Staff report
The Sidney Yellow Jackets took a 21-0 lead over visiting Xenia early in the third quarter and stretched it out to 35-13 early in the final period of a slow-moving contest at Sidney Memorial Stadium Friday night.
The Jackets, 1-2 entering the game, were looking for their second straight win. They will return to action next Friday at West Carrollton.
The Jacket offense had little time on the field in the first half, yet Sidney led 14-0 at intermission. The first score for the Jackets came before the offense ever took the field, when Isaiah Bowser picked off a Xenia pass and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown with 10:54 remaining in the first quarter.
Xenia’s defense dominated nearly the entire first half, but late in the half, the Jackets took over deep in their own territory. That’s when Bowser broke one for 63 yards all the way down to the Xenia 6-yard line with 50 seconds left. Jack Feazel ran to the one, and Bowser took two cracks at the goal line from there, getting in for a 14-0 with just :17 left in the half.
The Jackets then came out in the third quarter and marched to another score. On the second-half kickoff, Xenia booted it out of bounds twice, and on the third attempt Sidney’s Conor Beer nearly broke, it, being taken down at the Xenia 41.
Another good run by Bowser got the ball down to the 11, but Sidney went backwards and faced a third-and-14 at the 21. But Feazel found Gordon for a 21-yard scoring strike and a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter.
Xenia countered with a touchdown by TeAndre Adams on a 77-yard run, but the Jackets answered again, reaching the endzone again when Bowser went in from 15 yards out for a 28-7 lead with 6:16 left in the quarter.
However, the Jackets’ kickoff team gave up a big return, all the way to the Sidney 31, and it took just two plays for Xenia to score again and cut the lead to 28-13.
Bowser added a five-yard touchdown run with 11:13 left in the final period, only to have Xenia return a punt 65 yards for a score to make it 35-19 after a failed two-point conversion.
Riverside 19, Loramie 14
DEGRAFF — Fort Loramie was looking for its first win of the season and led twice over the Riverside Pirates Friday night in DeGraff.
But the Pirates scored on a 10-yard run by Hayden Robinson with just 50 seconds left in the game and pulled out a 20-14 victory over the Redskins in Northwest Central Conference play.
The win puts the Pirates at 1-0 in the NWCC and 3-1 overall. Fort Loramie is 0-1 in the conference and 0-4 on the season.
The Redskins will be back in action at Hardin Northern Friday, and Riverside will be home against Ridgemont.
Fort Loramie scored first to break their two-week scoring drought. A 51-yard pass from Austin Siegel to Nate Pleiman set up a score for the Redskins, which came when Siegel hit Cody Gasson on an 11-yard TD pass.
Riverside came back on the strength of a long kickoff return by Caleb Stevens, and found the endzone on a 1-yard run by Robinson. The Pirates added another score for a 13-7 halftime lead, but Fort Loramie rode the strong running of Jake Ward to a touchdown in the third quarter. Ward scored from three yards out for a 14-13 lead.
It stayed that way until late in the came when the Pirates drove for the winning score.
Fort Loramie had four plays after that, but Riverside picked off a pass on fourth down to nail down the victory.
Lehman 39, USV 18
Lehman rolled to an easy win over Upper Scioto Valley Friday night, 39-18, in a game played at Lehman High School.
The Cavaliers up their record on the year to 2-2 after their second straight win. The Cavaliers will return to action Friday at home against Lima Perry. That game will be at Sidney Memorial Stadium.
Anna-Bremen
NEW BREMEN — Anna bounced back from their first loss of the season last week and rolled to a 35-12 victory over New Bremen in Midwest Athletic Conference play.
Anna will be at Delphos St. John’s next Saturday.
The Rockets started slow, but got things going in the first half. Travis Meyer, who had an excellent night passing, hit Colin Wuebker on a 77-yard scoring play to open the scoring.
New Bremen answered, however, with a 9-yard run, but Anna was just getting started. Meyer hit Wuebker with a TD pass from 10 yards out, then Meyer hit Caleb Kaufman on a 35-yard scoring strike.
Aidan Endsley broke off a 234-yard touchdown run and Meyer ran in from a yard out to up the lead to 35-12.
Meyer finished 14 for 22 for 238 yards and three touchdowns, his favorite targets being Kaufman, who had four catches for 69 yards, and Wuebker, who had 3 catches for 97 yards and two scores.
Endsley, meanwhile, rushed 12 times for 86 yards.
“We started a little slow,” said Anna head coach Nick Marino. “But Travis hit some big passes and that kinda kick-started us. We played pretty decent, but there are some things we’re going to have to work on next week.”
