Garaway stands strong and defeats West Muskingum
By: Andrew Woods
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ZANESVILLE, OH (WOUB)- In a game marred by bad weather, the Garaway Pirates (3-0) stayed strong through the literal and figurative storms, defeating the West Muskingum Tornadoes (2-1) 20-13.
On the third drive of the game, quarterback Jake Anton hit Braxton Brownrigg for a 33-yard completion. Anton passed for 87 yards during the game and added 61 yards on the ground. Bragg followed up this play with a 30-yard rushing touchdown, scoring the first points of the game and the first points of the season against Garaway’s defense.
In the second quarter, it was close but no cigar for both teams. After leading a drive into the West Muskingum red zone, Garaway quarterback Brady Geibel threw his only interception of the game to Jake Anton. A few plays later, Tornadoes running back Carter Winland had a 43-yard rush, taking West Muskingum to the 10-yard line. Overall, Winland rushed for 96 yards on 18 carries. The Tornadoes got to the Garaway 3, but the Pirates stood strong, forcing a field goal, which they blocked.
After a 30-minute rain delay at halftime, West Muskingum started out sluggishly. Garaway took advantage of this start with a drive down the field that culminated with Brady Geibel, who completed 15 passes for 132 total yards, hitting Micah Yoder for a 22-yard passing touchdown. Unfortunately for the Pirates, the extra point missed due to a bad snap. On the next drive, the Tornadoes fired back with a 38-yard touchdown by Carter Smith. However, the Tornadoes’ two-point conversion attempt failed.
As time ran down in the fourth quarter, the Garaway defense forced a fourth down. A bad snap on the punt gave Garaway the ball at the Tornado 1-yard line. The Pirates took advantage of this gift thanks to Brady Geibel, who punched in a touchdown to tie the game at 13.
West Muskingum took over, but the stout Garaway defense gave the Pirates the ball with less than three minutes on the clock. The Pirates took the ball and never looked back. Running back Dillon Soehnlen, who ran for 222 total yards on 25 carries, turned what looked like a short gain into a 50-yard rush. He then gained the remaining eight yards, scoring what turned out to be the winning touchdown for the Pirates.
The Tornadoes got the ball with eighteen seconds left in the quarter, but two Garaway sacks spelled the end for the Tornadoes.
Garaway looks to continue their winning ways against Cardinal Mooney (0-2) in their final nonconference matchup.
West Muskingum looks to start conference play strong against New Lexington (3-0).