Bearcats run over Panthers in 4th for SVC win
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
BAINBRIDGE — Multiple turnovers, missed opportunities and some bad luck wasn't even enough to hold the Paint Valley Bearcats back Friday night.
Paint Valley and the Southeastern Panthers were tied at six with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but sophomore Mark Clifford and his offensive line, along with a strong defensive effort completely took over the final minutes, scoring 15 unanswered points for a 21-6 Scioto Valley Conference win at George Knisley Field.
"We told our kids to keep plugging away. We had marched the field on them all game, and we got a short field there late. We told the kids we needed a statement drive … we really hadn't beaten a good team, and that (SE) is an awfully good team," Paint Valley head coach Pete Hollon said.
The Bearcats (1-1, 3-2) put the game in their hands and ran with it in the final 6:55 when they regained possession of the ball at their own 42-yard line.
The drive began with a pass from senior Eli Barker to senior Logan Ackley for nine yards, followed by a 15-yard run by Barker on a third-and-2 situation from the 50-yard line. Barker finished the game 9-of-11 for 90 yards passing with three interceptions.
PV continued with Clifford handing out tough hits for a 19-yard gain. Following a 15-yard face mask penalty on the Panthers, PV had a first-and-goal from the 7-yard line where Clifford ran into the end zone untouched with 4:07 left in regulation. The 2-point run by Barker put PV ahead 14-6.
When it was time for the Bearcat defense to step up and keep the lead … that is exactly what they did.
The Bearcat defense forced a turnover on downs on four consecutive SE plays, to give their offense control of the ball on the SE 25-yard line. One of the bigger plays in the turnover on downs came when the defense forced a four-yard loss on third-and-5 from the SE 28-yard line.
Once the Bearcats regained possession, it was the Clifford show. He began the drive to run the clock out with a 2-yard run, and two plays later he saved his best hit for last, plowing over two SE defensive players at the 15-yard line by the PV sideline, allowing him to cruise to the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown with 1:28 left in the game. The extra point kick by Tyler Murray put the Bearcats up 21-6.
"I'm tickled to death with our defense and tickled to death with some unsung heroes," Hollon said. "I can't say enough about Kyle Kottenbrook's on offense. He's a kid that has waited his turn, and we saw some things on film where we thought we could hit them with the inside trap, and he was just a monster in there at times for us."
Clifford, a sophomore, finished with 17 rushes for 113 yards and three touchdowns. For the team, the Bearcats rushed for 222 yards and totaled overall as an offense 263 yards.
"We like to give him carries early, but more so later on because he's big and strong," Hollon said. "He made a few mistakes early in the red zone, but the sign of a good football player is fighting back. When the game was on the line, he wanted the ball in hands, and we were more than willing to oblige him."
Clifford's first score of the game were the first points to show up on the scoreboard. Clifford put PV up 6-0 with 3:48 left in the opening quarter on a 12-yard run, untouched to the left corner of the end zone.
The lone score for SE came with 3:21 left in the third on a 2-yard run on second-and-goal.
"We've preached for two years, No. 1 get stronger, and No. 2 pay attention to your keys and assignments," Hollon said. "We are starting to get that. For the most part the defense was outstanding.
"I thought the linebacker play of Nate Yoakum, Dylan Fewster and Quentin Tesi was also outstanding. Our two defensive ends, Tyler Murray and Riley Markko, kept them from getting out on the perimeter."
Though there was a lot of scoring in the end, there were many miscues by both teams, combining for eight fumbles and interceptions in the first half, seven that went for turnovers. For the game, the teams combined for 11 fumbles and interceptions overall, nine for turnovers.
The win lifts PV to 3-2 overall, 1-1 in the SVC. SE falls to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the SVC. The Bearcats will host their homecoming next week when they take on the Westfall Mustangs. SE will travel to Adena.
"We are excited. We thought we should be 2-0 (in conference play). We had the ball late last week against Zane Trace and had the opportunity to win the game," Hollon said. "Hopefully this is a step in the maturity process with these kids. We like the progress we are making.
"The next two weeks are huge with Westfall and Adena. Our league is really solid this year, and this is a win to create that mentality more than anything."
GAME NOTES: Dylan Estep had two catches for 15 yards … Dallas Immell had receptions for 17 yards … Kyle Kottenbrook caught two passes for 13 yards … For SE, Steven Hall led the team in rushing … There were a total of four turnovers on downs … PV had three red zone turnovers in the first half … On defense, Barker made a big hit on third-and-12, saving a first down … PV's Derrick Wagoner made a big hit in the final SE drive.
BOX SCORE
SE 0 0 6 0 — 6
PV 6 0 0 15 — 21[[In-content Ad]]
Paint Valley and the Southeastern Panthers were tied at six with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but sophomore Mark Clifford and his offensive line, along with a strong defensive effort completely took over the final minutes, scoring 15 unanswered points for a 21-6 Scioto Valley Conference win at George Knisley Field.
"We told our kids to keep plugging away. We had marched the field on them all game, and we got a short field there late. We told the kids we needed a statement drive … we really hadn't beaten a good team, and that (SE) is an awfully good team," Paint Valley head coach Pete Hollon said.
The Bearcats (1-1, 3-2) put the game in their hands and ran with it in the final 6:55 when they regained possession of the ball at their own 42-yard line.
The drive began with a pass from senior Eli Barker to senior Logan Ackley for nine yards, followed by a 15-yard run by Barker on a third-and-2 situation from the 50-yard line. Barker finished the game 9-of-11 for 90 yards passing with three interceptions.
PV continued with Clifford handing out tough hits for a 19-yard gain. Following a 15-yard face mask penalty on the Panthers, PV had a first-and-goal from the 7-yard line where Clifford ran into the end zone untouched with 4:07 left in regulation. The 2-point run by Barker put PV ahead 14-6.
When it was time for the Bearcat defense to step up and keep the lead … that is exactly what they did.
The Bearcat defense forced a turnover on downs on four consecutive SE plays, to give their offense control of the ball on the SE 25-yard line. One of the bigger plays in the turnover on downs came when the defense forced a four-yard loss on third-and-5 from the SE 28-yard line.
Once the Bearcats regained possession, it was the Clifford show. He began the drive to run the clock out with a 2-yard run, and two plays later he saved his best hit for last, plowing over two SE defensive players at the 15-yard line by the PV sideline, allowing him to cruise to the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown with 1:28 left in the game. The extra point kick by Tyler Murray put the Bearcats up 21-6.
"I'm tickled to death with our defense and tickled to death with some unsung heroes," Hollon said. "I can't say enough about Kyle Kottenbrook's on offense. He's a kid that has waited his turn, and we saw some things on film where we thought we could hit them with the inside trap, and he was just a monster in there at times for us."
Clifford, a sophomore, finished with 17 rushes for 113 yards and three touchdowns. For the team, the Bearcats rushed for 222 yards and totaled overall as an offense 263 yards.
"We like to give him carries early, but more so later on because he's big and strong," Hollon said. "He made a few mistakes early in the red zone, but the sign of a good football player is fighting back. When the game was on the line, he wanted the ball in hands, and we were more than willing to oblige him."
Clifford's first score of the game were the first points to show up on the scoreboard. Clifford put PV up 6-0 with 3:48 left in the opening quarter on a 12-yard run, untouched to the left corner of the end zone.
The lone score for SE came with 3:21 left in the third on a 2-yard run on second-and-goal.
"We've preached for two years, No. 1 get stronger, and No. 2 pay attention to your keys and assignments," Hollon said. "We are starting to get that. For the most part the defense was outstanding.
"I thought the linebacker play of Nate Yoakum, Dylan Fewster and Quentin Tesi was also outstanding. Our two defensive ends, Tyler Murray and Riley Markko, kept them from getting out on the perimeter."
Though there was a lot of scoring in the end, there were many miscues by both teams, combining for eight fumbles and interceptions in the first half, seven that went for turnovers. For the game, the teams combined for 11 fumbles and interceptions overall, nine for turnovers.
The win lifts PV to 3-2 overall, 1-1 in the SVC. SE falls to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the SVC. The Bearcats will host their homecoming next week when they take on the Westfall Mustangs. SE will travel to Adena.
"We are excited. We thought we should be 2-0 (in conference play). We had the ball late last week against Zane Trace and had the opportunity to win the game," Hollon said. "Hopefully this is a step in the maturity process with these kids. We like the progress we are making.
"The next two weeks are huge with Westfall and Adena. Our league is really solid this year, and this is a win to create that mentality more than anything."
GAME NOTES: Dylan Estep had two catches for 15 yards … Dallas Immell had receptions for 17 yards … Kyle Kottenbrook caught two passes for 13 yards … For SE, Steven Hall led the team in rushing … There were a total of four turnovers on downs … PV had three red zone turnovers in the first half … On defense, Barker made a big hit on third-and-12, saving a first down … PV's Derrick Wagoner made a big hit in the final SE drive.
BOX SCORE
SE 0 0 6 0 — 6
PV 6 0 0 15 — 21[[In-content Ad]]