Unioto clinches SVC title with dominant win over Paint Valley
By: Jake Collins
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BAINBRIDGE, Ohio (WOUB)– Unioto won their first SVC title in 25 years thanks to the dynamic offensive performance which gave them the 45-7 victory. The Shermans were led by dual-threat quarterback Newton Hoops who totaled five touchdowns on the night with four through the air.
Unioto’s strong night didn’t have a great start on their opening drive of the game. Newton Hoops threw a pass deep down the field near the sideline that was intercepted by defensive back Gabe Wagner.
Paint Valley’s first play on offense was put in the hands of running back Braylon Robertson, and the Bearcats offensive line opened a gap for Robertson to walk into the endzone with his 72-yard touchdown to put the Bearcats on the scoreboard first 7-0.
It didn’t take the Shermans long to drive down the field to score in only a handful of plays. Newton Hoops threw his first touchdown of the night to running back Connor Dollison to tie the game at 7-7 as Dollison was open for the eight-yard pass.
Both teams would trade punts on their next drive but on Unioto’s punt, Paint Valley returner Carson Free muffed the punt inside the five-yard line and Unioto took advantage of the opportunity. Hoops powered into the endzone to extend the score to 14-7.
Paint Valley’s run game ran out of gas as Unioto tightened up on defense. Paint Valley only put together 107 more yards after Roberton’s long touchdown run. The Shermans’ secondary shot down any passes through the air as the passing attack for the Bearcats only had 15 yards by Preston Fauber.
Unioto had back-to-back drives that ended in touchdown passes from Newton Hoops to his younger brother Blake; the two touchdowns were 26- and 40-yard throws that increased the lead to 28-7 right before halftime.
Unioto tacked on 17 more points in the second half as the final nail in the coffin was Ethan Summer’s 54-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to bring the final score to 45-7.
Unioto has clinched a home playoff game and top eight seed after their victory against Paint Valley. Unioto improves their record to 8-1 and wins their first SVC title since 1998. Unioto will travel to a struggling Southeastern squad (1-8) that will conclude the regular season.
Paint Valley (7-2) will have to bounce back against a tough opponent on the road to Zane Trace (6-3). Paint Valley currently sits inside the top five for their region and has clinched a top eight seed.