Fort Frye evens records over West Muskingum
By: Jonas Conn
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ZANESVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) — After a blowout Week 1 loss, the Fort Frye Cadets bounced back with a dominant road win over the heavily-favored West Muskingum Tornadoes, taking the game 36-7.
Fort Frye had a massive night on the ground, collectively scoring four rushing touchdowns. Gavin Rauch and Tyce Beardsley combined for 261 yards, with Rauch going for 140 and Beardsley adding 121. The Cadets were extremely successful with fullback traps and jet sweeps, running each several times with little resistance from the Tornadoes’ defense.
Both teams got off to a slow start; each had a touchdown called back on holding penalties. Tornadoes QB Braxton Brownrigg’s 69-yard rushing score was initially awarded, but a flag came in late after a livid protest from the Fort Frye sideline.
After a scoreless first quarter, Fort Frye finally broke through with a fourth-down quarterback sneak by Grady Hesson. The 59-yard touchdown drive was largely assisted by Beardsley’s 36-yard run to the Tornadoes’ 5-yard line.
Minutes later, the Cadets scored again. Rauch exploded through a gap and never looked back for a 69-yard touchdown, gifting Frye a 15-0 lead after a trick play 2-point conversion by Beardsley.
Late in the first half, Brownrigg tossed up a 31-yard touchdown to WR Tavin Bennett, putting West Muskingum on the board. The Tornadoes had seemingly started to shift the tides heading into halftime, cutting the score to 15-7.
This left just 48 seconds on the clock, but Fort Frye wasn’t fazed. Cadets WR Luke Phillis caught a 45-yard Hail Mary as the half expired as it would appear. However, referees initially awarded the touchdown to Phillis, but marked him down just short after further discussion. Though, a defensive pass interference call gave Fort Frye one untimed down. The Cadets nailed a field goal to make it 18-7 going into the half, but once again, the ruling was changed. The touchdown was rescinded, and the field goal kick ended up being credited as a PAT score.
The score shifted the tables back in favor of Fort Frye. West Muskingum failed to score for the rest of the game despite a fumble by Beardsley early in the third quarter. After back-to-back turnovers on downs by the Tornadoes, Beardsley made up for the fumble, notching a 4-yard touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter. He would add another late, extending the lead to the eventual final score of 36-7.
After the huge road win, Fort Frye evens their record at 1-1, with their home opener against Wheeling Central Catholic coming up in a week’s time. West Muskingum falls to the same mark, with a road trip to John Glenn awaiting them next Friday.