The second half of the TVC-Ohio season has begun. Some teams didn’t get a chance to play, while others are finally recouping from early losses this season. Another week is done, and The Post is back once again to fill you in on what happened this week in high school football.
Athens
The Bulldogs were set for their most difficult challenge of the season Friday night, facing undefeated Wellston. At least, they were ready until the game was called off two hours before kickoff.
Athens (1-2, 1-1 TVC-Ohio) was prepared for a showdown which would determine how its season would end. If the Bulldogs won they would be back to an even record and have a much easier schedule to prepare for the playoffs. If they lost they would be near the bottom of the TVC-Ohio standings, bumping shoulders with Alexander and River Valley.
The official cause of the cancelation has yet to be released and it is unclear how Friday’s cancelation might affect both teams’ next games.
Alexander
After starting their season with three straight losses, the Spartans finally got in the win column with a 30-0 victory over River Valley.
Alexander’s (1-3, 1-2 TVC-Ohio) rushing attack was the key to its success, as quarterback Xander Karagosian and running back Logan Neal led the offense. Karagosian led the way with three rushing touchdowns, while Neal was Alexander’s go-to man for picking up first downs.
Friday’s game against River Valley (0-4, 0-4 TVC-Ohio) was the Spartans’ offense best performance of the season, as they scored more points in the first half (23) than they did in the first three games combined (19).
Offense wasn’t the only place where Alexander shined as well, as the defense stifled the Raiders’ attempts to establish the ground game and punished the River Valley quarterback on most of his dropbacks.
Neal stood out on defense as well, coming away with an interception, and Michaels Wells set the tone early for the Spartan defense, notching a quick sack to end the Raiders’ first drive in a three-and-out.
The question for the Spartans after finally getting their first win of the season is, can they sustain the play for their last two games? That question will be at least partially answered when Alexander hits the road for its next game against Vinton County.
Nelsonville-York
The Buckeyes evened their record on Friday after a rough start to the season. They did so in thrilling fashion with a 17-14 double overtime win over Vinton County.
Nelsonville York (2-2, 2-2 TVC) shut out the Vikings through the second half and both overtimes after struggling in the first half. The offense also came out with a string of big plays that brought the Buckeyes back into the game.
In the first half, Nelsonville-York wasn’t able to move the ball and only gained 39 total yards. The coaches noticed that the Vinton County safeties were cheating up to stop the run. It took advantage of this and quarterback Drew Carter threw three passes of over 30 yards in just the third quarter.
Carter added another big play on a hook and ladder that Ethan Gail pitched to Makhi Williams for a 49-yard touchdown.
Both teams were scoreless in the first overtime with two missed field goal attempts. In the second overtime, senior kicker Alec Taylor completed the comeback win with a 27-yard field goal.
Nelsonville-York has a good chance for its third-straight win next week at River Valley.
The Rest of the TVC-Ohio
Meigs loses to Warren 41-0
Warren was always going to be a challenge for the Marauders this season. The Warriors are 3-1 against nonconference opponents, and their only loss was decided by a single touchdown.
Meigs, on the other hand, went into Friday off of a 42-16 loss to Nelsonville-York. The Marauders’ luck took a turn for the worse when Warren shut them out 41-0. The Warriors scored in every single quarter at least once and totaled 456 offensive yards, the most yards in a game by them this season.
The Marauders barely managed to put up a fight. Wyatt Hoover and Connor Imboden managed a combined 61 passing yards and .455 passing percentage. Meigs' offense only managed 275 combined yards the entire game.
Conference Standings
- Wellston
- Nelsonville-York
- Meigs
- Vinton County
- Athens
- Alexander
- River Valley
What’s Next Week?
Athens will travel to Pomeroy on Friday to face Meigs.
Alexander will travel to Vinton County on Friday to take on the Vikings.
Nelsonville-York gets their turn against River Valley this Friday at Bidwell.
Wellston will be the odd-team-out this week, hosting nonconference opponent Fort Frye on Friday.
All kickoff times are set for 7:00 p.m.
Sports
