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St. Marys moves to 3-0 with big win over Ritchie Co.

Blue Devils snap two-game losing streak to Rebels

ST. MARYS– Drama ensued on Senior Night, but the St. Marys Blue Devils prevailed, 34-26.

SMHS Quarterback Brennan Boron ran for three scores and threw for one in the effort, as it took a large offensive effort to come away with the victory on Friday night from Bill Hanlin Stadium.

Up 14-0 early, St. Marys (3-0) was firing on all cylinders, but the Rebels (2-1) did not go away.

With 7:26 remaining in the first, Ethan Haught found Blaine Bowie from 45 yards out to make it a 14-6 game. Boron answered right back with a 6-yard strike to Kyle West to put the lead back up to 14 with 4:57 until the break. The Rebels had a second chance after an unsuccessful following drive. Graden McKinney picked off Boron to set RCHS up deep in opposing territory. With 1:06 left, Haught found Dakota Wayne for a 23-yarder to make it 20-14.

A back and forth second half came to a head with seven minutes left in the game. RCHS’s Gus Morrison rumbled in from a yard away to make it a 28-26 SMHS lead. Then, Tre Moss found paydirt against his former team when he scored with just north of three minutes left to give his team an eight-point edge.

Thanks to a well-timed forced fumble by Darrien Bortey, St. Marys held on for the win. Head coach Jodi Mote talked about the win and what it meant to his squad.

“Obviously, there were positives with the offense and defense, and there were negatives,” he said.

“In a ballgame like that, with the team Ritchie has, it was a hard-fought win. It’s always a big game for us.”

Ritchie head man Rick Haught wants to take this loss as a learning experience, as his team suffered its first setback of the season.

“It’s a learning experience, and I told my guys when they were down at the end of the game, it’s a long season. St. Marys was ready to play, and I was telling my kids to keep their heads up. We had a few turnovers, but we kept battling.”

Moss led all players in rushing with 93 yards on 17 attempts. He also caught a 69-yard pass early in the game to set his team up with good field position. Against his former squad, Moss rose to the occasion, and he spoke about what it meant to him.

“It felt good,” he said. “Usually on (the 69-yard completion) play, I’m open on that play. As soon as I cut across the field, I knew it was going to happen. If (Boron) can’t get a good pass off, he can run it 20-30 yards.”

Speaking of Boron, he shone bright under the lights, and his 86 yards on the ground kickstarted the offense.

“It’s my first game (against Ritchie County) winning as a starter,” Boron said. “We beat them my freshman year, but I didn’t contribute much. I credit my offensive line, and they gave me open lanes to run.”

Contact Josh Hughes at jhughes@newsandsentinel.com

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