Tigers open season with 20-0 shutout win over Adena

GREENFIELD — It was a good start to the new season for the McClain football program, posting an impressive 20-0 victory over visiting Adena Friday night at McClain Field.

Sophomore quarterback Hudson Lovett had a stellar performance by rushing for 169 yards on 23 carries, while completing 10-of-16 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown.

“Hudson (Lovett) was just being Hudson tonight,” McClain head coach Keith Penwell said. “He did a really good job of picking lanes to run in, and he was still able to throw and complete passes from a lot of different angles. I thought he had a really great night for us.”

The Tiger defense was just as superb as the offense, pitching the shutout with a lot of different kids getting valuable playing time due to cramping.

“We played a lot of kids tonight because we were cramping so much, and I thought those other kids came in and played really well,” Penwell said.

McClain scored their first touchdown in the opening quarter with a four-play drive that covered 69 yards, ending with Leland Bond scoring from just outside the goal line with 2:47 remaining in the quarter.

The play was set up by a big 25-yard run by Lovett and a nice pass completion to sophomore Brady Binegar. Hunter Peabody converted the PAT and it was 7-0 Tigers, which is how the first quarter ended.

McClain continued to move the ball well on offense in the second quarter and could have scored again but fumbled just inside the Adena 10-yard line at the 7:47 mark of the second quarter.

After the Tiger defense stopped the Warriors’ next possession — due to a great quarterback sack by Noah Sponcil — the McClain offense was moving the football again, but another fumble with just 2:16 left in the opening half ended another scoring opportunity.

“Coach McGlone, our offensive coordinator, really did a good job tonight, and we moved the ball well but just kept shooting ourselves in the foot with those turnovers that could have been points,” Penwell said.

The McClain defense came up big again just before half when the Warriors were driving deep into McClain territory, but another sack ended the scoring threat and kept the Tigers lead at 7-0.

The second half saw McClain come out of the locker room and play almost an error-free half.  The defense continued to make stops, and the offense behind Lovett and running back Jordan Bell moved the ball up and down the field with considerable ease.

“Our kids just kept going fast despite the cramping, and I thought in that second half we really put a lot of pressure on them,” continued Penwell. “I thought J.B. (Jordan Bell) ran the ball hard all night, and our defense might have bent a little at times, but once we got them into passing situations, we put lots of pressure on them.”

McClain added their second touchdown of the game on a slashing 16-yard run by Lovett in which he broke several tackles en route to the goal line.

After Peabody split the uprights on the PAT, it was 14-0 Tigers with 8:05 remaining in the third quarter.

Jacob Mick made a great fumble recovery for McClain on the ensuing kickoff, but the Tigers were unable to take advantage of the turnover and went three-and-out for the only time in the ballgame.

McClain didn’t squander their next opportunity after a great interception by Bond. It took just four plays for the Tigers to travel 70 yards and score on another spectacular 18-yard TD run by Binegar, when he knifed his way through the Adena secondary.

The PAT was blocked this time, but McClain led 20-0 with 58 seconds left in the third.

Neither team scored in the final quarter, but the Tigers were driving close to the goal line at the end of the game and took a knee to run out the clock, delighting the huge hometown crowd with the opening game shoutout over a scrappy Adena squad.

“Our coaching staff did a really nice job, especially up front and have worked really hard on it and our kids have bought into it,” Penwell said. “My guys have been working hard in practice and tonight it showed. They played awfully hard and gave everything they had out there on the field. I’m just super proud of them.”

McClain (1-0) travels to Northwest (0-1) Friday, Aug. 29 for another tough non-conference game. NWHS lost to Piketon in Week 1 by a 42-19 score. 

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MHS    07 00 13 00 — 20