4th quarter fumble costs Crooksville, Meadowbrook takes the win on the road
By: Ryan Finn
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CROOKSVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) -It was a chilly night in Crooksville, Ohio, where the Meadowbrook Colts traveled South to take on the Crooksville Ceramics in a pivotal non-conference week 4 match-up.
The Ceramics were off to a hot 3-0 start, outscoring their opponents 137-33. Their 3-0 start is the school’s best since a 5-0 start in 2010. The Colts on the other hand are 2-1 in their first 3 games, catching wins against Maysville and Cambridge, and losing against Indian Valley.
The Ceramics came out with a bang for the hometown crowd. A turnover on downs from Meadowbrook led to a nice drive by the Ceramics, which led to a 4th and 10 on the opposing 10-yard line. A gutsy play call by Crooksville’s coach Gage Lotozo led to a touchdown by Junior Christian Browning. This would not be the last we saw of Browning, as he would collect an interception on the ensuing Meadowbrook drive.
Although turning the ball over, the Colts defense stayed strong and held the Ceramics to turn the ball over on downs. Meadowbrook quarterback Justice Huey unleashed a deep ball to wide receiver Bentley Sedor for a huge 70 yard gain. Meadowbrook would score on this drive thanks to a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Huey. The Colts would then score a two-point conversion, making the final score in the first quarter 8-7 Colts.
To open up the 2nd quarter, Browning continued to put pressure on all sides of the ball. This time, he returns a punt to the opposing 40 yard line. This would lead to a quick three play drive that would be capped off by running back Danny Chapman as he scored on a 2-yard run. The extra point however was wide left. After a punt, Meadowbrook gets a huge break. Defensive lineman Talon Cannon comes up with an athletic interception to give the Colts a huge momentum push. On the resulting drive, Colts running back Braden Black would run in it from 9 yards out. The Colts go for the two-point conversion and complete it.
Black then added another touchdown from 4 yards out, and it seemed like the tides had completely changed in Crooksville. After another two-point conversion, the Colts lead the Ceramics 24-13 at the break. As the third quarter progressed, Huey threw another interception to Crooksville. This interception would then lead to a 5 minute Ceramic drive, capped off by a 42-yard rushing touchdown by Chapman. He would then rush in for the two-point conversion to cut the lead to just 3 points before the end of the 3rd quarter.
Although Crooksville started to push, the Meadowbrook defense stayed strong and forced two separate fumble recoveries in the 4th quarter. With 4 minutes left, and with the Ceramics pushing, the Colts forced a huge redzone stop. This would ice the game for the Colts, as they would chew the rest of the clock and end up winning the game.
The final score- Meadowbrook 24, Crooksville 21. Defensive play played a pivotal part in this game, as Meadowbrook forced 3 turnovers that would end up helping them pull through with the win.
The Ceramics’ strong start ends, as they move to 3-1 on the season and face Maysville in their matchup. The Colts also moved to 3-1 on the season, and will face River View in their next matchup.