Sidney senior receiver Tank Fleming runs with pressure from Xenia’s Jamari Combs during a Division II playoff opener on Friday at Doug Adams Stadium. The Yellow Jackets led by four points at halftime but gave up 21 unanswered points in the second half and lost 31-14.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
XENIA — After building a halftime lead, turnovers and penalties cost Sidney in the second half of a Division II playoff opener against Miami Valley League rival Xenia on Friday.
The Buccaneers scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to end Sidney’s season with a 31-14 victory at Doug Adams Stadium.
Two turnovers in the fourth quarter led to touchdowns and allowed Xenia (10-1) to pull away after the squad had taken the lead on the first possession of the third quarter.
It was a far better showing for Sidney (5-6) against the MVL Valley Division champions than a 48-7 victory in Week 3, in which Xenia amassed 564 yards. Sidney senior quarterback Ethan New was hurt in the first half when it was tied 7-7; the squad couldn’t move much on offense after he left due to injury.
New made it through Friday’s rematch, but not without several hits, two of which required attention from an athletic trainer.
Penalties accumulated in the second half, and play was chipper at times between the league foes; one Sidney player was ejected in the fourth quarter, and players from both teams were sent to the squads’ benches several times.
Sidney coach Dave Taynor said there were too many “shenanigans,” in the contest, including an incident at halftime between a Xenia fan and a Sidney assistant coach near the Yellow Jackets’ locker room.
“Our guys fought hard here in their last game and played hard,” Taynor said. “That’s really all that can be said about it.
“… There were too many shenanigans, not enough football.”
Xenia scored with just over two minutes left in the second quarter to take a 10-7 lead, but the Yellow Jackets scored before halftime to take a lead.
New threw a fourth-down conversion pass to Joelon Lyons to move the squad into the red zone, and he threw a 5-yard TD pass to Julius Spradling in the corner of the end zone along the visitor’s sideline with 12 seconds left to give Sidney a 14-10 lead.
The Buccaneers scored on the opening drive of the third quarter to retake control when quarterback Gavin McManus faked a handoff and ran in from 2 yards out with 6:58 left.
Sidney drove into the red zone and would have had the ball inside the 10 after a pass interference, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty immediately backed the squad up. With New on the bench getting an ankle wrapped, Spradling was sacked while scrambling on a fourth down.
Xenia drove into the red zone but fumbled, and Hayden Westerbeck recovered at Sidney’s 15. But New had a pass intercepted by Ronnie Butler shortly after, and he ran it back 27 yards along the visitor’s sideline for a TD early in the fourth quarter to give Xenia a 24-14 lead.
On Sidney’s next possession, Butler stripped the ball, scooped it up and ran to Sidney’s 22-yard line. Xenia scored shortly after on a 2-yard TD run by Deaunte White to take a 31-14 lead with 4:35 left.
Sidney outgained Xenia 272 yards to 247.
New completed 10-of-18 passes for 131 yards and one TD with one interception and ran for 30 yards and one TD on 15 carries.
Isaiah Foster ran for 85 yards on 20 carries, and Spradling caught four passes for 46 yards and one TD.
Sidney will lose 21 seniors to graduation, including New, who ranks second among MVL quarterbacks in passing yards (2,017). He became the program’s single-season passing yards leader and single-season overall touchdowns leader last week.
Among others the Yellow Jackets will lose are Spradling, Foster and Tank Fleming. Fleming ranks second among MVL players in receiving yards (795) while Spradling ranks sixth (462). Foster ranks third in rushing yards and surpassed 1,000 yards on Friday; he finishes with 1,030 rushing yards.
Sidney will also lose senior linebacker Cain Vanzant, who ranks fourth among MVL players in tackles with 60.5 (35 solo, 51 assisted).
Sidney turned the ball over on downs on the first possession of the game, and the Buccaneers drove and scored on a 32-yard field goal by Sean Leonard to take a 3-0 lead with 5:01 left in the first.
After the teams traded punts, the Yellow Jackets’ offense came to life.
New threw an about 20-yard pass to Fleming on a fourth down, and several plays later, New ran in from 5 yards out to give the Yellow Jackets a 7-3 lead after a Grady Mitchell extra point with 8:03 left in the second.
The teams traded punts again, and the Buccaneers went on a lengthy drive and scored on an 8-yard TD run by White to give the squad a 10-7 lead with 2:05 left in the second.
But Sidney put together a TD drive before halftime, which New capped off with a 5-yard TD pass to Spradling to give the squad a four-point lead.
White ran for 174 yards and two TDs on 35 carries; he ran for 388 yards and seven TDs on 34 carries in the teams’ first matchup.
Reach Sidney Daily News editor Bryant Billing at 937-538-4822, or follow @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook or @TopBillingSport on X (Twitter).
