Sports
Tornadoes Roll Past Rebels
By: Tee Willis
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After being upset last week by the Belpre Golden Eagles, the Southern Tornadoes had to prove they were still contenders for a TVC-Hocking title.
On homecoming night, the Tornadoes (5-1) rolled through the South Gallia Rebels 55-12.
It didn’t take long for Southern to get going in the game as they scored within the first 1:40 seconds of the first quarter. The score came on a quarterback keeper from Logan Drummer for 6-yards.
South Gallia’s first possession was brought to an abrupt end when defensive back Brody Dutton jumped the route on a Tristan Saber pass. Dutton strolled 35-yards into the end zone for a pick six to extend Southern’s lead 12 to 0.
After the touchdown, the Tornadoes decided to go for two, to make up for a missed extra point. Gage Shuler took the snap and ran to the right on a play-action, finding Trey McNickle for the conversion.
It looked like the Rebels would fold early, but they weren’t giving up easy.
South Gallia’s offensive duo of Gavin Bevan and Jeffrey Sheets helped get the Rebels within scoring distance for the first time in the first quarter. Gallia capped of the drive with a 16-yard touchdown run by Garrett Saunders. Logan Drummer’s block on the extra point made the score 14-6.
South Gallia’s Kyle Northrup made a touchdown grab to make the score 21-6 with 7:44 to go in the second quarter. This would be the last time the Rebels scored for the rest of the game.
Trey McNickle was the difference for the Tornadoes. He was able to break the lead open in the second quarter as he had a 10-yard touchdown run and hauled in a 53-yard heave from Logan Drummer for his second score. McNickle finished with 3 touchdowns and 170 rushing yards on 15 carries.
South Gallia’s offense was completely one-dimensional. The Rebels finished the game with 207 total yards of offense — 200 yards were rushing. South Gallia relied too heavily on the run game, and Southern’s defense found out a way to shut it down completely in the second half.
The Tornadoes may have had a bad night against Belpre, but their win against South Gallia showed just how dominant they can be.
Southern will be on the road for the next two weeks against two of the best teams in the TVC-Hocking: first Waterford (4-2) and then Trimble(5-1). With the regular season winding down, both matchups have conference championship implications.