Sports

Not many believed Chillicothe had a chance to compete with Bishop Hartley on the road.

But no one told the Cavaliers that.

For at least the first half, Chillicothe battled against the division three powerhouse Hawks and kept the heavy favorites within striking distance. However, the Cavaliers (3-1) were eventually worn down by the physical Bishop Hartley (3-1) rushing attack in the second half and fell 49-10 on the road.

It started off well for the Cavs. On the first play from scrimmage, the Chillicothe defense forced and recovered a Bishop Hartley fumble and took over deep in Hawks territory. Ten plays later, Adrian Beverly forced his way into the end zone from a yard out to give the Cavaliers an early 7-0 lead.

The Cavaliers squandered an opportunity to extend their lead late in the first quarter after going three and out after an interception at midfield. Things got worse for Chillicothe when the punt snap went over J’Quan Harris’ head and he was tackled for a loss. A few plays later, Jalan January tied the game with a 21 yard touchdown run on 4th and 1 with just over a minute left in the first.

Bishop Hartley extended their lead to 14-7 early in the 2nd with an acrobatic touchdown catch from Jordan Kirkbride. The tight end jumped over two Cavalier defenders and came down with the ball despite being interfered with before the catch.

Chillicothe would draw closer going into the half with a 32-yard field goal as time expired to cut the Hawk lead to 14-10.

That would be the closest the game would be, however.

After going three and out on the opening possession of the second half, the Cavs had their punt attempt blocked. The ball rolled free down the the Chillicothe 11 and a few plays later, the Hawks were in the end zone again to make it 21-10.

Bishop Hartley wasn’t done there. The Hawks recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff and January scored again, this time from 26 yards out, and the route was on.

Bishop Hartley held the Cavaliers to just 92 total yards of offense. Chillicothe went the entire second half without gaining a first down and had -2 yards in the final two quarters.

Beverly led the way for the Cavs, finishing with 32 rushing yards and 54 passing yards on the night.

Next week, Chillicothe will travel to Logan to face off with the Chieftains in their final non-conference game before FAC play.