Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
KINNIKINNICK — There’s a three-headed monster in Kinnikinnick and it grows stronger as each week passes.
Zane Trace’s backfield trio of Brice Johnson, Silas Stewart and Gunnar McCullough all seem to be as healthy as they can possibly be. That’s not welcome news for the Pioneers’ opponents.
On Friday, for the first time since early in the season, ZT was able to hand the ball to each of them and, behind a mountain-moving offensive line, they led the way to a nail-biting 23-20 win over Piketon.
“The o-line is doing great. We’ve swapped some things around, moved some guys and I think we’ve finally got the final puzzle piece that we like,” Zane Trace coach Dylan Wears said. “The backs, Brice Johnson was out last week with a banged up foot, and he really pushed through tonight while playing with some pain. Silas had a big game last week and played well tonight, and Gunnar coming off a shoulder injury … we’re still a little banged up. We’re hoping they didn’t hurt anything worse tonight. But that three-headed monster will keep getting better. That’s what we’re hoping for.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Johnson, Stewart and McCullough combined to rush for 257 yards and three touchdowns on Friday, averaging five yards per carry.
But as good as they were, it was the Pioneers’ defense that put the win on ice.
After the Redstreaks had cut ZT’s lead to just three points, they forced a punt to take over possession with 2:55 left in the game. But after piecing together a drive that took them to the Pioneers’ 42-yard, the offense stalled and faced a 4th & 9 with the game on the line.
In the most crucial moment of the game, Zane Trace (2-3, 2-0 SVC) forced an incompletion with 55 seconds left, sealing the team’s second consecutive victory after an 0-3 start.
“It was just about doing your job,” Wears said of his team’s defense. “Tackling, not trying to do too much and playing hard. I know it sounds cliche but that’s all we talk about. Everybody on our defense, we’ve run the system for two years now, they know their jobs. It’s just simply making sure we’re tackling, running to the ball and just doing our job. Piketon has some good players that are hard to get down on the ground. Credit them. We could’ve done a little better job of tackling tonight.”
Tale of the tape
The game’s first score didn’t come until the 9:48 mark in the second quarter when Zane Trace’s Brice Johnson struck pay dirt.
Johnson plunged into the end zone from a yard out and, after a discussion amongst the referees, was ruled to be across the goal line for a 7-0 count.
Piketon (3-2, 1-1 SVC), however, had an immediate answer.
After leading his team on a lengthy drive, Luke Gullion ended it with a one-yard touchdown rush of his own. The ensuing PAT attempt, however, was blocked and the Pioneers kept a 7-6 edge.
On ZT’s next possession, McCullough called his own number and ran to the Redstreaks’ 2-yard line. That set up Johnson’s second touchdown of the night, making it 13-6 — another missed PAT — with 3:02 to go in the first half.
Not to be outdone, Gullion and company went back to work.
A five-yard touchdown pass from Gullion to Mason Thacker on a 4th & 3 play call ended a 9-play, 66-yard drive and forced a 13-13 tie with 28 seconds remaining.
That’s all the time that the Pioneers needed, however, to score again.
PHOTOS: Images from ZT’s win over Piketon
WATCH: Week 5 football — Zane Trace at Piketon
After Johnson took a handoff 13 yards to his own 45-yard line, McCullough found Aaden Dunn for an 11-yard pass before Stewart gained 16 yards on the next play. After a timeout, McCullough hit Peyton Dotson for a 13-yard gain with just one second remaining on the clock.
That set up Judah Hanks for a 32-yard field goal attempt. Hanks nailed the kick with room to spare, which eventually was the night’s scoring difference, and gave the Pioneers a 16-13 lead going into halftime.
Out of the break, Stewart made his first house call. The senior scored from three yards out with 5:40 left in the third quarter, extending ZT’s lead to 23-13.
That tally held until Piketon scored with just 5:38 remaining in the game. After forcing a turnover, the Redstreaks cashed in with a three-yard touchdown run from Gullion, trimming the deficit to 23-20.
Zane Trace’s offense then sputtered. The Pioneers weren’t able to move the chains and were forced to punt, giving the Redstreaks the football with a chance to steal a win.
However, ZT’s defense held its ground and cemented a momentum-building victory.
“Piketon is a good team. That’s a solid team,” Wears said. “We told the guys that it was going to be a dogfight and all the little things they needed to do to win it. Clearly, it turned out to be what we envisioned. We had some opportunities to put it away, but we found a way to win. The defense got a big stop at the end. The guys found a way to bend but not break and get a fourth down stop.”
Stat book
Johnson was the Pioneers’ lead back, carrying the ball 19 times for 106 yards and two scores, while Stewart finished with 15 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. McCullough added 69 rushing yards on 16 totes and was 3-of-5 passing for 37 yards.
As for the Redstreaks, Gullion led the way with 73 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He was also 13-of-28 passing for 118 yards and a score. Buddy Wilson paced the ground game with 22 carries for 95 yards, Thacker caught seven passes for 37 yards and a touchdown, and Jayce Johnson hauled in three receptions for 34 yards.
What’s on tap
In Week 6, Piketon will attempt to get back in the win column while hosting Unioto in another important conference matchup. Meanwhile, Zane Trace welcomes in Huntington.
“We had some injuries to start the season and we didn’t use that as an excuse when we took those first three losses,” Wears said. “We have some really nice players that can step in and we had a game plan that we really thought could work. We really just weren’t playing very well. We made some minor switches to try and get better, and I kind of wish I had some of those games back. There were some things I didn’t have in place that we have in place now. But really, the guys have been great. This is a positive group and they keep working hard. We’ve just told them to trust the process and that the wins will come.”
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