St. Marys thumps South Harrison
LOST CREEK — Class A No. 3 South Harrison got on the scoreboard first at home but it was the only score of the game for the Hawks as No. 5 St. Marys dismantled its host 47-6 here Friday night. In a matchup that earned plenty of hype and anticipation around the state, the Blue Devils flexed its muscles to pick up a second big Class A win after they beat a tough Williamstown team earlier this season.
“This was a big win tonight for our program,” said St. Marys’ head man Jodi Mote, whose team is riding a two-game winning streak over South Harrison after scoring a 37-0 win in the Class A quarterfinals last season.
South Harrison receiver Brenton Barnett pulled in a 30-yard strike from quarterback Landon McFaddon with a little under four minutes gone in the first half to put the Hawks up 6-0 after the extra point failed.
However, the home team’s advantage did not last for long.
Will Billeter got the Blue Devils the equalizer when he caught a 33-yard pass from Braden Barnhart on a designed play just 43 seconds later. Ian Kelley nailed the extra point to put St. Marys ahead for good at 7-6.
The score was a welcome site after the Blue Devils, who lost fumbles on their first two possessions.
Dylan Gray then scored the first of his two rushing scores on the night with 4:51 in the first.
The senior found paydirt from four yards out to punch the score up to 14-6 after another Kelley kick. Gray also scored on a one-yard run in the second quarter.
St. Marys’ Jaiden Smith upped the visitors’ advantage to 20-6 when he ran 15 yards to paydirt with :32 seconds left in the opening period of play. Smith was one of seven players to gain rushing yards on the night for the victorious Blue Devils.
Speaking of on the ground, St. Marys had particular success shutting down the vaunted South Harrison rushing duo of Freddy Canary and Camden Barnett. The pair had just 12 yards on 16 rushing attempts. Overall, the Hawks ran 28 times for negative 2 yards.
Ryan Miller and Matt Eichorn also found the end zone for St. Marys. Mote and company upped its record to 8-0 with the win.
St. Marys will look to pull within one win of an undefeated regular season when they welcome Ravenswood for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday at the newly-minted Bill Hanlin Stadium.