The OHSAA playoffs are in full swing, and the TVC-Ohio continues play as teams fight for another week in the bracket or ride out the last few weeks with nonconference play.
Whether your team is in the playoffs or in nonconference play, here’s what happened this week in the TVC-Ohio.
Athens
When Joey Moore was injured against Nelsonville-York last week, the Bulldogs realized their run in the playoffs would be more difficult than expected. In addition to Moore’s injury, their first playoff opponent, Western Brown, averaged over 56 points per game in the regular season.
Athens (2-4, 2-2 TVC-Ohio) traveled with the goal of keeping up with the Broncos for as long as possible. For most of the first half, Athens held Western Brown to a two touchdown lead.
Until Western Brown scored two touchdowns in the span of 13 seconds, Athens had a chance of coming back. They even scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but by then it was too late. The Broncos defeated the Bulldogs 42-12.
Peyton Gail outperformed the rest of the Bulldogs by carrying the rest of his team on his back. The senior ran for 113 yards Friday. Owen Roark, the Bulldog with the second most rushing yards Friday, ran for three yards.
While Athens did lose to the Broncos, coach Nathan White was satisfied with his team’s performance. He knew his team did the best it could with an injured Joey Moore and a strong opponent. While the season didn’t end how they wanted it to, White is proud of his team’s performance.
Alexander
The Spartans lost another close game that they had a chance to win, this time a 19-14 defeat to Belpre.
The final home game of Alexander’s (1-6, 1-4 TVC-Ohio) season saw it go down 19-7 with about five minutes left in the game, seemingly shutting the door on a possible Spartan win in this nonconference game.
The defense once again stepped up for Alexander, forcing two fumbles in the final five minutes to set up the offense to get back into the game. But it ended up being too little, too late, as the Spartans could not find the end zone on the final play of the game.
With only one game left in their season, Alexander has been looking toward the future and what it can do next year to improve on its struggles from the 2020 season. One of the biggest things that has stood out for coach Earich Dean is the need to improve the consistency of the offense.
Sloppy plays and unnecessary penalties plagued the offense all season, and the trend continued in the Belpre game. Dean has been vocal about needing that to be cleaned up next year if the Spartans want to have playoff aspirations.
With one final game in its season, Alexander has one final chance to prove that it can field a consistent offense while also getting an opportunity to pick up one more win on the season.
The Rest of the TVC-Ohio
Meigs loses to Oak Hill 42-8
Meigs joins Athens in being one of the two TVC-Ohio teams eliminated from the playoffs in the first round. In the loss to Oak Hill, Marauders quarterback Wyatt Hoover went 9-for-22 with 86 passing yards and three interceptions. Meigs also lost 11 yards in rushing attempts against the Oaks defense.
Wellston defeats South Point 42-8
While Wellston’s final score was the same as Meigs this week, the outcome was the complete opposite. The Golden Rockets managed to put down South Point at home and advance another week deeper into the playoffs.
Wellston is 4-1 when playing at home this season.
Vinton County defeats Union Local 33-20
The Vikings spent their Saturday night celebrating after they managed to defeat their first opponent in the Division IV playoffs, Union Local. Vinton County is now 4-3 this season, the first time it’s had a winning record since Sept. 25.
River Valley defeats South Gallia 39-8
Once again, River Valley finds success when not playing TVC-Ohio opponents. The Raiders won their second straight game against nonconference opponent South Gallia on Friday. River Valley’s second win was also the widest margin the Raiders won by, outscoring South Gallia by 31 points.
Who’s Playing Next Week?
Alexander is set to travel to Chillicothe for its final game of the season, this one another nonconference matchup against Southeastern.
Nelsonville-York will host Symmes Valley on Saturday for its first game of the playoffs.
Wellston will host its second playoff opponent, Johnstown-Monroe, on Saturday.
Vinton County travels to Gallipolis to face its second layoff opponent Gallia Academy on Saturday.
River Valley will play its final game of the season against nonconference opponent Huntington on Friday.
All kickoff times are set for 7:00 p.m.
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