Tigers hang on for wild 42-41 win over Raiders
The fans at the Benjamin Logan vs. West Liberty-Salem football game Friday night certainly got their money’s worth.
In a back-and-forth battle that was decided in the final seconds, the host Tigers held on for a 42-41 victory.
Down by seven points, Ben Logan scored a touchdown with 14 seconds remaining to pull within a point.
However, a high snap on the extra-point attempt led to a failed kick, and that allowed the Tigers to come away with the one-point victory.
Both teams are now 1-1 on the season.
There was no shortage of yards Friday. The Raiders had 502 total yards and the Tigers finished with 353.
All but 27 of the Tigers’ yards came on the ground.
Junior running back Gabe McGill was the star of the game for WL-S. He piled up 267 yards and four touchdowns, including scoring runs of 86 and 56 yards.
The Raiders were balanced offensively with 260 passing yards and 242 rushing yards.
Senior Ben Logan quarterback Kam Allen was 20-34 for 260 yards and three touchdowns passing and he ran for 131 yards and another TD on 11 carries.
Gritty Coldwater runs past Chiefs
The Bellefontaine Chieftains fell to the Coldwater Cavaliers on Friday night in their home opener, 31-21.
The Chiefs got out to a slow start in the contest that forced them to play from behind very early.
After going 3-and-out on their opening offensive possession, Bellefontaine had its punt blocked on fourth down, and gave Coldwater good field position to begin its first possession.
Five plays later, Cavalier quarterback Marcel Blasingame scored from 18 yards out to make the game 7-0.
After the next Bellefontaine possession stalled, Coldwater took over the football at their own 15-yard line. They put together a 12-play, 85-yard drive that ended with another Blasingame touchdown run to make the score 14-0, with 11:47 left in the first half.
Bellefontaine would respond on the next drive, though, after a Coldwater penalty gave the Chiefs the ball at the Cavaliers’ 33-yard line.
It only took seven plays to get on the scoreboard, via a Tavien St. Clair touchdown pass to C.J Wilson from 11 yards out. That closed the gap to 14-7 with 8:26 left in the half.
After trading punts, Coldwater would get the ball on their own 20-yard line with 2:21 left in the half. Blasingame would again make the big play, this time with his arm as he connected for a 44-yard pass on a broken play to get the Cavaliers into the red zone.
Two plays later, Coldwater would punch it in, extending the lead to 21-7 going into halftime.
Jets cruise past Pirates
It has not been the kind of start Riverside’s football team was hoping for in 2022.
After a 36-14 loss to Ansonia in last week’s season opener, the Pirates were shut out 38-0 by host Northeastern in a non-league game Friday night.
The Jets accumulated 442 yards of offense, while the Pirates managed just 154.
“We are just not executing,” said Riverside head coach Bryce Hodge. “I thought out effort and intensity on defense was better tonight, but we are not playing consistent football. We are making too many mistakes.”
Riverside finished with 65 rushing yards on 31 attempts and 89 passing yards.
The Jets had a balanced attack with 215 rushing yards and 227 passing yards.
Lakers unable to keep pace with Panthers
Host Fairbanks scored three unanswered touchdowns over the final three quarters to pull away for a 28-7 victory over Indian Lake in a non-league football game Friday night.
The score was tied at 7-7 after one quarter, but the Panthers scored two touchdowns in the second quarter for a 21-7 halftime lead and they tacked on an insurance TD in the final period.
The Lakers are now 0-2 on the season. Fairbanks improves to 2-0.
Indian Lake registered 200 yards of offense, with 188 of that coming through the air.
The Lakers mustered just 18 rushing yards on 12 carries.
Complete local football coverage in Saturday’s Examiner