Dewey Dailey, Contributor
CHILLICOTHE — Tayvon Miller is built different.
CREDIT: Marissa Spradlin/SOSA
The Aces’ senior found the end zone three times in a 30-3 road win over Unioto on Friday, lifting Amanda-Clearcreek to its second win in as many tries.
The Aces took care of business from start to finish, holding Unioto to a field goal and wreaking havoc defensively all night long.
But Miller was the centerpiece to the win, finishing with three catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns alongside 45 rushing yards and a score on just eight carries. Oh, and for good measure, he picked off a pass from his defensive back position.
“It’s everyone in front of me. It’s the line, the running backs blocking for me, I have to give all the credit to them,” Miller said. “I ran my hardest and did what I could and they did the rest. The coaches did a great job of gameplanning and defensively, we played hard and we played fast. We take a lot of pride in our defense.”
Although the final score begs to differ, the game was very tight throughout the first three quarters of the contest.
Amanda (2-0) would strike first with a 49-yard bomb from Nate Hunter to Miller, a connection that would haunt the Shermans all night. However, Unioto (0-2) answered back with a 25-yard field goal via River Pettigrew, keeping the game tight.
Nate Hunter led the Aces right back down the field, scoring in only four minutes as he stumbled into the end zone to cap off a 10-yard touchdown run, putting the Aces up 14-3 — a score that would remain until early in the fourth quarter.
Unioto answered with a steady drive led by Quinlan Netter, who seemed unstoppable during the possession. However, the drive would be stopped dead in its tracks when a pass attempt was intercepted deep in Aces territory by Nate Hunter.
Throughout the middle two quarters, the two teams traded punts and turnovers, including interceptions from Miller and Unioto’s Kyan Clark.
The Aces took over the contest in the fourth, putting the game on ice with 16 unanswered points, including two touchdowns and a field goal. The Hunter-Miller connection worked its magic again when the pair connected for a 69-yard touchdown to put the Aces up 20-3.
Then, a turnover led to a 15-yard touchdown run from Miller, his third and final score of the night with 4:35 remaining. Aces kicker Jonathan Weaver finished the night’s scoring with a field goal from 34 yards out to produce the final.
The result gives the 1999 and 2000 Division V state champs their 400th win in program history.
“It’s a really great feeling for our guys to add something to the rich tradition of our program by winning the 400th game all-time,” Amanda coach Steve Daulton said. “Obviously, we weren’t part of all that past history, but our guys are raised on the tradition of Amanda-Clearcreek football and they take pride in what it means to be an Ace.”
Following Miller statistically was Landon Covell, who led the Aces with 57 yards rushing on five totes. Grant Guiler used eight carries to gain 45 yards and Hunter finished 7-of-16 passing for 189 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Netter led Unioto with 59 rushing yards on 15 carries while Cameron Lohnes had eight carries for 48 yards. Newton Hoops was 10-of-24 for 148 yards passing and rushed for 35 yards on six carries.
With a hard-fought win against Johnathan Alder last week, and a decisive win this week, Amanda will head into its Week 3 contest with St. Charles still unscathed. As for Unioto, things aren’t going to get easier as the Shermans are set to face Waverly in a non-league battle.
A loss would be Unioto’s first 0-3 start to a season since 2008.
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