1993 sees MHS, HHS on competitive course

(Continued from last week.)

Oddly, the Vinton County football field was slanted uphill toward the north end zone. The Tigers, however, were running uphill the entire game.

In 1993, the Vikings had a big, strong defensive line, which almost totally dominated the McClain offense.

Scott Counter, who had averaged 142 yards per game for the first three games, was held to 18 yards in 12 carries.

Quarterback Andy Bolender was sacked numerous times for a total of 44 yards in losses.

It just wasn’t the Tigers’ night. They suffered their first loss of the season, 25-3.

For the game, the Tigers amassed minus-24 yards rushing. They picked up 83 passing yards, for a total of 49 yards of total offense and just four first downs.

An indication of how totally outclassed the Purple and Gold was in this game, is that 48 of the 83 passing yards came on two plays very late in the game.

Not to be outdone, the Hillsboro Indians, playing at home, lost their first Southern Buckeye Conference game in two years, when they were walloped, 24-14, by Bethel-Tate.

The visitors managed to hold the Indians to just 42 rushing yards. Hillsboro quarterback Chad Downing had a good night, hitting on 14 of 24 passing attempts and one touchdown. He did, however, throw his first two interceptions of the season.

With these games, McClain dropped to 3-1 for the young season, and Hillsboro fell to 2-2.

McClain bounced back on Oct. 1, 1993, when they celebrated Homecoming weekend by thumping Western Brown, 28-14.

Tiger senior Jason Knisley got the evening off on the right foot when he gathered in the opening kickoff and raced 79 yards for a touchdown, virtually untouched.

After a rather unproductive game against Vinton County, junior tailback Scott Counter lugged the pigskin 26 times against Western Brown, racking up 156 rushing yards and a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 32 yards and added 14 yards on a kickoff return for a total of 202 yards of offense.

McClain High School senior Melanie Anderson was crowned Homecoming Queen prior to the game.

She was accompanied by queen’s attendants Kara Jackman and Natalie Smith, senior attendant Amber Stone, junior attendant Mandy Free, sophomore attendant Kim Chaney and freshman attendant Stacey Jackson.

In Hillsboro, the same evening, quarterback Chad Downing threw four touchdown passes to lead the Indians to a rather easy 35-7 Southern Buckeye Conference win over the Williamsburg Wildcats.

Downing connected on 12 of 18 passes for a total of 243 yards with touchdown passes of 69, 67, 15 and 7 yards. He also threw for a two-point conversion, ran for another two point conversion and carried the ball seven times for 34 yards.

The next Friday, Oct. 8, would see the big McClain vs. Hillsboro matchup on the Hillsboro field.

This promised to be an epic battle. McClain’s defensive unit would present a huge challenge to the Indians.

But Chad Downing was one of the best passing quarterbacks in the area, and Hillsboro had three or four excellent receivers.

The outcome would likely hinge on big plays.

As it turned out, Downing and his receivers were the keys to the outcome of the game.

McClain’s defense was outstanding. They put a lot of pressure on the Indian quarterback (he was sacked nine times).

The Tigers dominated the line of scrimmage for much of the game. But Downing still completed 11 of 24 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for one touchdown.

One of the big factors was the number of times he was able to come up with big completions in key third and fourth down situations.

Scott Counter had a great night for the Tigers. He carried 34 times for 134 yards and three touchdowns.

But when the game clock wound down, the Indians came out on top, 26-24. Both teams went home with 4-2 records.

The following Friday night McClain would host the 5-1 Miami Trace Panthers. The Panthers had enjoyed a string of lop-sided victories over the purple and gold.

McClain struck first, and took a 7-0 lead with a little over two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Miami Trace scored on a field goal. Then the Panthers hit on a 58-yard pass play followed by a two-point conversion. At halftime the visitors held an 11-7 lead.

(Continued next week.)

Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.