Tornadoes Sweep Raiders Off Their Feet
By: Meg Kuczinski
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MCCONELSVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) – The West Muskingum Tornadoes steamrolled the Morgan Raiders in an electrifying match-up on Friday night.
The West Muskingum Tornadoes (7-1) were riding high on their five-game winning streak and were looking to continue that trend this week against the Morgan Raiders (4-3).
The Tornadoes defensive line held back the Raiders, forcing a turnover to West Muskingum early on. From there, the Tornadoes took control of the game. Carter Winland ran the ball down the field to set West Muskingum within the red zone. Rashid SeSay punched the ball in from the 1-yard line and gave the Tornadoes a slight 7-0 lead over Morgan.
Later in the first quarter, Morgan again took control of the game. After an inadvertent whistle call and an unfortunate sack from the Tornadoes, safety Jake Anton intercepted the ball from Morgan’s quarterback Logan Nicewanger. After stealing the ball from the Raiders, West Muskingum could not find the end zone and was held back by Morgan’s defensive powerhouse.
The second quarter opened with the ball toggling back and forth between the two teams, each met with the overwhelming force of the opposing team’s defense. However, this stalemate would not last long.
Thirsty for more, SeSay put up more points for the Tornadoes. With the score now 14-0, the Tornadoes continued their domination of the Raiders. Morgan took the ball over again but found themselves struggling with West Muskingum’s defensive brick wall. The Tornadoes forced a turnover once again, taking this game by storm.
Anton proved to be instrumental in West Muskingum’s offense. He pushed the ball down the field and made light work for SeSay, who found the end zone for the Tornadoes within the last few seconds of the second quarter. Both teams rolled into the locker room with the Tornadoes taking a 21-0 lead.
The Tornadoes started the third quarter with a bang. Early on, Anton found SeSay for a 57-yard touchdown pass, securing a 28-0 lead over the Raiders. However, the Raiders finally stole the show from West Muskingum with a 1-yard rushing touchdown. With the score now 28-7, tensions were just reaching a boiling point. West Muskingum responded to the Raiders when SeSay scored another touchdown, setting the score at 35-7.
In the fourth quarter, Morgan fought back. The Raiders scored another touchdown early on, making the score 35-13, but the Tornadoes were not finished yet. SeSay found the end zone for a final time for West Muskingum, setting a new school record for touchdowns in a single game.
West Muskingum ultimately sent the Raiders packing, with a final score of 42-13.
Next week, the Tornadoes will face off away against Coshocton, and Morgan will take on Meadowbrook away in Byesville.