Staff report
TIPP CITY — The once promising football season for Sidney is rapidly slipping away after the Jackets were unable to bounce back from the 20-point loss to Piqua, getting beat Friday by Tipp City in Greater Western Ohio Conference American North action, 31-21.
Sidney started out well, with Dillion King hitting Conor Beer for a 28-yard pass play out to the 35. But a holding penalty resulted in the Jackets having to punt, and it didn’t take Tipp City long to take the lead on a 20-yard run with seven minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
After another Sidney punt, Tipp was moving until a fumble was recovered by Allec Gordon at Sidney’s 41. The Jackets advanced into Tipp territory, but then fumbled the ball back to the Red Devils.
Again, it didn’t take long, with the score coming from 44 yards out with :36 left in the opening quarter to make it 14-0.
The Jackets cut the lead to 14-7 on a short run by Isaiah Bowser early in the second quarter. The drive covered 71 yards and included a fourth-down run for a first down by King and a 42-yard halfback pass from Gordon to Josiah Hudgins.
The Jacket defense bent but didn’t break, and the score remained 14-7 at the half, with the Red Devils missing a field goal attempt with six seconds left.
The Jackets came out in the second half and immediately forced a three-and-out, taking over at their own 33. King then flipped a pass to Beer that he turned into a 67-yard touchdown less than two minutes into the third quarter to knot the score.
The Sidney defense allowed the Red Devils to drive deep into Jacket territory, but on fourth-and-five from the 10, Devan Rogers sacked the quarterback.
The Jackets then drove the other way for the go-ahead score, the drive staying alive on a fake punt pass from King to Caleb Harris. Bowser rushed for four yards on fourth-and-two, then shook loose from 16 yards out for a 21-14 lead with 1:26 left in the third quarter.
But then disaster struck. Tipp responded with a good drive and scored on a 19-yard run, but the point-after kick was no good, leaving Sidney leading 21-20. But on the ensuing kickoff, Sidney was called for holding, and trying to run a play deep in their own territory, the snap was fumbled and Tipp recovered in the endzone for a 28-21 lead, after a successful two-point conversion, with 9:53 left.
Then on the ensuing possession, Sidney fumbled the ball away again and Tipp turned it into a field goal for a 31-21 lead with just 5:32 remaining.
Sidney, 3-4, is at Troy next Friday.
Loramie 61, Ridgemont 12
FORT LORAMIE — As expected, the Fort Loramie Redskins breezed to an easy victory over Ridgemont in Northwest Central Conference play Friday, 61-12.
The win puts Loramie at 3-4 after its third straight win, and the Redskins are now 3-1 in the NWCC heading into the biggest game of the year Friday at Lehman.
The Redskins roared to a 47-6 at the half, then got a second interception from Daniel Berning and a three-yard run to start the third quarter and make it 54-6.
Berning had an impressive game, scoring four touchdowns on runs of 4, 10, 65 and 3 yards and also picking off the two passes.
Nate Pleiman hauled in a 25-yard pass from Austin Siegel, Jake Ward scored on a 20-yard run, and Devin Wehrman scored on runs of 1 and 67 yards.
Anna-St. Henry
ANNA — Anna and St. Henry battled each other in a key game Friday night with playoff implications.
Anna got on the board first on a 35-yard field goal by Aiden Endsley, but St. Henry came back to score twice on short runs. The second came after the Redskins converted on third-and-23.
Anna came up with a huge play to score its touchdown, crossing St. Henry up on fourth-and-two and throwing a 46-yard touchdown pass, hauled in by Caleb Kauffman.
It stood at 14-10 at the half, and 17-all after three periods. Anna’s score coming on a 35-yard run by Endsley.
Lehman 49, Northern 14
DOLA — Lehman cruised to an easy NWCC win, 49-14 over Hardin Northern on the road.
The win was Lehman’s fifth straight and puts the Cavs at 4-0 in the league and 5-2 overall heading into the big match at home against Fort Loramie next Friday.
Minster shocking Coldwater
MINSTER — Minster was shocking the state’s top-ranked Division 5 team, the Coldwater Cavaliers, in the the final period Friday night in action at Minster.
The score with nine minutes to go was 26-10 in favor of the Wildcats, who went into the game with a 2-4 mark to Coldwater’s 6-0.
