Just as competition in the Tri-Valley Conference begins to heat up, the regular season nears closer to the end.
Whether you saw one game or none, The Post is here to fill you in on what you might have missed during Week 5 of TVC-Ohio football.
Athens
It had been almost a month since the Bulldogs claimed their first victory of the season. After four weeks, they broke their brief losing streak with a 32-14 victory over Meigs.
Athens (2-2, 2-1 TVC-Ohio) had a firm grip of the game by the second quarter. Meigs (2-3, 2-2 TVC-Ohio) fumbled the ball three times in the third quarter alone, which gave Athens plenty of opportunities to score.
The Bulldogs’ run game benefitted the most from Meigs’ habitual turnovers. Athens ran for 223 yards Friday, which is more than its previous three games combined. Peyton Gail soared above and beyond his teammates with 99 rushing yards against the Marauders.
Coach Nathan White applauded his team for their performance Friday, but he has noticed an issue with the offense over the past several weeks he wants to correct. The offense is sluggish out of the gate and never reaches its full potential until the second quarter.
White thinks if the Bulldogs don’t learn to kick-start its offense earlier it will cause more problems than they can handle.
Alexander
The Spartans tried to replicate the offensive success they had against River Valley in Friday’s game against Vinton County, but the offensive firepower did not materialize against the Vikings.
Alexander’s (1-4, 1-3 TVC-Ohio) 31-0 loss to Vinton County (3-2, 3-2 TVC-Ohio) is its fourth straight game decided by 30 or more points, with only one of those games being a win.
The main issues offensively are the same problems that have plagued the Spartans all season: penalties and unnecessary mistakes. Their opening drive exemplifies the problem perfectly. While Alexander marched down the field, getting into Vinton County territory, the Vikings forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.
Once the game got out of hand in the third quarter, Coach Earich Dean put in freshman Jordan Schulz at quarterback to give him a chance to play against high-level competition and prepare him to take the reins of the offense in a couple of years.
As for the current state of Alexander’s offense, the Spartans have spent its season trying to limit those sloppy mistakes that end up derailing promising drives. But the fact is that Alexander is a young team, so the inexperience will only allow its current ceiling to be so high.
Nelsonville-York
The Buckeyes won their third-straight game in dominant fashion Friday night at River Valley. The defense stopped the Raiders’ offense for negative six total yards.
Nelsonville York (3-2) beat River Valley (0-5) for the fifth-straight season. The 51-7 win was the largest margin of victory this season.
The Buckeyes were able to get a lot of younger players involved as sophomore Hudson Stalder scored his first varsity touchdown and freshman Makhi Williams scored two touchdowns of his own.
Junior quarterback Drew Carter had his best game of the season and completed 11-of-13 passes with three touchdowns in just the first half.
The win was a nice tuneup for Nelsonville-York’s regular-season finale against Athens. The Buckeyes have the opportunity to beat the Bulldogs for the fourth time in five years. They also can enter the playoffs with a four-game win streak.
The Rest of the TVC-Ohio
Wellston defeated by Fort Frye 28-6
The Golden Rockets have been the unquestioned dominant force in the TVC-Ohio this season. They outscored their first three opponents 105-18 and were undefeated before heading into Friday’s nonconference game against Fort Frye.
Now, the shoe is on the other foot. Wellston’s only touchdown of the game was scored on a 40-yard run by Jeremiah Frisby. After that, the Golden Rockets’ offense fell silent.
Fort Frye responded by burying Wellston alive. The Cadets’ scored all four of their touchdowns during the second quarter. Every touchdown was scored on a rushing attempt and totaled 56 yards for the Cadets in the second quarter.
Conference Standings
- Wellston
- Nelsonville-York
- Athens
- Vinton County
- Meigs
- Alexander
- River Valley
What’s Next Week?
Athens and Nelsonville-York will end the regular season with a showdown in Nelsonville.
Alexander plays its final home game of the season on Friday when it takes on Meigs.
Vinton County will travel to Wellston on Friday.
River Valley ends its regular season with a non-conference game against South Gallia.
All kickoff times are set for 7:00 p.m.
