Eastern beats Meigs for the first time in school history
By: Joshua Hoerner
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POMEROY, Ohio (WOUB) — Eastern scores 16 unanswered points in the second half and takes down county foe Meigs 23-19.
Only thirteen minutes separate Meigs high school from Eastern high school, yet the two schools have only played each other on the gridiron twice in their histories. Saturday’s matchup marked the first time they’ve met since 2005.
Last season, Eastern finished 8-3 and placed second in the TVC-Hocking. Meigs ended with a 5-5 record, finishing fourth in the Ohio.
Farmers Bank Stadium was packed in anticipation, with both sides of the stadium full of fans.
To open the game, Meigs recovered an onside kick and got the ball deep into Eagles territory. Meigs wasn’t able to capitalize on the good field position and turned the ball over on downs.
The Maruaders got the ball back after another possession switch and quarterback Gunnar Cleland hit Isaiah Arms for a huge gain. Cleland also executed a crucial quarterback sneak that kept the drive alive.
A few plays later, Cleland connected with Jacob White for a 13-yard touchdown pass, giving Meigs the first score of the game.
Eastern responded with a drive that lasted more than six minutes. Ethan Edwards scored from three yards out to tie the contest with nine minutes left in the second quarter.
On the ensuing possession, Meigs’ Beckham broke off a 31-yard run that got the Marauders inside the ten. One play later, Cooper Jude found the endzone to give Meigs a 13-7 lead.
Eastern wasn’t able to capitalize on a big run from Parker Durst, and the score remained 13-7 going into the halftime break.
Meigs received the ball to open the second half. The Marauders were stuffed on their first two plays and immediately faced a third and ten. Cleland hit Griffin Hudson over the middle for what initially looked like a first down pick up, but Hudson somehow broke free from a crowd and took the pass 65-yards to the house, extending Meigs’ lead to 19-7.
Eastern went three-and-out on its next drive. Meigs’ following drive showed promise, but a sack by Mason Shepherd stalled the momentum. A costly fourth down fumble would give Eastern the ball back.
Durst had two chunk runs to get the Eagles into Meigs territory. Lineman Matt Marcum got a chance to punch in a score from a yard out and capitalized. Eastern trailed by five with five minutes left in the third.
The Marauders faced a fourth and short, but a costly fumble would give the Eagles the ball back deep into Meigs territory. Brogan Spencer scooped up the loose ball for Eastern.
Durst was called on again and capitalized on a short-yardage red-zone run. Eastern took a 20-19 lead early in the fourth quarter.
A crucial blocked punt from Kyler Basham gave the Eagles the ball in Marauders territory. The Eagles capitalized with a field goal, extending their lead to 23-19 with seven minutes left.
Meigs reached Eastern territory on the next drive, highlighted by a big pass completed to Jacob White. White looked like he was going all the way for a touchdown but stepped out of bounds at the 27-yard line as the clock ticked under five minutes.
Meigs faced a critical fourth down in Eastern territory, but could not convert, handing the ball back to Eastern with three minutes left in the contest.
The Eagles kept the ball moving and held on for a 23-19 victory.
After the game, Head Coach Jason Jackson praised his team.
“I know how hard our kids work,” Jackson said. “This is my fourth year there and I’ve always been amazed at Eastern kids and what they put into everything they do. It’s unbelievable.”
“It does tell you something about what you got is grit,” Jackson added, when asked what a win like this could do for his team.
Eastern will travel to Wirt County next week. Meigs remains at home to take on Symmes Valley.