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BAINBRIDGE — As Piketon coach Tyler Gullion addressed his team on Friday night, tears streamed down Bo Henry’s face.
There were multiple reasons for Henry’s emotions and he wasn’t the only Redstreak to shed tears. But you can bet your bottom dollar that some of those waterworks were brought on from pure joy.
Henry had just put the finishing touches on a grit-filled 13-12 win at Paint Valley — the Bearcats’ first loss this season.
On a punt that would’ve given PV possession with under two minutes to play in a one-score ballgame, the Bearcats mishandled the ball on a bounce. Henry had raced down to try and make a tackle before answering opportunity when it knocked.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
When he pounced on the loose football, it all but cemented the victory. While the Bearcats had exhausted all three of their timeouts and the game clock showing 1:54, all Piketon’s offense had to do was line up in victory formation and take three knees.
Henry’s hustle play was the centerpiece of a win that sent shockwaves across the SVC landscape.
“Bo has grown up around us. He goes to our church and he’s like another son to me,” Piketon coach Tyler Gullion said. “His dad would be proud of him. He was a good buddy of mine. We’re always on Bo about giving that little extra. He gave that extra at the right time. He’s 6-foot-4, 260 pounds and he’s down there recovering a fumble. That’s just effort.”
While the fumble recovery put an exclamation point on the win, the play of Piketon’s defense should absolutely share the spotlight.
The Redstreaks (4-3, 2-2 SVC) forced two turnovers and held an offense that came into the night averaging 40.5 points per game to just two touchdowns — just one in the final three quarters.
Paint Valley’s most notable offensive threat, running back Braylon Robertson, did rack up 140 yards. But when they needed to the most, the Redstreaks bottled him up with multiple defenders around the football.
“We got a lot of people to the ball,” Gullion said. “[Robertson] got his yards but we were gang-tackling. You’re not going to tackle him one-one-one. I’ve said it all along; this is a scrappy bunch, defensively. That’s how they played again tonight. They got after it. We had a good game plan from our defensive coaches, but the thing is just getting people to the ball and making that extra effort. We gave up a big play early and after that, we didn’t give up another.”
Tale of the tape
It took less than a minute for the Bearcats (6-1, 3-1 SVC) to grace the scoreboard.
With 11:12 left and on the team’s third play from scrimmage, Preston Fauber found a wide open Jeremy Cain for a 75-yard touchdown pass to mark a 6-0 score following a failed two-point try.
PHOTOS: Images from Piketon’s win over Paint Valley
But that was the only big play Piketon surrendered through the air. In fact, from that point forward, the Redstreaks allowed just 70 passing yards.
“Our defensive backs, we played a lot more man-to-man tonight than we have all year,” Gullion said. “It worried me but our defensive backs, Jeremy Williams, Connor McGlone, Gavin Blanton and Mason Thacker, they did a great job on the outside of guarding their guys.”
Piketon’s offense was finally able to find a rhythm late in the second.
Luke Gullion found paydirt from eight yards out, ending a four-play, 58-yard scoring drive and giving the Redstreaks a 7-6 lead with just 44 seconds remaining.
That momentum carried over into the second half. Just 22 seconds into the third quarter, Buddy Wilson took a handoff and galloped 59 yards into the end zone, making it a 13-6 tally and delivering what would eventually be the knockout blow.
“Buddy Wilson man, he just runs so hard,” Gullion said. “He’s just nonstop. He makes me look good as a coach. I’m glad he’s on my team. He had an outstanding game tonight.”
The Bearcats had an answer but it was short-lived. Robertson found the goal line from seven yards out with 4:13 left in the third. However, the PAT was wide left and Piketon was able to hold onto a one-point lead.
From that point on, Paint Valley had several chances to take a lead. But a fumble inside the red zone and a missed 44-yard field goal attempt were just a pair of multiple offensive miscues.
It looked as if the Bearcats would have one final chance to score after Piketon was forced to punt with less than two minutes to go, but that’s when Henry put on his superhero cape and sealed the victory.
“We’ve lost three tight games,” Gullion said. “We told our boys that we’re a few plays away from being undefeated. We really could. We lost a tight one to Wellston, a tight one to Zane Trace and a pretty tight one last week to Unioto. So we were due. The kids had that belief. That credit goes to our seniors. After two tough losses, I’ve seen teams go both ways. But they kept listening to us, there was no letdown and we had great energy in practice. Hard work pays off.”
Stat book
Wilson led the Redstreaks’ offensively, racking up 146 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Gullion finished the night 9-of-14 passing for 120 yards alongside a rushing score. Thacker led Piketon’s receiving corps with six catches for 54 yards.
As for PV, Robertson carried the ball 33 times for 140 yards and a touchdown. He also tallied a 26-yard reception. Fauber was 9-for-17 through the air with 145 yards and a touchdown while Cain posted two catches for 77 yards and a score.
What’s on tap
In Week 8, Piketon will look to continue its winning ways with a trip to Southeastern. Meanwhile, the Bearcats will look to get back in the win column at Huntington.
“Offensively, we’re still not where we need to be,” Gullion said. “We’re not doing things the right way and there’s still some things to get better at. We just have to find some other weapons. We just have to continue with that.”
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