Pirates outlast Comets 34-32 for thrilling NWCC victory
It was a tug-of-war between Riverside and visiting Elgin on Friday. In the end, the Pirates were able to hang on for a 34-32 Northwest Central Conference football victory.
The Pirates remain undefeated at 3-0 overall and 3-0 in the NWCC, while the Comets slide to 1-2, 1-2.
“It was good we faced some adversity and that we were able to respond,” said RHS head coach Bryce Hodge. “A year ago we didn’t win these types of games. It was nice to win, but we have a lot to work on.”
Riverside led 34-26 midway through the third quarter when Elgin scored with 1:25 left in the period. Trailing 34-32, the Comets went for a two-point run, but were stopped by the Pirates’ Landon Stewart.
“We just knew we had to get the stop,” said Hodge. “We felt pretty confident we could stop them. We had stopped them several times earlier in the game, but you’re still nervous. Landon made a nice play at the goal line to stop them.”
The two teams combined for 846 yards of total offense.
Fairbanks holds on for 49-48 win over WL-Salem
It was fireworks from start to finish between West Liberty-Salem and visiting Fairbanks on Friday as the Panthers escaped with a 49-48 win in an Ohio Heritage Conference North division shootout.
The Tigers (2-1, 1-1) trailed 49-34 with just under six minutes to go in the game. They were able to rally with two scores, including one in the final minute, but a failed two-point conversion prevented them from taking over the lead.
WL-Salem amassed 560 yards of total offense. The fourth quarter saw the Tigers and Panthers (3-0, 2-0) combine for 42 points.
Raiders wear down Hillclimbers 35-0 for first win of season
Benjamin Logan’s football team dominated host Urbana 35-0 on Friday for its first Central Buckeye Conference Mad River division win.
The Raiders (1-2, 1-1) piled up 341 total yards of offense, but it was the defense that really stood out, holding the Hillclimbers (0-3, 0-2) to just 86 total yards.
Senior quarterback Tanner Perkins sparked Ben Logan with 170 passing yards and two touchdown passes on just 10 completions. He also had a touchdown run.
Chiefs can’t contain Pioneers
Jonathan Alder put on an offensive display in the first half Friday and Bellefontaine could do little to stop it.
The Pioneers scored on their first four possessions and jumped out to a 38-0 halftime lead en route to a 38-8 victory over the host Chiefs at AcuSport Stadium.
Bellefontaine drops to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail division, while the Pioneers stay perfect at 3-0, 2-0.
Jonathan Alder now has a streak of 13 straight regular-season wins.
“They were able to get us on our heels early on and we could not stop their momentum,” said Bellefontaine head coach Jason Brown. “They are a very good football team. We couldn’t get our footing up front and they were able to play their game.”
The Pioneers piled up 466 total yards and limited Bellefontaine to 171 yards.
Lakers get on track with 34-8 win over Warriors
Indian Lake’s football team dominated host Northwestern 34-8 for the Lakers’ first victory of the season during a special Thursday night Central Buckeye Conference Mad River division game.
The Lakers are now 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the CBC Mad River, while the Warriors fall to 1-2, 1-1.
“We are really happy our guys played well enough to win,” said IL head coach Dave Coburn. “The defense played very well all night and our offense was able to find some big plays to put points on the scoreboard. Hopefully, we can build on this game and continue to improve as we get ready for Ben Logan (on Friday).”
It was an impressive effort on both sides of the ball for Indian Lake. The offense out gained the Warriors 459-187 in total yardage. The Laker defense also held the Warriors to just 51 rushing yards on the night.
For more on Friday’s games, pick up a copy of Saturday’s Examiner.