Sports
Recap: Nelsonville-York Runs Away From Meigs 32-14 [w/VIDEO]
By: Sean Neidig
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In a sloppy, penalty-laden affair, the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes beat the Meigs Marauders by a score of 32-14 on Friday night in Nelsonville.
With the rain coming down steadily throughout the first half, both teams relied heavily on the running game, completing only five combined passes in the entire half. Both teams also combined to commit eight turnovers—five by Meigs and three by the Buckeyes.
The Nelsonville-York (4-2, 2-0 TVC-Ohio) ground game was not similarly affected though. The Buckeyes started out quickly and scored on the second play of the game, a 67-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Alex Mount.
The Buckeyes tried the two-point conversion but were unsuccessful, giving them a 6-0 lead. Mount was a workhorse all night for Nelsonville-York, racking up 44 carries for 367 yards and three touchdowns.
Scoring drives however, were few and far between in the first half, in large part due to penalties. Both teams were hurt their scoring chances by drawing yellow flags, with Meigs (3-3, 2-1) committing 11 fouls for 115 yards and the Buckeyes one-upping them, getting 12 penalties for 122 yards. A Meigs player was even ejected in the early third quarter following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
With both teams struggling to consistently move the ball throughout the half, neither team scored until Meigs scored on a Cody Bartrum two-yard run with 5:44 left in the second quarter. The Marauders would also try and fail a two-point conversion, so the game went into halftime gridlocked at 6. However, that score was the only highlight of Bartrum’s night, who completed only 11-26 passes and threw an interception.
But once the rain stopped at halftime, the scoring began.
On the opening kickoff of the second half, Michael Davis received the Buckeye kick and took it 84 yards to the end zone, sprinting down the left sideline before cutting inside to evade the Buckeye defenders, giving Nelsonville-York a 14-6 lead following a converted two-point try. Davis finished the game with 287 all-purpose yards.
However, the Meigs offense would get the ball back but prove that there is more than one way to put points on the board. In a 16-play drive that ate up over six minutes of clock, the Marauders relied on big plays to propel them down the field despite short runs and several offensive fouls.
On the third play of the drive, Mount found a hole in the D and gashed the Buckeyes for 25 yards. Offensive holding and intentional grounding for the Marauders hurt the offense but Edwards found senior tight end Dakota Mays down the field and threw a strike that gave Meigs first and goal at the eight yard line.
Two plays later, Mount punched it across the goal line from two yards out. Meigs’ ensuing two-point conversion was successful, tying the game at 14 with 5:16 left in the third.
However, the combination of the Nelsonville-York running game and defense would take over at this point, with Mount leading the charge. The Buckeye defense shut out the Marauders after the game was tied at 14 and Mount added another rushing touchdown to seal the victory for Nelsonville-York.
The Buckeyes will look to continue their win streak next week at home, hosting the Wellston Golden Rockets (3-3, 1-1 TVC-Ohio), and Meigs will try to get back in the win column when they invite Athens (6-0, 3-0) to Pomeroy.
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