons
2019
In the end, Parker – the reigning Division V Southeast District Offensive Player of the Year – poured on 266 rushing yards and all five Trojan touchdowns, and Portsmouth posted a 40-28 Ohio Valley Conference victory.

The matchup marked the OVC opener for both clubs, as Portsmouth stayed undefeated at 4-0, while the Redmen remain winless at 0-4.

[event_scoreboard id=”1716″ number=”10″ align=”none”]

In fact, for the Trojans, it is the first time that the tradition-rich program has started a season with four triumphs since 2002.

That is important, per Portsmouth second-year head coach Bruce Kalb.

Head Coach Bruce Kalb

Current Team
Portsmouth
Past Teams
Waverly
“I’m very happy for this group of seniors and very proud of the work they have done so far for this 4-0 start. They deserve all the credit as the leaders on this team,” he said. “To do something that hasn’t been done in 17 years is special. We have a lot of football ahead of us of course and a lot of things we need to clean up and work on, but these seniors have led the way and deserve this start to the season that we’ve had.”

While it’s been an excellent beginning to 2019 for the Trojans, it’s been the exact opposite for the Redmen.

Rock Hill has suffered several injuries – some season-ending – over the course of the first four games, including starting senior running backs Zak Adkins and T.J. McGinnis.

Add to that MASH unit on Friday was fellow senior starting back Logan Hankins, who didn’t play in the second half due to suffering concussion-like symptoms.

But the Redmen gave an excellent effort against the talented Trojans, as their two tight end T-formation full-house offense moved the ball – often times at will.

However, Rock Hill fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half, as the Trojans recovered and scored four plays later to go up 24-14.

[event_scoreboard id=”1717″ number=”10″ align=”none”]

Then, late in the third quarter, the Redmen fumbled following an eight-play four-minute and 15-second drive – in which they moved from midfield to just inside the red zone.

[the_ad_placement id=”in-feed”]

Following five plays of 10 yards or more, and only two minutes later, Parker posted his fifth and final touchdown – a 25-yard run to double the lead at 40-20 with 10-and-a-half minutes remaining.

“The final score doesn’t reflect how hard our kids played and how well we played at times,” said Rock Hill head coach Mark Lutz. “I thought we handled the line of scrimmage most of the game, which is what we tried to do. That’s the best our offensive line has blocked all year. We had kids out injured and we lost Logan Hankins early, then we’re playing (Talyn) Parker who is just lightning in a bottle. If you don’t tackle him, more than likely he is going to break one. He had two long runs tonight. Then we had two unfortunate turnovers at the wrong times, one of which set up a short field for them and the other we were driving the ball. We controlled the line of scrimmage, and there weren’t too many negative plays that we had. A loss is a loss, but our kids played hard and that’s all I can ask of them.”

The Redmen, which did not attempt a single pass, ran the football 55 times for a massive 302 yards and picked up 24 first downs.

“It’s such a difficult offense to face,” said Kalb. “You really have to be disciplined. Rock Hill has big powerful offensive linemen and their backs run very hard. Here they are picking up four, five, six yards on you every time, but I thought we hung in there and we made some good adjustments in the second half.”

Logan Hankins had 46 first-half yards and a touchdown on seven carries, but sophomore Owen Hankins and junior Hayden Harper carried 20 times apiece, as Hankins amounted 142 yards while Harper hit for 102 and two short touchdown runs (four and two yards).

#
3
Name
Owen Hankins
Position
2022
Current Team
Rock Hill
Leagues
OVC, SEO
Seasons
2019, 2020, 2021

Parker picked up his 266 yards on 16 carries, as the Trojans rushed 27 times for 331 yards as a team.

Drew Roe, Portsmouth’s sophomore quarterback, completed 11-of-17 passes for 137 yards – with Eric Purdy catching eight of Roe’s passes for 107 yards.

Roe rushed four times for 32 yards, as the Trojans did not punt, did not commit a turnover, and racked up 22 first downs.

The Trojans also converted all five of their extra-point tries – which were all two-point conversions.

“Those (two-point conversions) are plays we’ve been working a lot on in practice. We’ve had some issues in the kicking game, and we knew there are going to be times when we need to go for two. You want to trust and have confidence in going for two points,” said Kalb. “We did a nice job of executing all of those attempts. And in a 12-point final score, 10 points makes a huge difference.”

Meanwhile, Rock Hill went 2-of-4 on two-point attempts, including a pass failure on its second touchdown with 4:16 remaining in the second quarter.

Harper capped an impressive 13-play, 66-yard, seven-minute and three-second scoring march with a four-yard plunge to make it 16-14, as the Redmen actually appeared to convert the subsequent two-point run attempt.

But a chop block penalty was called on the Redmen, negating the conversion and forcing Rock Hill to retry the PAT at the 17-yard-line.

The second attempt failed, but Lutz labeled the fumbling of the second-half kickoff as “the death to us.”

The Redmen received the kick, but it bounced right off the return man –and into the arms of Portsmouth’s Reade Pendleton who recovered right at the 26.

Four plays and a minute and 49 seconds later, Parker cut up for an 11-yard TD run, as Roe completed the two-point conversion pass to Michael Duncan for a 24-14 Trojan advantage.

The Redmen returned to their ground assault, driving 65 yards and nine plays in four-and-a-half minutes, as Harper had his 2-yard run to trim the deficit to 24-20.

The two-point run attempt failed, and Parker burned Rock Hill with his second scoring run of at least 59 yards – a 69-yard scamper at the 4:38 mark of the third quarter.

On the game’s opening play, Parker broke about a half-dozen tackles on a 59-yard dash to the end zone – just 23 seconds into the contest.

“What more can you say about Talyn?” said Kalb. “But the thing is, he just keeps getting better.”

Tyler McCoy made it 32-20 with his two-point conversion run, as the Redmen then moved the ball exactly 34 yards to the Portsmouth 17 before fumbling.

The Trojans recovered, and Roe completed passes to Purdy for 13 and 14 yards, sandwiched around 10 and 18-yard gains by Parker – prior to his 25-yard scoring sprint.

Roe’s two-point pass to Bryce Wallace officially doubled the advantage, which was Portsmouth’s largest of the night.

The Redmen made it 40-28 with a 14-play, 64-yard, seven-minute and 17-second scoring march that picked up five first downs – and was capped off by a Hunter Massie 1-yard QB sneak.

Harper ran in the two-point conversion, as Logan Hankins had Rock Hill’s opening touchdown and two-point run – a 9-yarder to cap an eight-play, 68-yard drive at the 7:25 mark of the opening quarter.

That tied the score at 8-8, as Portsmouth never trailed, going ahead 16-8 just 40 seconds into the second quarter after a five-play, 56-yard drive that spanned a minute and 22 seconds.

Roe ran for 15 yards to move the Trojans into Rock Hill territory, as another Roe completion to Purdy for 40 yards set up Portsmouth 1st-and-goal at the 2.

The Trojans succeeded with Roe throws to Purdy in the flat, and letting Purdy pick up yards after the catch.

#
2
Name
Drew Roe
Position
2022
Height
235
Weight
5-06
Current Team
Portsmouth
Leagues
OVC, SEO
Seasons
2019, 2020, 2021
“Of course, once Talyn gets going, we want Drew to throw enough and complete enough passes to keep the defense honest,” said Kalb. “We have a lot of playmakers on this team besides Talyn, and it’s important we get them involved and keep them involved if we are going to be successful.”

Parker finished the drive on the next play, and ran in the two-point conversion run.

The Redmen return to OVC action next Friday when they travel to Fairland, while Portsmouth returns to the road – and returns to OVC play – at defending champion Gallia Academy.

The Blue Devils defeated Chesapeake 55-27, thus setting up a matchup of undefeateds at historic Memorial Field in Gallipolis.

Fairland vs Rock Hill

Gallia Academy vs Portsmouth

 

*     *     *

Portsmouth 40, Rock Hill 28  

Portsmouth 8 8 16 8 – 40

Rock Hill 8 6 6 8 – 28

P — Talyn Parker, 59-yard run (Talyn Parker run), 11:37, 1st (8-0 P)

RH —  Logan Hankins, 9-yard run (Logan Hankins run), 7:25, 1st (8-8 tie)

P — Talyn Parker, 2-yard run (Talyn Parker run), 11:20, 2nd (16-8 P)

RH — Hayden Harper, 4-yard run (pass failed), 4:16, 2nd (16-14 P)

P— Talyn Parker, 11-yard run (Michael Duncan pass from Drew Roe), 10:04, 3rd (24-14 P)

RH — Hayden Harper, 2-yard run (run failed), 5:29, 3rd (24-20 P)

P — Talyn Parker, 69-yard run (Tyler McCoy run), 4:38, 3rd (32-20 P)

P — Talyn Parker, 25-yard run (Bryce Wallace pass from Drew Roe), 10:24, 4th (40-20 P)

RH  — Hunter Massie, 1-yard run (Hayden Harper run), 3:03, 4th (40-28 P)

Team statistics

P RH

First downs 22 24

Plays from scrimmage 44 55

Rushes-yards 27-331 55-302

Passing yards 137 0

Total yards 468 302

Cmp-Att-Int. 11-17-0 0-0-0

Fumbles-lost 1-0 3-2

Penalties-yards 5-56 4-30

Punts-average 0-0 1-29

Individual Leaders

RUSHING — Portsmouth: Talyn Parker 16-266 5TD, Drew Roe 4-32, Donavon Carr 2-14, Beau Hammond 1-12, Tyler McCoy 3-8, Team 1-(-1); Rock Hill: Owen Hankins 20-142, Hayden Harper 20-102 2TD, Logan Hankins 7-46 TD, Skylar Kidd 5-19, Hunter Massie 3-(-7) TD

PASSING — Portsmouth: Drew Roe 11-17-0-137; Rock Hill: none

RECEIVING — Portsmouth: Eric Purdy 8-107, Bryce Wallace 2-16, Michael Duncan 1-14; Rock Hill: none

Portsmouth

# Offense CMP ATT INT PYDS TD ATT RUYDS TD REC REYDS TD
1Talyn Parker00000162665000
2Bryce Wallace000000002160
4Donavon Carr000002140000
5Drew Roe1116013703200000
9Eric Purdy0000000081070
14Michael Duncan000000001140
19Beau Hammond000001120000
35Tyler McCoy00000380000
 Total111601370253205111370
# Defense Sacks Tackles INT FGM FGA
 Total00000

Rock Hill

# Offense CMP ATT INT PYDS TD ATT RUYDS TD REC REYDS TD
3Logan Hankins000007461000
12Hunter Massie000003-71000
25Owen Hankins00000201420000
29Hayden Harper00000201022000
32Skyler Kidd000005190000
 Total00000553024000
# Defense Sacks Tackles INT FGM FGA
 Total00000

Details

Date Time League Season
September 20, 2019 7:00 pm OVC 2019

Court

Portsmouth

Games of the Week: Pirates aim for another win after 0-2 start; Portsmouth West @ Wellston, Northwest @ Oak Hill

By PAUL BOGGS

Photo’s by Kent Sanborn

 

Greenup County KY vs Wheelersburg

The Wheelersburg Pirates, and Makya Matthews, got knocked down.

#
29
Name
Makya Matthews
Current Team
Wheelersburg
Leagues
SEO, SOC2
Seasons
2019

However, against Ashland last week, they got up.

Now, will Wheelersburg stay up and make something serious of its season, which started at 0-2 with blowout opening losses against Ironton and Columbus Hartley.

This week, following their dramatic 34-33 overtime comeback victory over previously-undefeated Ashland, the Pirates travel across the Ohio River into Kentucky to take on the Greenup County Musketeers.

Kickoff on “The Farm” for Friday night is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Pirates are attempting to follow the pattern of their Southern Ohio Conference Division II brethren, the Minford Falcons, whose read-option offense burned the host Musketeers for 410 yards on 43 carries last week – en route to a 45-27 win.

Greenup County comes into the contest at 2-2, and still has standout quarterback and Marshall University signee Eli Sammons.

But Wheelersburg has much-needed momentum, and the Pirates picked themselves up by rallying past the Tomcats.

Ashland scored the opening 13 points, prior to Wheelersburg scoring the next 21 over the next two quarters.

In the fourth quarter, Wheelersburg kicker Braxton Sammons booted a pair of field goals – including the 45-yarder with nine seconds remaining to force the 27-27 tie and the extra period.

#
80
Name
Braxton Sammons
Position
2022
Current Team
Wheelersburg
Leagues
SEO, SOC2
Seasons
2019, 2020, 2021

In the overtime, the Tomcats scored first, but Matthews – who was injured against Ironton and didn’t play in the Pirates’ 44-6 loss to Columbus Hartley – had the winning touchdown run with Sammons kicking the extra point.

Matthews made a major difference, catching nine passes for 135 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown from quarterback Aaron Masters that put the Pirates on the board.

He also rushed nine times for 32 yards, and was one of three Wheelersburg ballcarriers with at least that many carries and yards.

While Matthews’ return was indeed an individual highlight, Wheelersburg coach Rob Woodward discussed the importance of the Pirates overcoming early-season adversity as a team.

Head Coach Rob Woodard

Current Team
Wheelersburg
“Last week’s win was huge for us. All the work our players have put in paid off in a tough battle with a great team in Ashland,” he said. “The all-out effort that was displayed by so many different players on our team showed how they have grown in the face of adversity. We have now faced top talent in the first three weeks of the season and we have to continue to improve in our level of play.”

 

 

The Pirates plan on doing that against the Musketeers.

If they can follow the Falcon blueprint, Matthews, Carson Williams (nine carries for 33 yards vs. Ashland) and Evan Horsley (12 carries for 46 yards) may have big rushing games.

Minford’s only ballcarriers, quarterback Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis (266 yards on 23 carries) and running back Ty Wiget (144 yards on 20 carries), combined for the 410 yards with the read-option attack.

In addition, a ground assault prevents the six-foot, six-inch tall Sammons from going on an aerial raid.

Sammons completed 15-of-34 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns in the loss to Minford.

“Eli Sammons is an outstanding player for Greenup who can sling the ball all over the field. He is also a vital part of their running game this year,” said Woodward. “We must continue to improve and control the things we can control as a team and work to improve.”

And, another win would put the Pirates right back to 2-2 – with another important and colossal contest looming next week at undefeated Jackson.

 

Portsmouth West at Wellston

Wellston vs Portsmouth West

A pair of 2-1 squads looking to continue a solid start to the season meet for the fifth consecutive campaign come Friday night.

In one of the more interesting matchups this week, the Portsmouth West Senators – after defeating Jay Lucas’ current club – travel to face his former squad in the Wellston Golden Rockets.

West will also aim to extend its winning streak over Wellston to four, as this series started four years ago – with West winning the last three (34-8 in 2016, 31-6 in 2017 and 35-0 in 2018) by a combined score of 100-14.

The Golden Rockets recorded the series’ first victory – a 46-6 romp in 2015.

Kickoff inside Wellston’s C.H. Jones Field is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Senators, after a turnover-plagued performance against Portsmouth, bounced back nicely with a 21-12 triumph last week at Coal Grove.

Coal Grove is coached by Lucas, who returned to his alma mater after spending the past two seasons leading Wellston.

The Senators’ patented ground game got going with William Journey, who rushed for 112 yards on 23 carries.

#
13
Name
William Journey
Height
5-07
Weight
160
Current Team
Portsmouth West
Leagues
SEO, SOC2
Seasons
2019

Their defense also pitched a shutout over the final 31 minutes and 46 seconds.

The Golden Rockets, after a 23-6 season-opening setback at Jackson, have handled rebuilding programs Piketon (44-22) and Hebron Lakewood (30-7) in their two tilts since.

This will be Wellston’s first home bout this season, as the Senators are indeed a step up in competition for the Blue and Gold.

But Ben Johnson, the Senators’ head coach, knows Wellston and first-year head coach Mike Smith present a difficult challenge.

Wellston senior Rylan Molihan had his second straight 100-yard rushing game last  week – after the Golden Rockets totaled just 48 offensive yards at Jackson.

Molihan went off for 266 yards on 22 carries at Lakewood, and has three rushing touchdowns in his last two games.

“Wellston has a new coach, and they are running a lot more spread offense than what you typically would see out of a Wellston team,” said Johnson. “It’s 2-1 vs. 2-1, so it’s going to be a big game up there. We have to go to their place, it’s like this (Coal Grove) it’s a hostile environment, and we have to be ready to play our ‘A’ game.”

 

Northwest at Oak Hill

Oak Hill vs Northwest

For the past five seasons, this was often the game which decided the Southern Ohio Conference Division I championship.

Although, Oak Hill – thanks largely to winning the numbers game – won each of those five meetings against Northwest, part of four SOC I championships for the Oaks over the same span.

But now, Northwest is the biggest fish in the SOC-I pond, as Oak Hill has moved up to the larger-school SOC II.

Still, this week’s now non-league encounter in Oak Hill is indeed intriguing, as the Mohawks are off to a 2-1 start while the Oaks are 1-2.

Kickoff inside Oak Hill’s Davis Stadium is set for 7 p.m.

Northwest won its last two games in easy fashion (35-7 over McClain and 52-16 at Huntington), while Oak Hill – coached by first-year mentor and 2009 Northwest graduate Paul Carver – had a 20-0 shutout of Rock Hill for its first victory.

Both clubs are young overall, playing primarily juniors and sophomores and even a few freshmen, and both prefer to run the ball.

The Mohawks must defend Oak Hill senior running back Triston Diltz, who went off against the Redmen for 198 yards and two touchdowns on only 10 carries.

His two TD covered 83 yards on the first and 65 on the second.

Northwest will likely run by committee – with junior Nathan Rivers, sophomore Brayden Campbell and freshman Wyatt Brackman.

That trio combined for 417 yards on 42 carries in the Mohawks’ scalping of Huntington last week.

Oak Hill has won the last seven meetings in the series, as the two – prior to the past five years – previously played in 2007 and 2008.

Those two years were also non-league affairs, as Northwest was the one in the SOC II.

In the other six all-time meetings, Northwest has won four (1973, 1974, 1982 and 1985), while Oak Hill has taken two (1978 and 1983).