Staff report
PIQUA — After getting torched for three touchdowns in the first quarter, the Lehman defense regrouped and didn’t allow the Pirates to score again until the final period.
By then, the Cavs had built up a good lead, and held on for a 35-30 victory at Alexander Stadium in Piqua Friday night.
The win was the fourth in a row for the Cavaliers and put them at 3-0 in the Northwest Central Conference and 4-2 overall heading into a very winnable league game Friday night at Hardin Northern.
Riverside’s Caleb Stevens put on a show early, returning the opening kick near midfield, then bolting 47 yards for a touchdeown on the second play of the game.
Lehman answered, however, on a 61-yard pass from Elliott Gilardi to Brandon Barhorst for a score and a 7-6 lead.
Rivearside came right back and scored again, only to have Lehman answer, thanks to a long kick return to inside the Pirate 20. Gilardi took it in on a 4th-and-2 to make it 14-12.
Riverside scored again, though, when Hayden Robinson shook free and sped 78 yards for a score and an 18-14 lead. But by the half, the Cavaliers were up 28-18 on a Dylan Arnold 6-yard run and a pass from Arnold to Barhorst.
Arnold stepped in when Gilardi was injured in the second quarter.
The Cavs then scored first in the third quartder to make it 35-18 when Arnold hit Seth Brown with a touchdown pass.
Riverside was turned away at the Lehman 2, but the Cavs then fumbled the ball away. Riverside capitalized and scored to cut the lead to 35-24 with still 11 minutes remaining in the game.
Then midway through the period, Caleb Stevens went in from five yards out to cut the lead to 35-30. Riverside came up empty on all five point-after attempts, and that was the difference in the game to that point, the 6:20 mark of the final quarter.
Marion Local 41, Anna 0
ANNA — The Anna Rockets were hoping for an upset Friday night over the powerful Marion Local Flyers, but they got off to a slow start and never recovered in losing to the Flyers, 41-0.
The loss leaves Anna at 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the conference with St. Henry coming to town next Friday in league play.
Marion Local is now 3-1 in the league and 5-1 overall.
Anna had the ball first, and the Rockets were whistled for three penalties on that opening drive, which lasted just three plays. Then on fourth down, the Flyers knifed through and blocked the punt, with Anna covering the ball on the 5-yard line.
It took the Flyers three plays to get in and take a 7-0 lead.
When Anna got the ball back, a third false start penalty was called on them, and again they went three-and-out.
The Flyers again reached the endzone, this time on a 22-yard run by quarterback Duane Leugers for a 14-0 lead.
The Flyers added two more touchdown passes by Leugers, and then a 3-yard run by Jack Homan for a 34-0 lead at the half, resulting in a running clock to start the second half.
The Flyers got a short touchdown run in the third quarter to make it 41-0, and it stayed that way into the final period, when substitutes began to see action.
Loramie 39, Waynesfield 0
FORT LORAMIE — Fort Loramie coasted to a 39-0 victory over Waynesfield for its second win in a row Friday night in NWCC play.
The Redskins are now 2-1 in the league and 2-4 overall with Ridgemont coming to town Friday night.
Loramie led 21-0 after a quarter. Austin Siegel hit Nate Pleiman on a 60-yard scoring strike to open the scoring, then Dan Berning scored twice on runs of one and 35 yards before the quarter was over.
Then in the second quarter, Siegel and Pleiman hooked up again, twice. The first went for 35 yards and the second for 16, and the scores gave the Redskins a 33-0 lead at the half, resulting in a running clock in the final half.
Loramie added one more score, a 1-yard run by Berning in the third quarter.
