Zane Trace shuts out Valley on the road
By: Zachary Knight
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LUCASVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) – The Zane Trace Pioneers (8-2) traveled to face off with the Valley Indians (8-2) for their first playoff matchup, where Zane Trace put on a defensive showcase on their way to a 48-0 win.
Both teams tend to focus more on running plays, and that was evident through the first quarter. Valley had possession of the ball, marching down with short passes and run plays. The Indians picked up a handful of first downs, but ultimately the Pioneer defense was able to hold them off, and took over for a quick three downs before punting back to the Indians.
Valley didn’t have very long to respond, however, as Grady Stewart was able to pick off a bubble screen and take the ball 32 yards for a Pioneer touchdown. He got Zane Trace on the board and an extra point put them at 7-0 with three minutes to go in the quarter.
Valley got its offense back on the field for another long drive that lasted until about two minutes into the second quarter, where Zane Trace was able to block their kick and Mason Hartley was able to scoop the ball up for a 72-yard house call, expanding the Pioneer lead to 14. While Valley maintained possession and was able to get to the doorstep of the end zone, they ultimately were unable to get on the board in the first half.
Zane Trace’s defense wasn’t quite done, though. Stewart got his second interception of the night and blew down the field to set up a Zane Trace touchdown from Mason Hartley just one play later. The Pioneers kept the Indians at bay and headed into the locker room up 20-0. They were able to maintain that momentum on their way to a Week 11 win, defeating the Indians at home.
Next week, the Pioneers will head to Columbus Academy to continue their playoff run against the Columbus Academy Vikings.