Beaver Eastern beats Minford in barnburner
By: Andrew Woods
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MINFORD, Ohio (WOUB) – Despite being only 14 miles apart, the Beaver Eastern Eagles (3-0) and the Minford Falcons (1-2) had never faced off on the gridiron until this season, when the Eagles traveled to Minford for a nonconference showdown. The first matchup between the two did not disappoint, as Minford and Beaver Eastern had a shootout in which the two combined for 90 points and over 600 passing yards. Although Minford staged a late rally, Beaver Eastern eventually got the best of the Falcons, winning 48-42.
Unlike the rest of the game, the first two drives both ended in quick defensive stops. Beaver Eastern got the ball first, but Minford forced a fourth down. On that play, Elijah Conley recovered a fumble to take over. The Falcons’ first drive also stalled out, but a good punt pinned the Eagles deep.
After taking back the ball, Eagles quarterback Thomas Manley Jr. got to work immediately. After moving to the 30-yard line, Manley launched a deep bomb for Boston Webb, who grabbed it and ran for a 70-yard touchdown. That big play was only the start for Manley, who passed for 250 yards and five touchdowns.
Minford responded immediately with another big play. On just the second play of the Falcons’ drive, Curt Glenn connected with Mark Napier on a screen play that went for a 57-yard score. Beaver Eastern swung back at Minford with another big play between Manley and Webb. On a third-and-11 caused by a holding penalty, Manley found Webb for a 37-yard touchdown.
The next two drives were more methodical. Both Minford and Beaver Eastern used their run games to march down the field, and both capped off their drives with a rushing score. Glenn punched it in for the Falcons, while Jack Montgomery scored for the Eagles. While both teams had an additional opportunity to score, neither cashed in, leaving the score at 21-14 Beaver Eastern at halftime.
Minford began the second half with the ball, but Beaver Eastern got the ball back quickly after they recovered a fumble on the Falcons 31-yard line. The Eagles cashed in with another Manley passing touchdown, this time to Carson Peters.
The Falcons continued to hold strong on their next drive. Despite ending up behind the sticks twice thanks to a sack and a holding penalty, Minford still scored thanks to a pair of long passes from Glenn to Wyatt Swick, including a 35-yard score that kept Minford within seven points of Beaver Eastern.
The Eagles began to pull away over the course of the next three drives. First, after taking over with great field position, Montgomery scored his second rushing touchdown with a 40-yard carry. The Beaver Eastern defense quickly got the ball back, recovering another Minford fumble in Falcons territory. Then, the Eagles offense drove straight back to the end zone. Although Minford put the pressure on, Manley found Webb again to put Beaver Eastern up 41-21.
Montgomery, a sophomore, stepped up as a feature back for Beaver Eastern. He led the Eagles with 26 carries, which he took for over 150 yards. Eagles head coach Scott Tomlinson said the game against Minford was Montgomery’s “coming out party.” According to Tomlinson, several of Montgomery’s relatives are Minford graduates who played for the Falcons, which meant Montgomery’s big game was even more special.
Minford responded to the deficit by showing off its passing offense. Just after the kickoff, Glenn launched a deep bomb for Napier, who snagged it and raced down the field to keep the Eagles alive. However, as the fourth quarter began, Beaver Eastern kept the deficit at 20 thanks to a fourth Webb touchdown catch.
Webb was the focal point of the Beaver Eastern passing attack. He caught nine passes for 174 yards and four touchdowns. However, Webb was not the only receiver making big plays Two Minford wide receivers, Mark Napier and Wyatt Swick, had 100-yard games. Napier caught three passes for 119 yards, while Swick had six catches for 219 yards.
Despite being down 20 points in the fourth quarter, Minford continued to fight. On a critical third down, Glenn launched another deep ball for Swick, who grabbed it to score a 66-yard touchdown to reduce the gap to 13 points.
With the pressure on, Beaver Eastern had a promising drive. The Eagles made a fourth down conversion and made what seemed to be the game-sealing touchdown. However, the score was called back for holding. That break gave Minford the chance they needed. The Falcons held the Eagles back and forced a turnover on downs.
With time running out and a chance at a miracle victory, Glenn took over. He made multiple chunk pass plays to push the Falcons down the field. Then, with less than a minute left in the game, Glenn found top receiver Swick for a 14-yard touchdown to put Minford within six points of an upset victory.
With time running out and few opportunities to stop the clock, Minford had to recover an onside kick to have any chance of winning. However, with the game on the line, the Beaver Eastern hands team stepped up, securing the onside kick to close out the game.
Perhaps fittingly, the Eagles and Falcons both excelled through the air. Both quarterbacks passed for five touchdowns and had passer ratings over 150. Minford quarterback Curt Glenn completed 16 passes for nearly 400 yards, while Eastern quarterback Eric Manley Jr. completed 17 passes for 250 yards.
Beaver Eastern will look to continue their 25-game regular season win streak when they face Clinton County (KY) (0-3) next week. Meanwhile, Minford will open their SOC-II slate when they travel to Oak Hill (0-3).