Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — Before Huntington’s Week 9 matchup with Adena kicked off, the Huntsmen already knew they had a playoff spot clinched.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
But for good measure, they made sure to continue looking like a postseason-bound team.
Behind a potent run game and a dominant defense, Huntington (5-4, 3-3 SVC) continued to gain steam with an impressive 36-7 win over Adena on Friday.
The Huntsmen’ playoff berth — the first in program history — is in the bag. But that doesn’t mean the job is done by any means. Coach Ed Yates’ group is looking to check more boxes off the to-do list.
“This is my sixth year now [at Huntington] and the adversity that these kids have gone through … a bunch of naysayers that are always negative, a bunch of garbage … we worked really hard all year long about not worrying about what other people think,” Yates said. “At first, it was rough. We opened up with a brutal schedule. But these kids bought in and we’ve gotten better every week. The guys take pride in what we do. Hopefully, that continues.”
In the first half alone, the Huntsmen totaled 251 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, the Warriors had totaled 20 total yards on 22 play calls.
That trend continued until the night’s end.
Huntington ended the evening with 338 yards of offense — all coming via the rushing game — while Adena racked up 124 yards of total offense and had just 46 rushing on 21 attempts.
“I challenge our line every week and I tell them how we do is going to be based upon how they do,” Yates said. “I say, ‘Hey, we’ve got it on our shoulders,’ and we want it on our shoulders. We think we’re pretty good at what we do and we’ve got some really good backs who can run the football.”
Huntsmen running back Quinton Puckett has been electric all year long and he didn’t change that narrative against the Warriors’ defense.
PHOTOS: Images from Huntington’s win over Adena
With 1:57 left in the first quarter, the senior took a handoff and weaved his way 47 yards into the end zone to give Huntington a 6-0 lead. Less than three minutes later, he made a house call from 37 yards out for a 14-0 score, following a successful two-point try.
And, put simply, the Huntsmen were off to the races.
“He’s dangerous,” Yates said of Puckett. “It’s good to have someone like him who can hit the edge or hit a cutback. He’s shifty and he’s hard to handle, just to be frank. He sets up blocks really well and that helps us on the edge.”
Exactly two minutes later, at the 9:37 mark in the second after Adena was forced to punt, DJ Crocker got in on the action. Crocker finished a 3-play, 49-yard scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge to extend the lead to 20-0.
That score remained until seconds before halftime when quarterback Noah Potter snuck past the goal line on a one-yard bullrush, making it a 28-0 tally at the break.
“We try to take what they give,” Yates said. “[Adena] was concentrating on taking DJ away tonight, especially in the first half. They stacked the inside, which gave us the edge. Then, in the second half, they started taking the edge away, which allowed us to do some more banging up the middle. As long as we can keep our four backs going the way they’re going, Quinton and Braylon [Leach] on the edge, and DJ and Bryce [Kohn] up the middle, and then having Noah compliment that, we can be special.”
Adena (3-6, 2-4 SVC) finally graced the scoreboard with 1:06 left in the third when quarterback Andrew Vickers found Joe Putnam for a five-yard touchdown toss, cutting the deficit to 28-7.
The Warriors then forced a punt to get the ball back but Huntington’s defense returned the favor before Potter put a cap on the win with a four-yard score to produce the night’s final.
Statistically, Puckett led Huntington with 13 carries for 149 yards and two touchdowns while Potter added eight rushes for 81 yards and a pair of scores. Leach had 40 yards on the ground and Crocker added a touchdown run of his own.
Austin Magill led Adena with 34 rushing yards on eight carries while Vickers finished 7-of-27 passing for 78 yards and a touchdown. Putnam ended the night with 36 receiving yards and a score on three receptions.
Both teams now look towards Week 10 where a ton is on the line.
Huntington will play for playoff positioning at Piketon while the Warriors try to clinch a playoff berth and ruin Zane Trace’s potential Gold Ball season in Frankort.
“Piketon has a great offense. We have to concentrate on keeping the ball away from them and controlling the clock,” Yates said. “We have to be able to do what we do and do it well. Then we have to stop what they do well, which is throw it all over the place. We’ll have to slow that attack and keep the ball. It’ll help us prepare for teams we’re going to play in the playoffs as well. There’s a ton of teams that are running spread offenses out there. We have to defend that.”
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