By Drew Terhall

DailyAdvocate.com

DARKE COUNTY — The high school football season is officially just past the halfway point. Here are the scores and stats from the week five games.

Ansonia 30 (5-0, 3-0) vs Tri-Village 22 (4-1, 3-1)

The Tigers take first place of the WOAC with a 30-22 win over the Patriots. Ansonia head coach Adam Hall said the team felt like they could have done better in last year’s matchup in which they lost 37-36 and made a few mistakes. This time, the team seized the opportunity to win this one.

“You got to give credit to our guys. They have been lifting weights since January. We average over 30 guys in the weight room daily. Every time we ask them to do something, the way they work, the way we go in the summer in two a days, they wanted this one tonight,” Hall said.

Both teams traded scores early as Ansonia senior Keegen Weiss had two rushing touchdowns in the first half. Tri-Village senior quarterback Braden Keating found Wehr for two passing touchdowns, one going for 50 yards.

Ansonia had the ball on the one-yard line with one play left in the first half to extend their lead. Tri-Village stuffed Ansonia at the goal line and went into halftime down 16-15. Tri-Village head coach Matt Hopkins said in a big game, in front of a big crowd, the defense held strong after a shaky start.

“It was a big game, great crowd. They brought in everybody and the governor. We had to fight to weather the storm there. I thought we did and we started to play a lot lower and a lot more physical. Our defense played really well,” Hopkins said.

Both defenses made plays as Ansonia forced a fumble and Tri-Village forced two fumbles. Ansonia had the ball at the three-yard line during the third quarter, but Tri-Village forced a fumble and recovered it.

The Patriots couldn’t capitalize on the turnover and was forced to punt. The snap was high and Ansonia got the ball at the Tri-Village 24-yard line. Weiss scored from four yards out on the drive to go up 22-15.

“We got some stops, some turnovers and things like that. We just didn’t capitalize. That’s a good football team. That’s a really good football team,” Hopkins said.

Tri-Village tied the game as Keating hit freshman Griffin Richards for a 21-yard touchdown to tie the game. The Tigers responded in a big way.

Despite not being relied on often, senior quarterback Nick Burns made a few throws to keep the eventual game-winning drive alive. He was 4 for 5 on the night with 63 yards. That was enough to get to the one-yard line. On fourth and one, Weiss scored his fourth touchdown of the game as the Tigers won 30-22.

The Patriots did drive down into Ansonia territory. Hall said the defense held strong as the secondary did a great job in coverage and the defensive line got after Keating.

Hall said there is still more work to do. But, it was still a great win in front of a huge crowd against a great team.

“We got a lot of things that we got to fix. You got to give credit to Tri-Village. If they weren’t the team they were and the coaching staff that they have, the atmosphere wouldn’t be this. We knew, because they have been good for how many years now, that adds so much to this. They’re a great team,” Hall said.

Ansonia will play at Twin Valley South at 7 p.m. on Sept. 22 while Tri-Village will host Tri-County North on the same date and time.

A full game recap can be found on our website, dailyadvocate.com.

Around the county:

Arcanum 20 (2-3, 1-3) at Tri-County North 42 (3-2, 2-1)

The Trojans were in a high scoring game from the start after the Panthers led 22-12 after the first quarter. Arcanum had a balanced attack as freshman Bishop Cartwright had 197 passing yards and two touchdowns. The team rushed for 181 yards as senior Dakota Kendig led with 86 yards and had a touchdown. Junior Lukeus Midlam had 75 receiving yards and a touchdown. Junior Truman Knaus had 30 yards and a touchdown. Turnovers were the main issue as Arcanum had four of them. The Panthers also had 297 yards rushing as a team with senior Colten Vanwinkle leading them with 182 yards and three touchdowns. The Trojans will host National Trail on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.

Bradford 40 (4-1) vs Sciotoville East 36 (2-2, 1-0)

Bradford is winners of three straight with the win over Sciotoville East. The Railroaders scored 20 points in the first quarter to take a commanding lead. Junior quarterback Owen Canan was responsible for five touchdowns, one passing to senior Hudson Hill and four rushing touchdowns. Senior Tucker Miller had 119 yards rushing. Senior Trey Schmelzer had a 98-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Sciotoville East scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t take the lead away from Bradford. The Railroaders will travel to Dixie on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.

Greenville 7 (0-5, 0-4) vs Piqua 35 (1-4, 1-3)

Greenville rushed for 147 yards as a team in this one. Senior Cody Sagraves had 41 yards rushing and a touchdown. Sophomore Gabe Rammel had 44 yards rushing and senior Evan Manix led the team with 60 yards rushing. Senior Jack Royer recovered a fumble. The defense gave up 328 yards rushing to Piqua. Piqua junior Jericho Burns had 183 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Greenville will travel to Sidney on Sept. 22 for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Mississinawa Valley 7 (0-5, 0-4) vs Twin Valley South 35 (2-3, 2-2)

The Panthers scored all 35 points in the first half in this one. Twin Valley South senior quarterback Cole Bishop threw for two touchdowns. The Blackhawks held the Panthers to 152 yards rushing as senior Cais Kingsley had 92 yards to lead the Panthers with two touchdowns. Sophomore Kyle Wehrkamp had a rushing touchdown and led the team with 64 yards rushing. Mississinawa Valley had three turnovers in the game. The team will travel to Preble Shawnee next on Sept. 22 for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Versailles 41 (5-0, 3-0) vs Parkway 7 (2-3, 1-2)

The Tigers continue to dominate this season with a big win over Parkway. The Tigers had a 27-0 lead at halftime. Senior quarterback Michael Osborne had two passing touchdowns, one to senior A.J. Griesdorn for 23 yards and one to junior Jace Watren from 42 yards out. Junior Blake Henry had two rushing touchdowns as well. The Tigers will have an undefeated MAC showdown in a defending state champion in Marion Local on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. on the road.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]