Panthers run away from Indians
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
EBER — The Miami Trace Panthers could not be stopped in the first half with their rushing attack, which in turn wasn't good for the Hillsboro Indians as they dropped their fifth straight game of the season, falling to the Panthers, 54-6 Friday at Panther Stadium.
The loss by the visiting Indians moves them to an overall record of 0-5, with a South Central Ohio League mark of 0-2. MT moves to 2-3 overall and 2-0 in the SCOL as the game Friday was ended with 5:27 left in the fourth quarter due to lightning.
"We had a hard time stopping anyone," HHS head coach Brian Spicer said. "Miami Trace is a hard-nosed team, and they ran the ball hard.
"We made mistakes ... now I need to watch the film to see the mistakes. Hats off to Miami Trace, they did a good job and had a good effort."
Miami Trace struck early, scoring 20 points in the first 13 minutes of the game, and from there, the Indians had to play catch-up as they trailed 34-6 at the half. HHS was held scoreless in the second half.
It took the Panthers just five plays to reach pay dirt as they put together a game-opening drive of 63 yards on yards gained on the ground. The drive earned six points with 9:31 on the clock when junior quarterback Jimmy Stroker ran 29 yards. The PAT was no good for a 6-0 MT lead.
After the Panthers regained possession off a turnover on downs, it took the Panthers five more plays (74 yards) to take a 12-point lead with junior running back Austin Dyer racing 37 yards with 5:07 left in the first frame for the Panthers' second TD.
Following a three-and-out by HHS, MT went to the end zone for a third consecutive drive, this time totaling 40 yards on six plays with junior Trevor Haines running 9 yards for six points. The Panthers converted a 2-point play when sophomore Cedric Pettiford caught a pass from Stroker, giving the host Panthers a 20-point advantage.
The score went to 27-0 as the Panthers scored on their first play of the drive when Stroker raced 52 yards for a touchdown as the junior QB turned the corner and raced down the MT sideline, leaving 9:06 on the second-quarter scoreboard following the PAT by senior Quinton Miles.
MT took a a 34-point lead with the Panthers returning a fumble 40 yards for six points and a lead of 34-0 after the converted PAT with 7:05 left in the first half.
Hillsboro still continued to battle the Panthers, no matter the score, and reward themselves in a big way as they put together a 91-yard drive ending with a 4-yard TD run by junior Kordell Ford with 11.7 seconds left in the opening half.
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"For our kids to execute a drive like that … it shows they can do this," Spicer said. "We have to continue to keep working to do that each time we get the football."
The HHS scoring drive began with a runs by senior Kyler White, followed by consecutive receptions totaling 15 yards by Matthew Arnold. That play was followed by a 46-yard catch by sophomore Jacob Aber to the MT 35-yard line with 1:12 left on the clock.
White continued with a 5-yard run, along with a 15-yard catch by senior Craig Jackson.
Following a penalty on MT and a 5-yard catch by Aber, the Indians scored on the run by Ford.
Ford unofficially totaled 71 yards rushing.
In the second half, MT outscored HHS 20-0 with TDs by sophomore Jeremiah Jones (10-yard run), Dyer (21-yard run) and sophomore Russell Miller (6-yard run), along with two PATs by Miles.
Unofficially, the Panthers totaled 347 yards of offense.
"Every time Miami Trace got the ball, they got points, and again, we had to play from a big deficit. We've had to face that scenario the past three weeks as we dug ourselves into a hole, and we can't continue to do that," Spicer said. "The kids played hard and will continue to work hard."
Next week, the Indians will travel to Clarksville as they will face the Clinton-Massie Falcons. The game will be the homecoming game of CM, and before the game, there will be a parade which could use a majority of the parking. For best parking, the Falcons suggested arriving at the field following the conclusion of the parade, as parking will become more available.
MT will host the East Clinton Astros (0-2, 1-4) next Friday.
GAME NOTES: Ford had a 34-yard run in the second quarter on a second-and-10 play from the HHS 27-yard line … MT's James Cline had an interception in the third quarter … Austin Flerchinger of MT had an interception … MT totaled 179 yards of offense in the first half … HHS converted a fake punt in the third quarter.
The loss by the visiting Indians moves them to an overall record of 0-5, with a South Central Ohio League mark of 0-2. MT moves to 2-3 overall and 2-0 in the SCOL as the game Friday was ended with 5:27 left in the fourth quarter due to lightning.
"We had a hard time stopping anyone," HHS head coach Brian Spicer said. "Miami Trace is a hard-nosed team, and they ran the ball hard.
"We made mistakes ... now I need to watch the film to see the mistakes. Hats off to Miami Trace, they did a good job and had a good effort."
Miami Trace struck early, scoring 20 points in the first 13 minutes of the game, and from there, the Indians had to play catch-up as they trailed 34-6 at the half. HHS was held scoreless in the second half.
It took the Panthers just five plays to reach pay dirt as they put together a game-opening drive of 63 yards on yards gained on the ground. The drive earned six points with 9:31 on the clock when junior quarterback Jimmy Stroker ran 29 yards. The PAT was no good for a 6-0 MT lead.
After the Panthers regained possession off a turnover on downs, it took the Panthers five more plays (74 yards) to take a 12-point lead with junior running back Austin Dyer racing 37 yards with 5:07 left in the first frame for the Panthers' second TD.
Following a three-and-out by HHS, MT went to the end zone for a third consecutive drive, this time totaling 40 yards on six plays with junior Trevor Haines running 9 yards for six points. The Panthers converted a 2-point play when sophomore Cedric Pettiford caught a pass from Stroker, giving the host Panthers a 20-point advantage.
The score went to 27-0 as the Panthers scored on their first play of the drive when Stroker raced 52 yards for a touchdown as the junior QB turned the corner and raced down the MT sideline, leaving 9:06 on the second-quarter scoreboard following the PAT by senior Quinton Miles.
MT took a a 34-point lead with the Panthers returning a fumble 40 yards for six points and a lead of 34-0 after the converted PAT with 7:05 left in the first half.
Hillsboro still continued to battle the Panthers, no matter the score, and reward themselves in a big way as they put together a 91-yard drive ending with a 4-yard TD run by junior Kordell Ford with 11.7 seconds left in the opening half.
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"For our kids to execute a drive like that … it shows they can do this," Spicer said. "We have to continue to keep working to do that each time we get the football."
The HHS scoring drive began with a runs by senior Kyler White, followed by consecutive receptions totaling 15 yards by Matthew Arnold. That play was followed by a 46-yard catch by sophomore Jacob Aber to the MT 35-yard line with 1:12 left on the clock.
White continued with a 5-yard run, along with a 15-yard catch by senior Craig Jackson.
Following a penalty on MT and a 5-yard catch by Aber, the Indians scored on the run by Ford.
Ford unofficially totaled 71 yards rushing.
In the second half, MT outscored HHS 20-0 with TDs by sophomore Jeremiah Jones (10-yard run), Dyer (21-yard run) and sophomore Russell Miller (6-yard run), along with two PATs by Miles.
Unofficially, the Panthers totaled 347 yards of offense.
"Every time Miami Trace got the ball, they got points, and again, we had to play from a big deficit. We've had to face that scenario the past three weeks as we dug ourselves into a hole, and we can't continue to do that," Spicer said. "The kids played hard and will continue to work hard."
Next week, the Indians will travel to Clarksville as they will face the Clinton-Massie Falcons. The game will be the homecoming game of CM, and before the game, there will be a parade which could use a majority of the parking. For best parking, the Falcons suggested arriving at the field following the conclusion of the parade, as parking will become more available.
MT will host the East Clinton Astros (0-2, 1-4) next Friday.
GAME NOTES: Ford had a 34-yard run in the second quarter on a second-and-10 play from the HHS 27-yard line … MT's James Cline had an interception in the third quarter … Austin Flerchinger of MT had an interception … MT totaled 179 yards of offense in the first half … HHS converted a fake punt in the third quarter.