Sports
Tri-Valley Clinches Share of MVL Title
By: Matthew Stephens
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Maysville running back Johnny Ruckle has not played since week three after an ACL injury. However, instead of getting surgery and sitting on the bench for the rest of the season, Ruckle returned Friday due to a huge rivalry that drew quite a crowd at Maysville Athletic Complex.
The Tri-Valley Scotties (8-1, 7-0) defeated the Maysville Panthers (7-2, 6-2) in each of their eleven meetings and Friday was no different as the Scotties took care of the Panthers 27-14.
Offensively, the Scotties came to play as they racked up 456 total yards with 325 of those yards coming from the ground game.
The first quarter was jam packed with back-and-forth scoring. Tri-Valley struck first in the contest with a 27-yard field goal off the boot of Scotties kicker Chase Dinan to take an early 3-0 lead over the Panthers with 6:26 left in the first quarter.
Just over three and a half minutes later Chase Roberts struck for Maysville with a diving 13-yard rushing touchdown giving the Panthers an early 7-3 lead with 2:59 left in the first quarter.
Scotties quarterback Tyler McGee connected with wide receiver Colin Slaboden for a 30-yard touchdown pass with just six seconds remaining in the first quarter to take a 10-7 lead.
Tri-Valley opened up the second quarter marching down the field into the red zone before a fumble that was recovered by Maysville defensive back Tanner Ashcraft. A scuffle after the play led to Scotties offensive lineman Hunter Polk’s ejection for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Tri-Valley had a dominant performance on the ground averaging 5.9 yards per rush for 148 team rushing yards in the first half. The Scotties were clutch on third down coming up big when it mattered most in the red zone.
In the second half, Maysville fell off its wagon. The Panthers had numerous turnovers on downs in the red zone that forced the offense off the field in key moments of the contest.
“It feels great, we knew it was going to be a huge game coming in, we just had to do what we were going to do. The coaches set us up, we had good practices this week,” Scotties quarterback Logan Nezbeth said. “We got together at halftime and we just came out and played the second half.”
The Panthers could not spark their offense due to an electrifying defense and special teams of the Scotties. Maysville was outscored 10-7 in the second half. The scoreboard was not indicative of the performance and fight of the teams in the contest.
Both teams will most likely make the playoffs following this game. However, Tri-Valley basically sealed its fate remaining undefeated in conference play and clinching a share of the MVL title.
“Our kids would be very disappointed if it wasn’t an outright league title, and I would too,” Tri-Valley head coach Justin Buttermore said. “Our kids know that and I think that’s the expectation.”
Tri-Valley and Maysville will return to action next Friday to conclude the final game on the regular season. The Scotties will return home to meet the Philo Electrics (5-4, 4-3) while Maysville will hit the road for its matchup with the Claymont Mustangs.