Chillicothe breezes past Waverly to stay in FAC race
By: Andrew Bowlby, Caleb McCleskey
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WAVERLY, Ohio (WOUB) — For the first time in the 21st century the Waverly Tigers met the Chillicothe Cavaliers. These two teams were set to meet last season in week four but because of COVID complications the game was canceled.
Before any of the action on the field took place, there was a pre-game pause to recognize Blake Osborne. Osborne suffered a serious head injury during last week’s junior varsity game against Unioto. He was honored at center field before the game, and also made a locker room appearance.
Both teams in Friday’s matchup featured a variety of offensive weapons and defensive playmakers. The two teams also both came in after 2-0 starts and disappointing week 3 losses. With both looking to bounce back, Friday night was set to be a great game.
Chillicothe started with the ball and would not waste any time getting going. After marching the ball down to the redzone they were faced with fourth and four, and a decision. Head coach Scott Bartholomew decided to go for it, and they were rewarded with a completion and a conversion. A few plays later Oscar Morgan ran it in to give the 7-0 lead to the Cavs.
On the ensuing Waverly drive the Cavalier defense would also get off to a hot start forcing a three and out giving the ball right back to their offense. The second drive for Chillicothe was led by senior running back Maxwell Lee. He started with a few explosive plays and would ultimately punch it in from a yard out. (This wouldn’t be the last time Lee would score).
After another Chillicothe touchdown the Tigers who were down 21 needed a spark. They got this in the form of a fumble. A mishandled handoff, and the Tigers pounced to get the ball in great field position. They wouldn’t let go of this opportunity and Jase Hurd walked in for his 10th touchdown of the season, Waverly was on the board.
Chillicothe would continue to roll in the opening half with an 84-yard strike by Coen Butler, and redzone touchdown from Tayvion Galloway. The halftime score was 35-12 Cavaliers.
The second half was much of the same, Maxwell Lee would score for the third time to extend a large lead even further. He was also making big plays on defense, stopping runs, and deflecting passes to help Chillicothe spoil Waverly’s homecoming 42-12