NEW MADISON – Tri-Village took on the Covington Buccaneers in junior varsity football action on Saturday night.
When the dust settled the Patriots earned a 49-12 win, taking a positive step forward for the program.
“Anytime you go against Covington, you want to see if you can handle their overall toughness,” Tri-Village coach Jason Schondelmyer said. “They are program that has been dominant in the CCC for years. Going into that game I knew it was going to be a good gauge for us physically to see what would happen when we get hit in the mouth because I know their kids won’t quit and will play hard for four quarters.
Covington, who has been a perennial power with 11 Cross County Conference titles since 2000, was a measuring stick for an upstart program like Tri-Village, regardless of the fact that this was a junior varsity game.
“Obviously our kids responded well and matched Covington’s physical toughness on both sides of the balls and did that for four quarters,” Schondelmyer said. “Covington’s line is what makes them go, and we wanted to see how we matched up against them. They come off the ball well all the time, and it was good for our kids to match that and come out of it with an impressive victory.”
The Buccs fumbled the ball to start the game and Tri-Village recovered.
It didn’t take long for the Patriots to get in the end zone as Jared Buckley got to the outside and scampered 14 yards at 8:21. Austin Bruner ran in the two-point conversion, and the Patriots were up 8-0.
Covington put together a drive into the red zone but stalled out on the 14-yard line.
Tri-Village responded with a drive finished by quarterback Jonny Wilson’s 27-yard run for the score. Jared Buckley ran in the two-pointer to put the Pats up 16-0.
The Buccs responded with another long drive in typical Covington fashion, taking time off the clock and scoring on freshman quarterback Parker Dysinger’s 1-yard plunge up the middle to make the score 16-6.
The Patriots responded to the score by the Buccs, and as they crossed the goal line coughed up the football … but everything was going Tri-Village’s way. Center Jackson Plush who recovered the football in the end zone for the touchdown, a rare opportunity for a lineman.
The Patriots scored one more time on a Wilson 5-yard run to go up 30-6 at the half.
Wilson scored four touchdowns on the night and added two in the second half.
The Buccs got on the board late in the final stanza on a 3-yard run by freshman Garrett Warner, and the score was 43-12.
Tri-Village back-up quarterback Trey Frech finished the scoring on a 31-yard run up the middle to give the Patriots a 49-12 win over Covington.
“The kids understand their roles more as we go and attacking now instead of sitting back,” Schondelmyer said. “We talked about it do you want to be the hammer or the nail, and you better want to be the hammer. Every week it gets a little better and our program is heading in the right direction and moving pretty fast.”
Tri-Village will celebrate school fair this week and will cap the evening off at 7 p.m. Saturday with the Patriots taking on Jefferson
Scoring summary:
TV: Jared Buckley 14-yard run (Bruner run) 8-0
TV: Jonny Wilson 27-yard run (Buckley run) 16-0
CO: Parker Dysinger 1-yard run (kick no good) 16-6
TV: Jackson Plush Fumble Recovery End Zone (run no good) 22-6
TV: Jonny Wilson 5-yard run (Buckley from Wilson pass) 30-6
TV: Jonny Wilson 1-yard run (kick good) 37-6
TV: Jonny Wilson 25-yard run (kick no good) 43-6
CO: Garret Warner 3-yard run (kick no good) 43-12
TV: Trey Frech 31-yard run (kick no good) 49-12