South Point dominates Chesapeake, improves to 3-2 in OVC play
By: Lucy Schaefer
Posted on:
CHESAPEAKE, Ohio (WOUB) – It’s finally starting to feel like Fall, and an Ohio-Valley Conference matchup between the South Point Pointers and the Chesapeake Panthers could not be a better welcome to Autumn. The Pointers are coming into this game 4-3 and 2-2 in conference play, while the Panthers reside at 3-4 overall.
The run game for both teams was strong, but South Point struck first. Senior receiver Eli Wilburn ran for 30 yards to the house for the Pointers’ first score, closing in on the first quarter. Wilburn would go on to have a very impressive game, scoring on offense and making tackles on defense. Wilburn scored another touchdown for the Pointers before the half with a 39-yard run. With little offensive highlights from Chesapeake, South Point carried the momentum leading 12-0 going into the break.
The Panthers scored their first touchdown when senior Cameron Shockley took the handoff and ran 15 yards to the end zone with 3:48 left in the third quarter. South Point responded quickly when Blaine Freeman cleared a lane and ran it home from 15 yards out, making the score 18-7. This would do it for the third quarter.
To begin the fourth quarter, Freeman proved he wasn’t done yet when he sprinted into the end zone for an 8-yard Pointer touchdown. Four minutes after this, Chesapeake’s Shockley ran for his second touchdown of the night, about a 33-yard score.
When the ball got back into South Point’s hands, Wilburn erupted again, adding two more touchdowns to his night with two runs from 35 and 41 yards. Chesapeake’s Dannie Maynard landed in the end zone on the game’s final play, but it just wasn’t enough to top the Pointers who would dominate 38-20.
Penalties were a massive problem for both teams, especially Chesapeake. Major infractions ranged from calls like illegal blocks and unsportsmanlike conduct to minor mistakes such as holding and offsides. It was difficult to highlight Chesapeake star players such as Cameron Shockley, Dannie Maynard and Phillip Thacker because flags would take over many big plays.
As for both teams, the run game was heavily utilized over the pass. South Point found success in Eli Wilburn, who would carry the Pointers to victory.
At this stage in the game, in-conference play could not be more important. Cleaning up those mistakes will be crucial to the success of both these teams. Next week, Chesapeake will stay at home to face the Rock Hill Redmen while South Point will travel to Proctorville to face the Portsmouth Trojans.