Buckeye Valley put together its most complete game of the season, getting it done on offense, defense and special teams to cruise past visiting Galion 56-3 in the MOAC opener for both teams Friday in Delaware.
The Barons (2-2, 1-0 MOAC) got on the board with their special teams, taking an early 7-0 lead when Chris Santillan collected a Galion (1-3, 0-1) punt near midfield and sprinted down the sideline for a 49-yard touchdown return with 2:16 left in the first quarter.
Not to be outdone, the defense took center stage on the ensuing possession, forcing a fumble on the Tigers’ first play. Mitchell Presley picked up the lose ball at the Galion 33.
Set up by the turnover, it was the offense’s turn to step into the spotlight. Trent Davies picked up a key 3rd-and-4 with a nice run to the 14-yard line and, a few plays later, quarterback Ben Spaulding rolled out to his left and found Santillan open in the end zone for an eight-yard scoring strike at the 11:18 mark of the second quarter.
The Barons only added to their edge from there.
Davies made it 20-0 thanks to a nine-yard TD run with 5:22 left in the second and, with just 19 seconds left in the half, plowed over the goal line on a 4th-and-1. Spaulding ran in for the two-point conversion to make it a 28-0 game at the break.
Galion finally got on the board midway through the third as Connor Morton hit a 28-yard field goal after BV’s Braxton Wells sacked the Tiger quarterback on a key third down, stalling what started as a promising drive.
The Barons got back the points in a hurry, ballooning their edge to 35-3 when Santillan took the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to the house, forcing a running clock with 5:49 left in the third.
Davies added his third touchdown of the game early in the fourth, dashing into the end zone untouched from three yards out at the 10:37 mark.
Defense and special teams punctuated the performance. Carson James made it 49-3 with a pick six and Daryl Mayo picked up a Galion fumble on the ensuing kickoff and rumbled into the end zone from 20 yards out to make it 56-3 and smooth out the scoring summary.
Liberty 28, Hilliard Davidson 3
The Patriot offense got rolling early and the defense dominated throughout as Liberty picked up a convincing non-league win over visiting Davidson Friday in Powell.
Brendon White set the tone, opening the scoring summary with a 14-yard touchdown run just one minute into the action.
That, as it turned out, was all the Patriots (4-0) would need.
White hit Ben Rinsma for a 21-yard scoring strike at the 2:18 mark of the first quarter, then scored on a 67-yard run midway through the second to make it a 21-0 game.
David Hoyle put the Wildcats (2-2) on the board with a 38-yard field goal in the final seconds of the half, but that’s all they would get.
Liberty’s Matt Webb capped the scoring with a 53-yard TD run early in the fourth.
The Patriot D, which forced a turnover and allowed just 30 yards through the air, limited Davidson to 185 yards of total offense.
White and Webb, meanwhile, accounted for much of the offense, combining for the three scores and 254 of the team’s 257 rushing yards.
Mansfield Senior 35, Hayes 21
The Pacers, playing from behind for most of the night, cut the deficit to 28-21 when quarterback Anthony Rodgers hit Miles Roberts from 10 yards out with a minute left in the third, but that’s as close as they would get in Friday’s non-league game against the visiting Tygers.
Hayes (3-1) trailed 7-0 after the first quarter and, after Mansfield Senior’s Brian Benson found the end zone from 50 yards out, found itself down 14-0 early in the second.
Rodgers answered with a long TD run of his own (70 yards), cutting his team’s deficit in half, but the Tygers went right back up by two scores when Brett Bryant scored on an 80-yard kickoff return.
Rodgers found Derrick Buford for a 12-yard touchdown connection late in the half, but the Tygers regained their cushion when Benson scored on a 46-yard run to make it a 28-14 game in the third.
Roberts’ touchdown gave the Pacers some life, but they couldn’t complete the comeback.
Benson’s third TD run of the night, this time from 29 yards out in the fourth, smoothed out the scoring summary.
Rodgers led the Hayes offense, completing 3 of his 8 passes for 69 yards and two TDs. He also rushed for 92 yards and a score.
Deven Ward finished with 69 rushing yards while Buford had two grabs for 59 yards and a score for the Pacers.
Benson, meanwhile, finished with 180 yards and three touchdowns to spark the Tygers.
