Sports
Eagles Take off Against Eagles
By: Samantha Wiesneth
Posted on:
It was a quiet night in Reedsville, Ohio until the Rebels stormed into town. Waves of of red and green filled the stands for a TVC Hocking game that kept Eastern and South Gallia Rebels fans guessing until the very end.
The Eagles muscled their way to a 14-13 win over the Rebels, but both teams were unable to find the end zone in the second half.
The Rebels started off with the ball, but turned it over to the Eagles, who had a long possession. They inched the ball down the field, short gain after short gain, introducing the strategy they used for most of the game
Eastern quarterback Conner Ridenour relied on running backs Steve Fitzgerald and Blake Newland throughout the evening. However, on their first possession of the night, the Eagles fumbled the ball and Rebel Jeffrey Sheets scooped it up.
This sparked some momentum for South Gallia. Freshman quarterback Tristan Saber’s handoff to Jacob Birtcher resulted in a 38 yard gain and a Rebel touchdown with 3:53 left in the first quarter, making the score 7-0.
Once the Eagles got the ball back, they continued to rack up rushing yards. They made it all the way to the 3-yard line before Ridenour’s pass to Fitzgerald with three seconds to go scored their first touchdown of the night. A missed extra point meant the Rebels still led, 7-6.
During South Gallia’s next possession, Sheets answered back, shoving his way into the end zone. The bruiser’s touchdown made the score 13-6 with 9:47 left in the first half.
Eastern scored once more before entering the locker room at halftime. On the drive, they steadily worked their way down the field again, this time getting pushed back after a series of penalties. Blaise Facemyer finished the drive for the Eagles, putting them in the lead going into halftime, 14-13.
Next week the Eagles will travel to Wahama, hoping to pick up their second win of the season. South Gallia will hit the road to take on Southern.