Chiefs swarm Arrows
Bellefontaine’s Dezmin Lyburtus (2) races to get ahead of Tecumseh’s Will Sowder (4) during Friday’s game at AcuSport Stadium.(EXAMINER PHOTO | TONY BARRETT)
A swarming defensive effort and a quick-strike offense resulted in a 41-0 homecoming rout for Bellefontaine over Tecumseh on Friday.
Quarterback Dezmin Lyburtus ran for four scores and tossed two touchdown passes as the Chiefs rolled up 447 yards of offense.
Defensively, Bellefontaine forced three turnovers and held the Arrows to just 141 yards of total offense.
Lyburtus scored on runs of 38, 75, 6 and 25 yards, while throwing touchdown passes of 23 and 43 yards to junior wide receiver Jack Clement.
Bellefontaine finished with 331 rushing yards on 33 carries. Lyburtus rushed for 178 yards on just nine attempts. Trey Stahler returned from an injury suffered against Troy and responded with 40 yards on eight carries. Jerome Smith had 41 yards on five rushes and Grant Smith added 39 yards on six runs.
Lyburtus was 7-of-12 passing for 116 yards. Clement made three grabs for 86 yards and William Parsley had 21 yards on two catches.
Kaidon Davis-Hughes aided the Chieftain defense with an interception.
Ben Logan mounts second-half comeback
Benjamin Logan’s football team delivered a thrilling second-half comeback Friday as it rallied to beat host Northwestern 28-24 in Central Buckeye Conference Mad River division play.
The Raiders even their record at 3-3 overall and are off to a 1-0 start in the CBC Mad River division. The Warriors also slip to 3-3 on the season and are 0-1 in the league.
Tanner Perkins led the Ben Logan offense with 212 passing yards on 14 completions and three touchdowns. Cole Waugh finished with 78 receiving yards on 10 catches with a score and had 64 rushing yards. Grant Ward tallied 100 receiving yards on six catches.
Defensively, Penhorwood led the Raiders with eight tackles, Cole Houser had six tackles with Dalton Rockhold, Colton Bowman and Devin Coy all recording five tackles.
Lakers bounce back, beat Falcons
Indian Lake’s passing attack continued to make strides Friday as the Lakers derailed Graham 26-7 in a Central Buckeye Conference Mad River division football game.
The Lakers improve to 4-2 overall and start CBC Mad River play at 1-0. The Falcons drop to 1-5, 0-1.
Sophomore Clay Jacobs was at the top of his game as he threw for 150 yards and three touchdown passes on 13 completions. All three went to standout senior wide receiver Collin Coburn.
The Indian Lake defense also stood out as it limited Graham to just 124 yards of total offense.
Coburn finished the game with 58 receiving yards on six catches. Dylan Knotts had 80 receiving yards on five catches. Connor Dixon led the Lakers’ rushing attack with 157 yards on 23 carries.
Pirates rout W-Goshen
It was another dominant performance by Riverside’s ground game Friday as the Pirates blasted host Waynesfield-Goshen for a 48-6 win in Northwest Central Conference action.
The Pirates move their record to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the NWCC, while the Tigers fall to 1-5, 0-3. Riverside’s offense amassed 445 yard of total offense, with 441 of that coming on the ground. Senior tailback Gaven Anderson led the way with 268 yards three touchdowns on 11 carries.
In addition to the big plays from Anderson, the Riverside offense saw Roby tally 81 rushing yards on 10 carries, Kale Long amass 41 yards on three carries and Derrick Cotterman total 32 yards on three carries.
Defensively for the Pirates, Nick Hall piled up 13 tackles, Gavin Stallard had nine tackles and a sack, Joel Cotterman had six tackles and a fumble recovery, Lucas Roby had seven tackles and a sack and Racine added six tackles. Andrew Racine came up with a defensive score for the Pirates with a 25-yard interception return.
Indians claim dramatic win over Tigers
An inadvertent whistle helped Mechanicsburg’s football team pull off a dramatic 14-7 win over state-ranked West Liberty-Salem on Friday in Ohio Heritage Conference action.
The Tigers, who are ranked 11th in the Division VI state poll, suffered their first loss. They are now 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the OHC. The Indians bump their record to 5-1, 3-1.
Jets take down Cardinals
Northeastern’s football team earned its first win Friday as it battled past host Triad for a 32-21 Ohio Heritage Conference victory.
The Jets are now 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the OHC as the Cardinals fall to the same mark of 1-5, 1-3.
Offensively for Triad, Jordan Simonelli threw for 164 yards on 20 completions and had one touchdown. He also had 43 rushing yards on nine carries. His top target was Isaiah Bruce, who had 98 receiving yards on 10 catches and a score. Cam Atchison added 65 receiving yards on seven grabs. Andy Martin led the ground game with 45 rushing yards on five carries and a touchdown.
Defensively for Triad, Riley Louck had nine tackles and a fumble recovery, Martin had nine tackles, Cam Boes had seven tackles and a fumble recovery and Easton Huffman had six tackles.
Comets scorch Gophers
Elgin caught fire early and never cooled off Friday as it raced past host Ridgemont 70-13 in Northwest Central Conference football action.
The Comets improve to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the NWCC. The Gophers remain winless at 0-6, 0-2.
Offensively for Ridgemont, Troy Cameron threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Tyrese Patterson hauled in 96 receiving yards on three catches and had two touchdowns, while Keaton Fout added 57 receiving yards on four catches. L.J. Jackson led the Ridgemont rushing attack with 81 yards on 19 carries.
Defensively, Cameron had four tackles and a fumble recovery, Dylan Ward had four tackles with Levi Beiler, Jackson, Ryan Mowers and Liam Kearns having three tackles each.