Blue Lions run past McClain

The McClain Tigers suffered a disappointing 49-25 loss to Washington Friday night in a game where the McClain defense struggled to slow down the Blue Lions’ rushing attack all night.

It was a big emotional letdown after the huge win over Chillicothe last week when the Tigers played well both offensively and defensively in winning their first Frontier Athletic Conference game in five seasons.

“We just didn’t play well tonight,” McClain head coach Keith Penwell said after the game. “I thought we played better in the second half but still made some mistakes, and that’s on me. It’s my job to get our kids ready to play, and I guess I didn’t do a good enough job of it this week.

“Give them credit, that Number 7 (Rocky Jones) is fast, and he’s a speedster. If you don’t get to him early, he’s gone.”

Jones, who is only a junior, ran for 190 yards on 17 carries and scored four touchdowns for the Blue Lions. He, along with senior running back Ian Rodgers-Wright, accounted for an amazing 359 total yards rushing for the game, with Rodgers-Wright running for 88 yards on just eight carries, and he also scored a touchdown.

The McClain offense was just as impressive with 273 yards on the ground, and senior Andrew Potts rolled up a game-high 220 yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns. Potts also eclipsed the 1,000-yard plateau on the season, now standing at 1,071 with two games still left to be played.

“Andrew (Potts) ran the ball well tonight,” Penwell said. “But he always runs the ball hard.

“I thought we blocked OK sometimes, and our offensive line did their jobs, and when we did that, we looked pretty good.”

The game started with Washington taking the football and marching 60 yards in six plays with Jones scoring his first of four touchdowns on a one-yard run. After the PAT was converted by Gavin Coffman, it was 7-0 Blue Lions.

McClain came right back on its first offensive possession and used a Woody Hayes-type ground attack to go 65 yards on 16 plays and tie the game at 7-7 on a Potts one-yard TD run. Seth Weller drilled the PAT with just 20 seconds left in the opening quarter.

But after the 7-7 first period, it was all Blue Lions in the second quarter, where they outscored McClain 21-0 to take a 28-7 halftime lead.

Jones put Washington ahead 14-0 with an electrifying 52-yard run at the 11:40 mark, then Mason Coffman added another touchdown moments later on a 70-yard punt return, and suddenly it was a 21-7 Blue Lions. Things continued to unwind in the period for the Tigers after Gabriel Perez intercepted a McClain pass, and Washington scored their third touchdown of the frame when Gavin Coffman found Isaiah Haithcock open for an 8-yard TD pass on a fourth-and-goal play.

The Tigers had a chance to score just before the half after moving the ball inside the 10-yard line, but a completed pass from Drake Stapleton to Riley Cummins was ruled down inbounds at the two-yard line as time expired with Washington leading 28-7.

Both teams put up big offensive numbers in the second half, scoring three touchdowns each, but that 21-point second period by Washington proved to be the difference in the game.

Jones scored his fourth touchdown of the contest at the 7:01 mark of the third quarter, making it 35-7, but Potts answered for McClain with an impressive 27-yard TD run with 3:27 showing on the clock.  Washington came right back with another big play, this one a 54-yard touchdown pass from Gavin Coffman to Mason Coffman, stretching the lead back to 41-13.

McClain closed out the scoring in the third with Kaden Penwell running the ball 13 yards to pay dirt just as the third period horn sounded, but it was still a lopsided 41-19 Blue Lion advantage heading to the fourth.

Washington began the final quarter with another impressive drive inside the McClain 35-yard line, but a Blue Lion fumble was picked up by McClain’s senior linebacker Cade Sponcil, and he ran it 65 yards for a score, cutting the deficit to 42-25 with 10:21 still remaining in regulation.

The Blue Lions quickly ended any thoughts of a McClain comeback moments later when Rodgers-Wright got loose for a 21-yard touchdown run for the game’s final score and a 49-25 FAC victory for Washington.

“Those two guys (Jones and Rodger-Wright) are both hard runners that are fast and quick. We tried to blitz some and get to them early, but we just didn’t tackle well, and that really hurt us,” Penwell said. “I just felt like we weren’t mentally ready to play tonight, and that’s on me. I thought I had them ready.

“You have to bring your A-game every single week in this league, and if you don’t, things like this happen.

“We know what’s ahead of us these final two weeks, so we’ll get ready and go out and play as hard as we can and get after it,” Penwell continued. “I’m looking forward to it, and we know it’s going to be a challenge, but we’ll get them ready to get after it.”

Individual stat leaders for McClain: Rushing-Andrew Potts 28 rushes, 220 yards (2 TDs), Kaden Penwell 8 rushes, 44 yards (1 TD). Passing-Drake Stapleton 7-of-18, 63 yards (1 int). Receiving-Owen Sykes 4 catches for 40 yards, Andrew Potts 2 catches for 20 yards.

Washington: Rushing-Rocky Jones 17 rushes, 190 yards (4 TDs), Ian Rodgers-Wright 8 rushes, 8 yards (1 TD). Passing-Gavin Coffman 3-of-7, 88 yards (2 TDs).

Cade Sponcil led the McClain defense with a team-high nine tackles and also had the 65-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

McClain travels to Jackson next Friday, Oct. 13 before closing out the season at home vs. Hillsboro, Oct. 20 for the battle of Highland County and the Rotary Bowl trophy.