Bearcats end season on winning note
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Friday night for the Paint Valley Bearcats was cause for celebration, as they defeated the Unioto Shermans 29-12 to end the season with six wins.
Paint Valley (6-3-1) held the Shermans scoreless in three of four quarters played, leading 8-0 at the half.
As a team, PV totaled 317 yards of rushing on 47 carries and totaled 373 yards of offense.
"This was a good season for us," PV head coach Pete Hollon said. "We were picked to finish last in the league coaches' poll in the preseason. This group persevered."
In the first quarter, senior Quentin Tesi scored the first TD of the game, reaching the end zone on a 15-yard run. The PAT was no good for a score of 6-0. Tesi ended the game leading PV with 22 carries for 197 yards and two TDs.
Also for PV in the game, Mark Clifford ran nine times for 61 yards, and Kyle Kottenbrook (who was injured in Week 5) returned for his final game at PV for 10 carries and 43 yards.
Next was the Bearcat defense's turn to add to their lead as they scored two points on a safety by Logan McGraw, eventually leading to the halftime lead of 8-0.
In the third frame, PV scored 15 more points with Tesi again reaching the end zone on a 5-yard dash. Tesi also scored the 2-point conversion run.
The second third-quarter TD by the host Bearcats came in the air as QB Anthony McFadden passed nine yards to Nate Yoakum. Clifford kicked the PAT. McFadden finished 4-for-12 for 56 yards and two TDs.
The 12 points from UHS came in the third quarter.
PV's final score came in the fourth frame as McFadden found Caleb Johnson for 39 yards and six points for Johnson's first career varsity TD. The kick was no good, giving PV the 17-point win.[[In-content Ad]]
"This was a really good win," Hollon said. "Physically, we gave up a lot, but to rush for 300 yards says a lot about the team.
"We started three freshmen and three sophomores offensively, but our front five blocked extremely well."
Defensively for PV, Tesi led with 11 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. Teagan McFadden totaled 11 tackles and one sack. Also for PV, Clifford had seven tackles, and Yoakum finished with six tackles.
Offensively this season, the Bearcats were balanced with Tesi leading PV in rushing with 688 yards, followed by Kottenbrook with 655 yards and Clifford with 545.
PV ends the season at No. 9 in Region 20, one spot short of reaching the postseason. PV also finished third in the Scioto Valley Conference at 4-3 in conference play.
Hollon spoke about the defense this season, along with the departing senior class.
"This was our best defensive game of the year," he said. "The two scores by Unioto were the result of poor special teams. Considering that, we gave up just one first down in the first half.
"The senior class is one of the closer groups I've been around. They've been through a lot with me and my health issues, so they've become closer with me off the field. Nobody gave this group credit since they were in junior high, so them ending the season with a winning record, I'm happy for them."
Looking ahead to the '13 season, the Bearcats will return a wealth of talent, including 16 starters and 2,000 yards of offense.
"As the season progressed, the healthier Mark (Clifford) got, the better the team got," Hollon said. "We'll return four of our six leading tacklers, and we've developed a lot of depth this season.
"This season was a huge step forward. We have an undefeated eighth grade class on the way and a solid seventh grade class. This was a great stepping stone season, and a big part of this season was our new defensive coordinator Brian Cooper. This was the best defense we've had in 10 years, and we played an aggressive style."
Paint Valley (6-3-1) held the Shermans scoreless in three of four quarters played, leading 8-0 at the half.
As a team, PV totaled 317 yards of rushing on 47 carries and totaled 373 yards of offense.
"This was a good season for us," PV head coach Pete Hollon said. "We were picked to finish last in the league coaches' poll in the preseason. This group persevered."
In the first quarter, senior Quentin Tesi scored the first TD of the game, reaching the end zone on a 15-yard run. The PAT was no good for a score of 6-0. Tesi ended the game leading PV with 22 carries for 197 yards and two TDs.
Also for PV in the game, Mark Clifford ran nine times for 61 yards, and Kyle Kottenbrook (who was injured in Week 5) returned for his final game at PV for 10 carries and 43 yards.
Next was the Bearcat defense's turn to add to their lead as they scored two points on a safety by Logan McGraw, eventually leading to the halftime lead of 8-0.
In the third frame, PV scored 15 more points with Tesi again reaching the end zone on a 5-yard dash. Tesi also scored the 2-point conversion run.
The second third-quarter TD by the host Bearcats came in the air as QB Anthony McFadden passed nine yards to Nate Yoakum. Clifford kicked the PAT. McFadden finished 4-for-12 for 56 yards and two TDs.
The 12 points from UHS came in the third quarter.
PV's final score came in the fourth frame as McFadden found Caleb Johnson for 39 yards and six points for Johnson's first career varsity TD. The kick was no good, giving PV the 17-point win.[[In-content Ad]]
"This was a really good win," Hollon said. "Physically, we gave up a lot, but to rush for 300 yards says a lot about the team.
"We started three freshmen and three sophomores offensively, but our front five blocked extremely well."
Defensively for PV, Tesi led with 11 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. Teagan McFadden totaled 11 tackles and one sack. Also for PV, Clifford had seven tackles, and Yoakum finished with six tackles.
Offensively this season, the Bearcats were balanced with Tesi leading PV in rushing with 688 yards, followed by Kottenbrook with 655 yards and Clifford with 545.
PV ends the season at No. 9 in Region 20, one spot short of reaching the postseason. PV also finished third in the Scioto Valley Conference at 4-3 in conference play.
Hollon spoke about the defense this season, along with the departing senior class.
"This was our best defensive game of the year," he said. "The two scores by Unioto were the result of poor special teams. Considering that, we gave up just one first down in the first half.
"The senior class is one of the closer groups I've been around. They've been through a lot with me and my health issues, so they've become closer with me off the field. Nobody gave this group credit since they were in junior high, so them ending the season with a winning record, I'm happy for them."
Looking ahead to the '13 season, the Bearcats will return a wealth of talent, including 16 starters and 2,000 yards of offense.
"As the season progressed, the healthier Mark (Clifford) got, the better the team got," Hollon said. "We'll return four of our six leading tacklers, and we've developed a lot of depth this season.
"This season was a huge step forward. We have an undefeated eighth grade class on the way and a solid seventh grade class. This was a great stepping stone season, and a big part of this season was our new defensive coordinator Brian Cooper. This was the best defense we've had in 10 years, and we played an aggressive style."