Bearcats drop season opener to Vikings
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
BAINBRIDGE — Turnovers and a tough first half were just a little too much for the Paint Valley Bearcats to overcome Friday night at George Knisley Field.
The New Miami Vikings, a vastly improved Viking club, took advantage of four Paint Valley turnovers and a 10-point first quarter to match their overall win total from a year ago, defeating PV, 16-13.
PV (0-1) rallied with 13 second half points, mostly due to a 167-yard rushing effort (on 24 carries) by senior running back Brenan Dove. The 6-1, 195-pound former Bearcat quarterback not only pounded his way through the Vikings' defense with his rushing game, but tallied nine tackles on defense.
Fellow senior Nolan Taylor, a 6-3, 260-pound fullback, barreled past New Miami for two touchdowns with runs of seven and five yards. Taylor finished the game with 10 carries for 61 yards.
But the game is four quarters, 48 minutes long, and the Vikings used most of those minutes to gain the win.
In an offensive attack with an output of 62 plays, compared to 39 by Paint Valley, the Vikings scored first with a 35-yard run by sophomore Cody Wallen with 8:27 left in the first quarter. Senior Casey Chestnut kicked the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
Chestnut, again, used his kicking ability to add points to the New Miami lead, by splitting the uprights on a 38-yard field goal attempt for the aforementioned 10-point advantage with 1:15 left in the first quarter.
"Once they (NM) got those 10 points, we were flat for the rest of the first half," Paint Valley head coach Pete Hollon said. "Credit New Miami, they capitalized off our turnovers."
But before the first New Miami (1-0) score, Paint Valley was well on their way to the end zone, putting together a 14-play, 81-yard drive, but lost the ball on a fumble.
In the 81-yard drive, the Bearcats had the ball inside the 20 yard line, in New Miami territory, with a third-and-2 where they (PV) picked up nine yards. But a holding call and another offensive penalty took away the first down, eventually pushing the Bearcats to a third-and-21 situation. PV fumbled on fourth down two plays later.
The third quarter belonged to the Bearcats, outscoring the Vikings, 7-0.
PV put together a 13-play, 78-yard drive that culminated in a 7-yard touchdown run by Taylor with 7:12 left in the quarter.
Both teams scored a touchdown in the final 12-minute quarter, with the Vikings scoring at the 10:18 mark of the fourth on a 55-yard pass from senior quarterback Dylan Wethington to senior Blake Bowlin. The Bearcats blocked the extra point, giving New Miami a 16-7 lead.
The final score of the game brought the Bearcats within three points of New Miami when Taylor lowered his shoulders and exploded through the Vikings' defense for a 5-yard score with 3:07 left in the quarter. The PAT was no good.
"I praise our kids for not giving up and fighting back in the second half," Hollon said. "We had chances to take command of the game, but we gave up a big passing play. Two of our fumbles were on special teams, and you could tell having (Garett) Tyree out with an injury was a disadvantage for us."
Tyree is a two-time Scioto Valley Punter of the year, along with being a starter on both offense and defense.
One thing Hollon wants to correct before his team hosts Williamsburg on Friday, Sept. 3 are the defensive breakdowns.
"I told the kids we can handle the turnovers because that is a part of the game, but what I can't handle is not being in the right places and knowing our defensive assignments. I was discouraged with that, and that will be something we focus on a lot this week."
PV junior quarterback Eli Barker was 3 of 4 for 49 yards. Receiver and brother Nate Barker, a senior, had two catches for 37 yards.
On defense for PV, freshman strong safety Mark Clifford had seven tackles and Dylan Estep, a freshman defensive back, finished with five tackles and a fumble recovery. Freshman Nate Yoakum had eight tackles and one forced fumble at linebacker.
"Our tackling wasn't bad, but we were hitting a running back that was 6-2, 230 pounds," Hollon said. "We were happy with the tackling but not happy with the missed assignments. It doesn't matter how mean you play if you aren't getting to the football. We have to get a better grasp on the mental aspect of football, and against New Miami, we didn't do that."
The forced fumble by Yoakum occurred before the aforementioned 81-yard drive by PV.
PV had a total of 284 rushing yards on 36 attempts.
"Brenan played well, ran hard, and deserved a better fate, rather than coming out on the losing end," Hollon said. "It took us forever to get enough momentum going, but New Miami is much improved and took advantage of every mistake we made."
Paint Valley will host Williamsburg in week two at George Knisley Field Friday at 7:30 p.m.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
NMHS — 10 0 0 6 — 16
PVHS — 0 0 7 6 — 13[[In-content Ad]]
The New Miami Vikings, a vastly improved Viking club, took advantage of four Paint Valley turnovers and a 10-point first quarter to match their overall win total from a year ago, defeating PV, 16-13.
PV (0-1) rallied with 13 second half points, mostly due to a 167-yard rushing effort (on 24 carries) by senior running back Brenan Dove. The 6-1, 195-pound former Bearcat quarterback not only pounded his way through the Vikings' defense with his rushing game, but tallied nine tackles on defense.
Fellow senior Nolan Taylor, a 6-3, 260-pound fullback, barreled past New Miami for two touchdowns with runs of seven and five yards. Taylor finished the game with 10 carries for 61 yards.
But the game is four quarters, 48 minutes long, and the Vikings used most of those minutes to gain the win.
In an offensive attack with an output of 62 plays, compared to 39 by Paint Valley, the Vikings scored first with a 35-yard run by sophomore Cody Wallen with 8:27 left in the first quarter. Senior Casey Chestnut kicked the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
Chestnut, again, used his kicking ability to add points to the New Miami lead, by splitting the uprights on a 38-yard field goal attempt for the aforementioned 10-point advantage with 1:15 left in the first quarter.
"Once they (NM) got those 10 points, we were flat for the rest of the first half," Paint Valley head coach Pete Hollon said. "Credit New Miami, they capitalized off our turnovers."
But before the first New Miami (1-0) score, Paint Valley was well on their way to the end zone, putting together a 14-play, 81-yard drive, but lost the ball on a fumble.
In the 81-yard drive, the Bearcats had the ball inside the 20 yard line, in New Miami territory, with a third-and-2 where they (PV) picked up nine yards. But a holding call and another offensive penalty took away the first down, eventually pushing the Bearcats to a third-and-21 situation. PV fumbled on fourth down two plays later.
The third quarter belonged to the Bearcats, outscoring the Vikings, 7-0.
PV put together a 13-play, 78-yard drive that culminated in a 7-yard touchdown run by Taylor with 7:12 left in the quarter.
Both teams scored a touchdown in the final 12-minute quarter, with the Vikings scoring at the 10:18 mark of the fourth on a 55-yard pass from senior quarterback Dylan Wethington to senior Blake Bowlin. The Bearcats blocked the extra point, giving New Miami a 16-7 lead.
The final score of the game brought the Bearcats within three points of New Miami when Taylor lowered his shoulders and exploded through the Vikings' defense for a 5-yard score with 3:07 left in the quarter. The PAT was no good.
"I praise our kids for not giving up and fighting back in the second half," Hollon said. "We had chances to take command of the game, but we gave up a big passing play. Two of our fumbles were on special teams, and you could tell having (Garett) Tyree out with an injury was a disadvantage for us."
Tyree is a two-time Scioto Valley Punter of the year, along with being a starter on both offense and defense.
One thing Hollon wants to correct before his team hosts Williamsburg on Friday, Sept. 3 are the defensive breakdowns.
"I told the kids we can handle the turnovers because that is a part of the game, but what I can't handle is not being in the right places and knowing our defensive assignments. I was discouraged with that, and that will be something we focus on a lot this week."
PV junior quarterback Eli Barker was 3 of 4 for 49 yards. Receiver and brother Nate Barker, a senior, had two catches for 37 yards.
On defense for PV, freshman strong safety Mark Clifford had seven tackles and Dylan Estep, a freshman defensive back, finished with five tackles and a fumble recovery. Freshman Nate Yoakum had eight tackles and one forced fumble at linebacker.
"Our tackling wasn't bad, but we were hitting a running back that was 6-2, 230 pounds," Hollon said. "We were happy with the tackling but not happy with the missed assignments. It doesn't matter how mean you play if you aren't getting to the football. We have to get a better grasp on the mental aspect of football, and against New Miami, we didn't do that."
The forced fumble by Yoakum occurred before the aforementioned 81-yard drive by PV.
PV had a total of 284 rushing yards on 36 attempts.
"Brenan played well, ran hard, and deserved a better fate, rather than coming out on the losing end," Hollon said. "It took us forever to get enough momentum going, but New Miami is much improved and took advantage of every mistake we made."
Paint Valley will host Williamsburg in week two at George Knisley Field Friday at 7:30 p.m.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
NMHS — 10 0 0 6 — 16
PVHS — 0 0 7 6 — 13[[In-content Ad]]