Paint Valley Bearcats ‘don’t let up’ in win over West Jefferson

BAINBRIDGE — With 2:43 left in the fourth quarter and the Paint Valley Bearcats ahead by 14 points over the West Jefferson Rough Riders, head coach Corey Dye shouted instructions to his defense as he paced down the sidelines at George Knisley Field … “We cannot let up! We can’t let up!”

The defense took those instructions to heart because on that drive alone, the Bearcats’ defense had two of their biggest plays of the night, resulting in the home team forcing a turnover and eventually running the clock out for a 28-14 non-conference win in week two.

“Without a doubt, two of the biggest hits we've had all night,” Dye said after the game. “Braylon Robertson just absolutely crushed a guy, and then Carson Free. We challenge them each and every week to be fast and physical, and our kids have risen to that challenge each and every week.

“This is our fourth year playing [West Jefferson. It’s the first time we beat them, Coach [Shawn] Buescher does a great job with this program. They're a team that has rich tradition, and it goes all the way back in the ’70s, when they won state titles. Each and every year, your goal is to go undefeated right off the rip. We've definitely started out really well, going 2-0.

It’s one of those things where you know, as a coach, you try to get these guys to really buy into the year. I think they have defensively,” Dye continued. “I mean, our defense is getting better and better each week. Our offensive line is getting better and better each week. What more can you ask? Our kids are are working their tails off, and it's showing.”

The Bearcats (2-0) had solid performances from both the offense and defense, with the offense having two 14-point quarters, while the defense allowed just one touchdown in each half.

It was the Rough Riders striking first with a touchdown drive of six plays which began at the 7:25 mark of the first and ended with the clock reading 4:17 as a drive that started at the PVHS 39-yard line ended with a touchdown on fourth-and-goal as quarterback Austin Buescher found Nick Fitzpatrick in the back of the end zone for the 3-yard score. The PAT by Zack Oyster put West Jeff ahead, 7-0.

The Bearcats answered on the ensuing drive with a 10-play drive of their own that began with just over 4:00 left in the first and ended with 11:57 left in the second, ending with a 3-yard rush from Braylon Robertson for the touchdown. He also kicked the extra point for a 7-7 score.

The first scoring drive by the Bearcats included a rush of over 20 yards by Robertson and a reception from Jeremy Cain on a third down play. PVHS also gained a first down on a pass interference call on the Rough Riders, putting the ball on the 11-yard line for a first-and-goal situation. Two plays later, the aforementioned TD and PAT occurred for the tied score.

On the next drive by West Jeff, they had a couple positive-yardage plays, but the defense in the secondary by Gage Wagner stopped any hope at reaching the end zone as twice on the drive he batted away potential receptions by the Rough Riders forcing a punt.

“Gage Wagner is one of the best corners in the area,” Dye said. “That's a kid that I really feel like he's going to have an amazing year. We knew coming in this year that he was going to do some amazing things, and he definitely was able to do that tonight, shutting down their number-one receiver.”
Following three consecutive drives resulting in punts, the Bearcats started their next scoring drive with 6:24 left in the second quarter. After a play of -3 yards, PVHS regrouped, and quarterback Preston Fauber passed to Willy Wheaton for a 12-yard gain. A few players later, it was Fauber using the Bearcats’ offensive line, plus a lead blocker, to break away for a 44-yard rush to the end zone, as the touchdown run put PVHS into the lead with 4:20 left in the second quarter at 14-7.

“Willy Wheaton again had an incredible game for us  and came up with some big catches, some big plays, and Jeremy Cain did an outstanding job,” Dye said. “Obviously, so did Preston Fauber, just the way he manages the game and how he's able to have poise and confidence.

“CJ Manion is a kid that we've been, really looking forward to seeing what he can do. As far as his defensive talent, he's one of our best defensive linemen. He's fast, he's explosive, and he was able to put a lot of pressure on their quarterback, which was definitely a big part of our game plan.”

Before the end of the second quarter, the Rough Riders put together a productive drive, as they used solid field position which began at the PVHS 37-yard line with 4:20 left in the first half. Following some positive-yardage plays, and a couple PVHS penalties, the Rough Riders ended the drive with no points as they missed a 28-yard field goal attempt with 2:27 on the clock.

With the first half ending at 14-7 in favor of the Bearcats, Paint Valley added to their lead to start the third quarter, using the initial drive of the second half to celebrate in the end zone. The Bearcats constructed a 12-play drive of 80 yards, which saw rushes of 10, 6, 10, 5, 2 and 1 yards by Robertson, plus a 13-yard catch by Cain. The drive ended with a pass from Fauber to Carson Free for an 11-yard touchdown with 6:59 left in the third quarter. The PAT was no good, leaving the PVHS lead at 13 points by a score of 20-7.

West Jeff regained possession of the ball and had a few positive plays, including one of 28 yards off a reception by Kam Elsnau, but the Bearcats had other ideas with a big second down stop by Logan Hamlin, and later the defense as a whole forcing a turnover on downs with 3:30 left in the third.

The final touchdown drive for the Bearcats happened on the next time their offense was on the turf at PVHS.

After starting on the West Jeff 34-yard line with 3:30 left in the third, it looked like the Bearcats were back in pay dirt after a catch in the back of the end zone by Free. A penalty took the points off the board, but the Bearcat faithful had little to worry about.

Those points were eventually put back on the board with an even more spectacular catch by Free, as he was in one-on-one coverage, and both he and the West Jeff defender jumped for the football in the corner of the end zone, as both had hands on the football. As they fell to the ground, it was Free who ended with final possession of the football for a 22-yard touchdown reception with 20 seconds left in the third. Robertson rushed the ball into the end zone for a 2-point conversion, putting the Bearcats ahead 28-7.

West Jeff scored the final touchdown of the game, with a 3-yard run by Wade Reeve with 10:57 left in the third. The PAT sailed through the uprights off a kick by Oyster for what ended as the 28-14 final score.

The Rough Riders threatened with a drive with just over 8:00 left in the fourth quarter, but the defense of Paint Valley defended their home field in a big way as a fourth down play from their own 38-yard line saw Free and Wheaton force a turnover on downs following a big hit that forced an incomplete pass with 4:30 left in the fourth.

The final drive was the one where the defense didn’t let up for the Bearcats, as a sack by Colton Yoakum on first down resulted in a big loss for WJHS, and later an interception by Robertson from the linebacker position all but sealed the win as he took the ball to the 30-yard line of WJHS with .49 seconds left in regulation.
 
Next for Paint Valley in Week 3 (Friday, Sept. 6) is a trip to Greenfield to face the McClain Tigers (0-2) at McClain Field in a non-conference rivalry game starting at 7 p.m. with the “Battle of 41” trophy on the line. McClain lost in overtime in Week 2 on Friday (Aug. 30) to the Northwest Mohawks (1-1) by a 19-13 score.

“It's not an easy place to play,” Dye said. “Coach [Keith] Penwell does a great job with this program. I have a lot of respect for Greenfield and their coaching staff and their football players. It's not one of those games that we're going to take lightly.

“It’s the Battle of 41, and we’re really looking forward to getting a chance to hang onto that trophy. It means a lot to this area, and I know a lot of our kids have relatives that they're probably going to be playing against, or have relatives that live in that area. It's a big game for us, so we’ve got to be ready for them.”

West Jefferson (0-2) will face Madison-Plains at home Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.

BOX SCORE
PVHS 00 14 14 14 00 — 28
WJHS 07 00 00 07 — 14

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