Tigers ride high on solid defense, balanced offense
Lead Summary
By
By JIM JONES-
CHILLICOTHE — The McClain Tigers improved to 2-0 on the season after defeating Unioto 29-12 last Friday night.
It was a defensive battle by both teams in the opening half as McClain took a slim 8-6 lead into the locker room.
The Tigers got a safety for two points after Zack Mullikin blocked a Unioto punt that went out of the end zone, which was the only scoring in the period.
Mullikin scored on a 10-yard run midway through the second quarter giving McClain an 8-0 advantage after the extra-point kick was no good.
The Shermans scored their only points of the half on a 10-yard quarterback-keeper by Quentin Detillion but the two-point try was unsuccessful and the Tigers led by just two points 8-6 at the intermission.
“We were very impressed with Unioto’s defensive line play (Friday). They did some things that really challenged our option which made it difficult for us to operate especially in the first half,” McClain head coach Randy Closson said.
The Tigers had a golden opportunity to score at the beginning of the second half, when quarterback Jared Loftis found Kameron Mace open for a 35-yard pass completion on the first play from scrimmage.
The Shermans were flagged for a 15-yard facemasking penalty on the play, giving McClain a first down on the Unioto 17-yard line.
But the scoring threat ended when Loftis was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 play at the 8-yard line. McClain quickly got the ball back with great field position after a short punt and another unsportsmanlike penalty on the Shermans put the football on the Unioto 30-yard line.
The Tigers scored two plays later on a well-executed halfback pass from Mace to Cameron Cooper with 4:25 left in the period putting McClain up 14-6 after the PAT was blocked.
The Shermans returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards to the McClain 25-yard line, but Nik Beatty got a big interception three plays later ending the threat.
McClain got two nice runs by Mace for 45 yards and Loftis for 12 yards on their next offensive set, giving the Tigers a first down on the Unioto 20-yard line as the third period came to an end.
Unioto’s defense rose to the occasion to begin the fourth quarter, holding the Tiger offense to just five yards on the next four plays, ending another scoring opportunity for the Tigers.
The McClain defense came up big again on the Sherman’s next offensive series when Zach Matracia forced a fumble on a monster hit, and Loftis scooped up the ball returning it for a touchdown, giving the Tigers a 22-6 lead after Loftis connected with Mullikin for the 2-point conversion.
The Shermans made things a little interesting after recovering a McClain fumble and scoring three plays later on a 5-yard run by sophomore fullback Jarod Cyrus, cutting the lead to 22-12 after the 2-point try failed with 5:15 still remaining.
After an unsuccessful on-side kick put the football on the Tiger’s 47-yard line, Matracia gave McClain some breathing room by gaining 15 yards on a nice run.
McClain scored two plays later when Cooper found Mace open for a 15-yard touchdown catch giving the Tigers a 29-12 advantage after Luis Rivas added the extra-point kick with 3:44 left in the game.
McClain ended any hopes of a late comeback by the Shermans when Cooper intercepted another pass and the Tigers were able to run out the clock improving their record to 2-0 on the season.
“I’m really proud of our kids. I thought they executed very well after we made some adjustments at halftime putting in some new wrinkles,” Closson said. “I thought we moved the ball pretty well all night we just didn’t turn it into a lot of points.”
The McClain offense was balanced with 195 yards rushing and 185 yards passing for the game.
Loftis had another nice game completing 6 of 9 passes for 130 yards and rushing for 61 yards on 13 carries.
Mullikin also had a fine all-around ballgame with 50 yards rushing on 16 carries, scoring a touchdown, along with the blocked punt for a safety and a 2-point conversion catch.
Mace led the Tiger receiving corp with three catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, along with 60 yards rushing on just three carries.
Cooper came up big in the win with a 15-yard touchdown pass and a 37-yard TD reception. He also had the game-ending interception.
“Defensively it was a great team effort. I thought Nik Beatty played really good along with Brandon Darlington at the corners,” Closson said. “I thought both of our defensive ends Caleb Cooper and Joe Barnhart did a nice job defending against their option.”
The Tigers travel to Paint Valley Sept. 11 for a 7:30 start against the Bearcats in another non-league battle.[[In-content Ad]]
It was a defensive battle by both teams in the opening half as McClain took a slim 8-6 lead into the locker room.
The Tigers got a safety for two points after Zack Mullikin blocked a Unioto punt that went out of the end zone, which was the only scoring in the period.
Mullikin scored on a 10-yard run midway through the second quarter giving McClain an 8-0 advantage after the extra-point kick was no good.
The Shermans scored their only points of the half on a 10-yard quarterback-keeper by Quentin Detillion but the two-point try was unsuccessful and the Tigers led by just two points 8-6 at the intermission.
“We were very impressed with Unioto’s defensive line play (Friday). They did some things that really challenged our option which made it difficult for us to operate especially in the first half,” McClain head coach Randy Closson said.
The Tigers had a golden opportunity to score at the beginning of the second half, when quarterback Jared Loftis found Kameron Mace open for a 35-yard pass completion on the first play from scrimmage.
The Shermans were flagged for a 15-yard facemasking penalty on the play, giving McClain a first down on the Unioto 17-yard line.
But the scoring threat ended when Loftis was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 play at the 8-yard line. McClain quickly got the ball back with great field position after a short punt and another unsportsmanlike penalty on the Shermans put the football on the Unioto 30-yard line.
The Tigers scored two plays later on a well-executed halfback pass from Mace to Cameron Cooper with 4:25 left in the period putting McClain up 14-6 after the PAT was blocked.
The Shermans returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards to the McClain 25-yard line, but Nik Beatty got a big interception three plays later ending the threat.
McClain got two nice runs by Mace for 45 yards and Loftis for 12 yards on their next offensive set, giving the Tigers a first down on the Unioto 20-yard line as the third period came to an end.
Unioto’s defense rose to the occasion to begin the fourth quarter, holding the Tiger offense to just five yards on the next four plays, ending another scoring opportunity for the Tigers.
The McClain defense came up big again on the Sherman’s next offensive series when Zach Matracia forced a fumble on a monster hit, and Loftis scooped up the ball returning it for a touchdown, giving the Tigers a 22-6 lead after Loftis connected with Mullikin for the 2-point conversion.
The Shermans made things a little interesting after recovering a McClain fumble and scoring three plays later on a 5-yard run by sophomore fullback Jarod Cyrus, cutting the lead to 22-12 after the 2-point try failed with 5:15 still remaining.
After an unsuccessful on-side kick put the football on the Tiger’s 47-yard line, Matracia gave McClain some breathing room by gaining 15 yards on a nice run.
McClain scored two plays later when Cooper found Mace open for a 15-yard touchdown catch giving the Tigers a 29-12 advantage after Luis Rivas added the extra-point kick with 3:44 left in the game.
McClain ended any hopes of a late comeback by the Shermans when Cooper intercepted another pass and the Tigers were able to run out the clock improving their record to 2-0 on the season.
“I’m really proud of our kids. I thought they executed very well after we made some adjustments at halftime putting in some new wrinkles,” Closson said. “I thought we moved the ball pretty well all night we just didn’t turn it into a lot of points.”
The McClain offense was balanced with 195 yards rushing and 185 yards passing for the game.
Loftis had another nice game completing 6 of 9 passes for 130 yards and rushing for 61 yards on 13 carries.
Mullikin also had a fine all-around ballgame with 50 yards rushing on 16 carries, scoring a touchdown, along with the blocked punt for a safety and a 2-point conversion catch.
Mace led the Tiger receiving corp with three catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, along with 60 yards rushing on just three carries.
Cooper came up big in the win with a 15-yard touchdown pass and a 37-yard TD reception. He also had the game-ending interception.
“Defensively it was a great team effort. I thought Nik Beatty played really good along with Brandon Darlington at the corners,” Closson said. “I thought both of our defensive ends Caleb Cooper and Joe Barnhart did a nice job defending against their option.”
The Tigers travel to Paint Valley Sept. 11 for a 7:30 start against the Bearcats in another non-league battle.[[In-content Ad]]