by Gregg Meadows
The OHSAA state football playoffs returned to Jack Anderson Stadium on Friday, Oct. 27 when 8-2 Tri-Valley hosted 5-5 Buckeye Valley (from Delaware County) in a Week 11 first round contest.
After a sluggish first half, Coach Cam West and his Scotties held a slim 7-6 lead over a competitive Barons gridiron squad after two quarters of play. But it must have been a doozy of a halftime speech that Coach West delivered to his team, as the second half was all Tri-Valley, with the Scotties forcing four second-half turnovers and scoring 35 unanswered points to win going away and advance.
The Scotties will play unbeaten Granville (53-27 winners over Bexley in their 1st round game) on Friday, Nov. 3 on the Blue Aces home field; kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m. in the D-III, Region 11 semi-final at Granville High school. Granville finished the regular season as the third-ranked team in Region 11, while the Scotties rolled into the post-season at the No. 6 spot.
In the Buckeye Valley win, the Scotties and Barons battled to a 0-0 tie after one quarter of play, but the host black-and-gold lit up the scoreboard with a nifty one-yard Max Lyall to Erik Neal ‘pop-pass’ over the line of scrimmage, then a Bode McCullough PAT had Tri-Valley up 7-0 at 8:54 of the second period.
Buckeye Valley used the arm of sophomore quarterback Nathan Huss to move down the field on the Baron’s ensuing drive, which was capped by a Huss to Marcus Hemphill three-yard scoring toss. Scottie standout lineman Chris Gargasz broke through the line on the PAT attempt to block the kick and send his team to the halftime locker-room with their slim 7-6 advantage.
After the Scotties forced a punt on the Barons’ first drive of the second half, TV standout tailback Jayden Wallace took over the offense, capping a 46-yard scoring drive with a six-yard touchdown run at 7:14 of the third quarter, and a McCullough Pat had the home team up 14-6.
But back came Buckeye Valley, as QB Nathan Huss passed – and ran – his team down the field once again, capping their scoring drive with his own 14-yard scamper through the middle of the Scottie defense. Scottie two-way standout Kade Hindel then made a big play, thwarting a Baron two-point conversion attempt with a sure tackle, as the Scotties held tight to a 14-12 lead.
That’s when the floodgates opened for the Scotties, as the Dawgs would score the game’s next 35 points to win going away 49-12.
Lyall closed the third quarter of play, engineering a pair of scoring drives capped by a pair of touchdown tosses to sure-handed Keaton Hahn of 16 and nine yards.
Jayden Wallace then closed the door on the Barons, exploding through Buckeye Valley defenders for two scoring runs of 28 yards (at 11:45), then 15 yards at 8:54 of the fourth quarter. Fittingly, Kade Hindel capped his big game on both sides of the ball with a 35-yard ‘pick-six’ with 6:15 remaining, as Bode McCullough’s 59th PAT of the season (on 59 attempts) sailed through the uprights for the game’s final tally.
Wallace’s 173 yards on 20 carries with three end zone visits paced the Scottie offense, while Lyall went 10-15 for 84 yards and three scoring tosses; Hindel’s big game included eight defensive stops, two interceptions, and three catches for 23 yards. Keaton Hahn caught two Lyall aerials 25 yards and two scores, and Erik Neal hauled in three passes for 23 yards and a six-pointer as well.
Scottie senior linebacker Drake Durst, DB Kade Hindel and lineman Chris Gargasz led the Scottie defense, along with fellow top tacklers Kam Karns, Carter Dinan, Ashton Sensibaugh, Nathan Better, Logan McClellan, Erik Neal, and Steyr Rognon, who also had an interception.
Back on Oct. 23 in the regular season finale at Jack Anderson Stadium, the Scotties defeated the visiting John Glenn Muskies 42-7 on Senior Night at Jack Anderson Stadium.
The win enabled the Scotties to not only grab the conference trophy all to themselves, but also earned them a prized home game in their post season opener.
In the John Glenn win, TV scored a touchdown in the first and second periods of play for a 14-0 halftime lead, then tacked on a pair of end zone visits in the third quarter, and two more in the final period of play for the final 42-7 tally.
Scottie junior tailback Jayden Wallace got the home team on the board first with a 35-yard touchdown tear through the Muskies defense at 4:35 of the first frame, then a three-yard burst up the middle from Tanner Newton at 9:41 of the second quarter had the home team up 14-0 at intermission.
TV QB Max Lyall tossed a 40-yard scoring aerial to Keaton Hahn at 10:42 of the third period, then a 35-yard strike to Kade Hindel with 6:45 left in the third quarter. John Glenn’s Noah Winland prevented a Scottie shutout with his third quarter short yardage score, but the home team added another Lyall to Hahn hook-up for six points, then another Tanner Newton rushing touchdown with 5:02 left in the game, with Bode McCullough’s final PAT (he was 6-6) provided the final points on the big home scoreboard.
Lyall was an efficient 14 for 17 for 232 yards and three scores, with Kade Hindel leading Scottie receivers with six grabs for 107 yards and a score, and Keaton Hahn hauling in four Lyall tosses for 75 yards and two six-pointers. Jayden Wallace led all ground-gainers with 107 yards on 16 carries and a score, with Newton adding 20 yards on six carries and two end zone visits.
The stingy Tri-Valley defense – led by top tacklers Tanner Newton, Drake Durst, Kam Karns, Gavin Spiker, Ashton Sensibaugh, Nate Better, Jaleel Brown, Logan McClellan, Kade Hindel Chris Gargasz, Erik Neal, and Boston Smith – held the visiting Muskies to 170 total yards of offense, while Hindel and Newton added interceptions as well.
