Sports
Tri-Valley Wins Rematch WIth Tecumseh
By: Michael Drapcho
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In a rematch of last year’s playoff match up, Tri-Valley defeated Tecumseh by a score of 47-29 at Jack Anderson Stadium Friday night.
Player of the Year candidate Austin Jones led the Scotties on both offense and defense. He rushed for 268 yards and 5 touchdowns on 31 carries. He also recorded 14 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
The Arrows jumped out to a 7-0 lead when running back Christian Evans ran for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The Scotties answered with a score of their own when Austin Jones scored the first of his five touchdowns on the night. The Scotties missed the extra point, however, and Tecumseh held on to a 7-6 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Arrows would increase their lead to 14-6 when Jake Eier returned the kick for a 99-yard touchdown. Several possessions later, Tri-Valley took over at its own 28- yard line. The Scotties went on a 72-yard drive that was capped off by a 16-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Strock to Devin Moran. Moran had five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown. The Scotties then went for two and converted, tying the game at 14.
After a Tecumseh punt, Tri-Valley took a 21-14 lead on a two-yard touchdown run by Jones. The touchdown was set up by a fifty-yard run by Jones.
Several possessions later, Tecumseh cornerback Austin Nickell intercepted Nathan Strock’s pass and returned it to the Tri-Valley 20 yard-line. However, the Arrows could not capitalize on the turnover. On fourth-and-1, Tecumseh quarterback, Tony Evans, fumbled the snap and Tri-Valley recovered it.
Unlike the Arrows, the Scotties did capitalize on their opponents’ miscue. Tri-Valley went up 28-14 just before the end of the first half on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Strock to Trevor Krouskopf. He totaled 61 yards and a touchdown on four catches against Tecumseh.
The second half started with The Arrows’ defense forcing the Scotties to punt. On the ensuing drive for Tecumseh, Tony Evans connected with Jimmy Rowland on a 37-yard pass that put the Arrows inside the Scotties’ 20 yard-line. Several plays later, Rowland would score on a 12-yard run to close the gap to 28-21.
Tri-Valley responded on the ensuing possession with a 13-yard touchdown run from Austin Jones to increase their lead to 34-21. Then Jones forced a fumble on Tecumseh’s following possession. After Tri-Valley recovered the fumble, Jones scored his fourth touchdown on the night on a three-yard run.
The Arrows would not go away quietly, though. Running back Chuck Biuchanan scored on an 11-yard scamper to cut the Scotties’ lead to 40-27. Tecumseh went for two and converted. With the score at 40-29 late in the fourth quarter, Tri-Valley looked to seal the victory. Austin Jones scored his fifth and final touchdown of the night to cap off his impressive performance. Tri-Valley’s defense then held Tecumseh on its final possession to end the game.
After winning a rematch in the first round of the playoffs, Tri-Valley now looks to win another when they square off next week against New Albany, a team that the Scotties defeated 24-7 last year in the second round of the playoffs.