Defense pitches shutout as Chiefs march on
Bellefontaine continued to get balanced play on both sides of the ball to keep rolling Friday night.
Bellefontaine’s Johnny Ganson (8) takes off after catching a pass in the first half against Springfield Shawnee. (EXAMINER PHOTO | TONY BARRETT)
The Chieftain defense recorded its second shutout in three weeks and a physical ground game accounted for 285 yards in a 35-0 blanking of host Springfield Shawnee.
Bellefontaine is now 7-1 overall and 3-0 in the Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail division. The Chiefs clinched at least a share of the KT title with the win.
A big part of Bellefontaine’s success this season has been a result of a defense that improves by the week. Bellefontaine held Shawnee (4-4, 1-1) to 211 yards of offense and came up with four turnovers and has allowed just six points over the last three games.
Offensively, the Chiefs put 28 first-half points on the scoreboard and never looked back.
Sophomore running back Garrett Gross churned out 174 yards on 22 carries and senior quarterback Dezmin Lyburtus tossed a pair of touchdown passes to senior Johnny Ganson to propel the Chieftain offense.
Lyburtus threw for 134 yards on 7 of 11 passing and added 68 rushing yards on 16 carries.
Jerome Smith added 31 rushing yards on four carries, while Ganson had two catches for 60 yards to lead the receivers. Parsley caught three passes for 51 yards and Jack Clement made two grabs for 17 yards.
Kaidon Davis-Hughes was very active for the Chieftain defense, recording an interception and two fumble recoveries.
Shawnee mustered just 86 rushing yards on 34 carries and completed 11 of 21 passes for 125 yards.
Dixon’s late TD sends Lakers over Hillclimbers
Indian Lake delivered in crunch time Friday as it rallied for a 20-13 win over visiting Urbana in Central Buckeye Conference Mad River division action.
Indian Lake’s Dylan Knotts stiff arms Urbana’s Max Niswonger after making a catch in the second quarter of their game Friday at ILHS. (EXAMINER PHOTO | AARON LaBATT)
Connor Dixon scored on 1-yard touchdown run with 15 seconds left to break a 13-13 tie and give the Lakers the win.
The Lakers improve to 6-2 overall and stay atop the Mad River division at 3-0. The Hillclimbers fall to 2-6, 1-1.
Jacobs led the Laker offense by completing 16 of 26 passes for 247 yards and a score.
Coburn hauled in 83 receiving yards on six catches, Dylan Knotts had 72 receiving yards on three grabs and Kale Shoffner had 49 receiving yards on three catches. Dixon finished with 72 rushing yards on 21 carries and had two scores.
Raiders cage Falcons
Benjamin Logan got its offense rolling again Friday as it bounced host Graham 46-26 in a Central Buckeye Conference Mad River division contest.
The Raiders piled up 480 yards of total offense on their way to improving to 5-3 overall and 2-0 in the league. The Falcons drop to 1-7, 0-3.
Derek Coy fueled the Ben Logan offense with 243 passing yards and three touchdowns on 17 completions.
Trent Berry was impressive on the ground with 220 rushing yards and three scores on 28 attempts. Cole Waugh finished with 74 receiving yards and Grant Ward had 72 receiving yards.
Defensively for the Raiders, Sam Knight tallied eight tackles with two sacks and Devin Coy had six tackles.
Tigers fight off late Fairbanks surge
West Liberty-Salem stopped a late comeback attempt by host Fairbanks on Friday as the Tigers held on for a 27-24 win in an Ohio Heritage Conference thriller.
WL-Salem’s Major Stratton (4) carries the ball down field against Fairbanks on Friday in Milford Center.(EXAMINER PHOTO | GARY KAUFFMAN)
The Tigers boost their record to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the OHC. The Panthers slip to 4-4, 3-3.
WL-Salem led 27-10 at halftime, but saw Fairbanks mount a rally with 14 points in the fourth quarter to get within three points.
The Tigers would not let the Panthers get any closer, though.
Major Stratton finished with 96 rushing yards on 22 carries and Braden Miller added 66 rushing yards on 23 carries for the Tigers. Levi Moell made two catches for 54 yards.
Mechanicsburg rumbles past Triad
There was little Triad could do to slow down visiting Mechanicsburg on Friday as the Indians rolled to a 42-0 Ohio Heritage Conference victory.
The Indians are now 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the OHC standings, while the Cardinals fall to 1-7, 1-5.
Jordan Simonelli sparked the Triad offense with 84 passing yards and 29 rushing yards. Cam Atchison had 38 receiving yards and Isaiah Bruce recorded 24 receiving yards.
Defensively for the Cardinals, Atchison had nine tackles, Logan McCoy made six tackles, Josiah Leasure had a sack and a fumble recovery and Ian Crabtree had an interception.
Ridgemont still searching for win
Hardin Northern picked up its second win of the season after defeating host Ridgemont 54-24 on Friday in Northwest Central Conference action.
The Polar Bears are now 2-6 overall and 1-4 in the NWCC, while the Gophers remain winless at 0-8, 0-5.
L.J. Jackson had a big night for Ridgemont with 212 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. He scored on runs of 3, 66 and 65 yards. He also had a two-point conversion.
The Gopher defense saw Jackson and Ethan Mouser record nine tackles each while Tyrese Patterson and Ryan Mowers both made six tackles.