Sports
Tri-Valley Overpowers Maysville
By: Nathan Takitch
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The Tri-Valley Scotties (2-0, 1-0) came into the 2012 season touting some of the highest expectations in school history, and did not disappoint in their first league game of the year, defeating the Maysville Panthers (1-1, 0-1) by a final score of 47-7.
However, despite the lopsided score, the contest was no gimmie for Tri-Valley. The Scotties had to fend off an early challenge from a stingy Maysville team to win their first contest of the year inside the friendly confines of Jack Anderson Stadium.
The Scotties dominated possession in the first quarter. After Tri-Valley’s Tyler Edwards-Frick recovered a Maysville fumble, the home team methodically pounded the ball into Maysville territory. The Scotties capitalized on their first red zone possession when Austin Jones scored on a two-yard touchdown run. After a three-and-out for the Panthers, Tri-Valley practically repeated their first possession. Another slow, yet effective drive was capped by a short touchdown run by Austin Jones.
At the end of the first quarter, Tri-Valley was up 12-0 and in full control. However, Maysville quickly changed the momentum of the game near the end of the half when quarterback Jacob Miller hit C.J. Harris across the middle of the field, who motored down to the Tri-Valley 11-yard line. The 55-yard pass gave the Panthers life. Jordan Hayes rumbled into the end zone from one yard out. An extra point cut the Scotties’ lead to a mere five points.
Early in Tri-Valley’s next possession, quarterback Nathan Strock was sacked for a 13-yard loss. Maysville’s sideline was frenzied and could sense that the tides had turned. However, Strock was not about to let the Panthers back in the game.
After a timeout, the Kent State-committed quarterback launched a 39-yard heave down the left sideline. His pass fell perfectly into the arms of receiver Kris Michael; just outside the reach of the coverage man, just below a hard-closing safety, and on-target enough for Michael to control the ball in bounds.
The roar from the Tri-Valley crowd was deafening. Maysville was deflated. Two plays later, Strock hooked up with Michael again on a receiver screen that went for a 25-yard touchdown with just 31 seconds left in the second quarter. Momentum was back in the hands of the Scotties at halftime.
Maysville tried to jump-start the second half with an onside kick, but Tri-Valley recovered. They scored quickly when Strock’s pass to Adam Reiss deflected into the hands of his teammate, Michael, who ran into the endzone on the play. The receiver finished with five catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns.
The second half was all Tri-Valley. The Scotties overpowered Maysville and asserted their dominance in the final two frames, outscoring the Panthers 28-0. Tri-Valley finished the game with 297 more total offensive yards than their opponents.
Nathan Strock finished 14-for-21 with 201 yards and two touchdowns via the pass. He also ran 12 times for 46 yards. Austin Jones was the statistical star of the night. The Tri-Valley running back had 20 carries for 95 yards and four touchdowns.
Maysville running back Jordan Hayes had the only score of the night for the Panthers; he finished with 37 yards on 13 carries. Quarterback Jacob Miller went 4-for-10 for 75 yards; he also rushed six times for 17 yards.
The Tri-Valley Scotties will attempt to keep their momentum flowing into their next league game at West Muskingum, while the Maysville Panthers look to rebound for a win as they play host to MVL foe John Glenn in Week 3.