Fort Frye Cadets Win Battle In Season Opener
By: Will Price
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BEVERLY, Ohio – On a humid opening night for high school football, both the Fort Frye Cadets and Belpre Golden Eagles fought in a hard-nosed battle in the trenches. The defenses barely budged, and both teams struggled early offensively.
In the end, it was the Cadets who took charge.
Fort Frye was led by a dynamic rushing attack and a second half surge as they held off the Golden Eagles and a heroic performance from Logan Adams, 34-12.
The Cadets overcame Adams and the Belpre offense with disciplined defense. While Adams got away a few times, they held the rest of the Golden Eagles’ offense completely in check. They thwarted a fake punt on the first possession of the game and multiple onside kick attempts later on.
Following an early touchdown for Fort Frye running back Bryan Adkins, they recovered a fumbled snap and promptly scored two plays later on a six yard rush by Tyler Fisher. In a span of just over two minutes, the Cadets took control with a 13-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Belpre’s defense toughened up the rest of the half, and Adams began to lead his team back into the game. Adams returned a punt deep into Fort Frye territory, and running back Nick Godfrey punched it in from the one-yard line to put Belpre on the board.
It was just the start for Adams, who had a standout performance in every facet of the game. He picked off a pass in the end zone late in the first half. Just two plays later he took a handoff 80 yards for a touchdown that put the Golden Eagles right back into the game, down just one point at half. He would finish the night with 156 yards.
For Fort Frye, it was their quarterback Ian Ellis who sparked their dominant second half on the offensive side of the ball. He had a pass get deflected but it found its way into the arms of Adkins for a 20 yard gain. Ellis then took it himself from the 10-yard line to cap off an impressive 72 yard drive for a rushing touchdown of his own halfway through the third quarter to extend the lead back to seven. Defensively, they held Adams to only 21 yards after halftime, dominating with their defensive front.
In the fourth quarter, Fort Frye finally wore down Belpre front seven with their running game. They tallied over 300 yards as a team. Adkins and Fisher both added touchdowns late to punctuate the victory.
The Cadets will take on the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes next week. For the Golden Eagles, they will go to Glouster to take on the Trimble Tomcats.