NEW MADISON – Tri-Village waited two weeks to take the field again after last week’s game was canceled at Mississinawa Valley.
The Patriots were itching to get back on the field and pick up where they left off with a good second half effort against Bethel in their first ever high school game.
Their opponent this week was the Northridge junior varsity squad and the Polar Bears’ varsity team was off to a good start this year with wins over Bethel and Southeastern.
Northridge and Tri-Village traded the ball before the Polar Bears moved the ball to midfield … but the drive was interrupted by Jared Buckley, who stepped in front of the receiver and picked off the pass and raced 45-yards for the touchdown.
Jonny Wilson ran the ball in for a two-point conversion and the Patriots were on top 8-0.
Moments later Dalton Stephens intercepted a Northridge pass and the Patriots were back in business.
The first half turned into a personal highlight reel for sophomore fullback Jared Buckley, who scored three more touchdowns on runs of 35, 3 and 45 yards, putting him near 200 yards rushing all in the first half.
“Jared ran the ball well real well today. He is starting to go at full speed, and he is the type of kid you aren’t going to bring down by just arm tackling him. He is a big thick kid and is always moving forward,” Tri-Village football coach Jason Schondelmyer said.
“Maybe even more impressive was his blocking. He was able to get out and seal the edge for Jonny Wilson,” Schondelmyer said on Buckley’s efforts.
Buckley’s block helped spring quarterback Jonny Wilson on a 26-yard scamper around the right side for a touchdown.
The Patriots came then turned in their third interception in the first half when Noah Burns got in the act, returning one 50 yards to the house to give the Patriots a 41-6 halftime lead over the Polar Bears.
Tri-Village would go on to record the first ever junior varsity win in school history with a 55-12 win over Northridge.
“Defensively I was pleased with our effort today, holding Northridge to just 12 points because we were attacking and not on our heels like in the first game forcing the issue,” Schondelmyer said.
“Our offensive line also took a step forward with good interior blocking, opening some big holes with our inside trap game for Buckley to run through,” Schondelmyer said.
“Getting that first win felt really good, and I was real proud of our kids with the way they played. This win really started with the second half of the Bethel game. That’s when I saw a different level of intensity develop, and the kids started to play faster and fed off that, which led to two weeks of good practice,” Schondelmyer concluded.
The Patriots will be back in action Saturday when they travel to National Trail for a 10 a.m. game. The Patriots go to 1-1 on the year.
Scoring summary:
TV: Jared Buckley 45- yard INT (Buckley run) 8-0
TV: Buckley 35-yard run (Kick – NG) 14-0
TV: Jonny Wilson 26-yard run (Charlie Bailey kick) 21-0
TV: Buckley 3-yard run (Kick – NG) 27-0
TV: Noah Burns 50-yard INT (Bailey kick) 34-0
NR: #25 – 25-yard run (Kick – NG) 34-6
TV: Buckley 45-yard run (Bailey kick) 41-6
TV: Wilson TD run (Bailey kick) 48-6
NR: TD (Kick NG) 48-12
TV: Austin Bruner TD run (Bailey kick) 55-12
