Bearcats gain 4th win of season
Lead Summary
By
The Highland County Press-
BAINBRIDGE — The Paint Valley Bearcats broke a three-game skid Friday night with a 27-14 win over rival Huntington, keeping the Maple Leaf Trophy.
PV had to play the Scioto Valley Conference game without head coach Pete Hollon due to an illness, and defensive coordinator Evan Gallaugher said the seniors not only wanted to win on senior night, but wanted to win for their coach.
"The seniors really wanted to win for Coach Hollon," Gallaugher said. "This win was a collective group effort."
Huntington led at halftime at 8-6, with both teams going scoreless, but once the second half took place, the Bearcats took over with a 14-8 lead after the third, and they added 13 more points in the fourth quarter for the 13-point win.
Senior quarterback Eli Barker went 5-of-6 for 130-yards passing with three touchdowns.
Catching those five passes were the duo of senior Logan Ackley, with three catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns, and sophomore Dylan Estep, with two catches for 59 yards and one touchdown.
On the ground for the four-win Bearcats was sophomore Mark Clifford with 145 yards on 16 carries. Junior Kyle Kottenbrook finished with 13 carries and 70 yards rushing.
The PV defense forced four turnovers, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. On one of the fumble recoveries by junior Cody King, the Bearcats turned it into points as it led to the TD from Kottenbrook. Ackley and Estep each had an interception.
"This had been a big game for the schools for years, and it was good to get this win," Gallaugher said. "The big thing was we were able to run the ball, which helped our passing game with the play action pass."
The Bearcats will play their final game of the season on the road when they face Unioto.
Friday's win put PV at 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the SVC. Huntington falls to 0-9 overall and 0-6 in the SVC.[[In-content Ad]]
PV had to play the Scioto Valley Conference game without head coach Pete Hollon due to an illness, and defensive coordinator Evan Gallaugher said the seniors not only wanted to win on senior night, but wanted to win for their coach.
"The seniors really wanted to win for Coach Hollon," Gallaugher said. "This win was a collective group effort."
Huntington led at halftime at 8-6, with both teams going scoreless, but once the second half took place, the Bearcats took over with a 14-8 lead after the third, and they added 13 more points in the fourth quarter for the 13-point win.
Senior quarterback Eli Barker went 5-of-6 for 130-yards passing with three touchdowns.
Catching those five passes were the duo of senior Logan Ackley, with three catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns, and sophomore Dylan Estep, with two catches for 59 yards and one touchdown.
On the ground for the four-win Bearcats was sophomore Mark Clifford with 145 yards on 16 carries. Junior Kyle Kottenbrook finished with 13 carries and 70 yards rushing.
The PV defense forced four turnovers, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. On one of the fumble recoveries by junior Cody King, the Bearcats turned it into points as it led to the TD from Kottenbrook. Ackley and Estep each had an interception.
"This had been a big game for the schools for years, and it was good to get this win," Gallaugher said. "The big thing was we were able to run the ball, which helped our passing game with the play action pass."
The Bearcats will play their final game of the season on the road when they face Unioto.
Friday's win put PV at 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the SVC. Huntington falls to 0-9 overall and 0-6 in the SVC.[[In-content Ad]]