Zane Trace Overpowers Unioto With Reliable Rushing Attack
By: Hailey Hollinger, Jensen Knecht
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CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WOUB) — The Zane Trace Pioneers played at the Unito Shermans’ football field on their awareness for breast cancer night. The two teams had a common goal throughout the night, which was to run the ball.
Both teams were competing with each other using the same game play and same defense. So, this game determined which of the teams could play at a better level. For the start of the game both teams were neck and neck. The Pioneers managed to get two touchdowns and extra points, with the Shermans getting two field goals to make the game at the end of the half 14-6 with the Pioneers leading.
What also seemed to be a common theme for both teams were penalties. The Pioneers had caused most of the penalties in the first half with the Shermans then causing a majority of the flags in the second half due to the pressure of needing to score. These flags from Unioto definitely affected them in the second half of the game as the Pioneers were able to gain many yards from this.
Another aspect that hurt the Shermans in the second half was the Pioneers defense. In the second half the Shermans had several sacks and close interception calls. A key contributor to the Pioneers defense was Joey Gay who managed to get an 8-yard sack to limit the chance of Unioto getting anywhere near the end zone.
Although rushing worked for Unioto in the beginning of the game, it was no longer playing in their favor. This allowed Unioto’s quarterback Newton Hoops to show off his arm. The decision to play more of a passing game ended up playing in the favor as they would gain a sense of momentum. Not only did Hoops get several first downs from his passes but he also used his ability to rush and read the field well. Hoops was definitely a key factor in being able to put points on the board.
Similar to the Shermans, the Pioneers quarterback Ben Nichols managed to do a lot of QB sneaks and rushing to gain yards for the pioneers.
The Pioneers (5-2) hope to add another road win as they face Southeastern (0-5), as Unioto (2-5) hopes to add a win to their record in conference play at Paint Valley (4-3).