John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
BAINBRIDGE — Following a slow start and facing a six-point deficit after the first quarter, some of the Zane Trace faithful may have been concerned for their Pioneers on Friday.
CREDIT: Cory Hall/SOSA
But less than four minutes into the second, the Pioneers had scored three times and had immediately calmed any nerves the crowd may have had.
That wave of momentum helped Zane Trace (9-0, 6-0 SVC) cross the finish line of a 35-27 win over Paint Valley with a share of the SVC crown in hand.
“This has been our goal from the very beginning, to win the SVC,” Zane Trace’s Nalin Robinson said. “Most of us have been on varsity since we were freshmen, and we went 1-9 that season. It’s been a slow build every season since and to see where we’re at now is a big change.”
Paint Valley (5-4, 4-2 SVC) set an early tone and used a heavy dose of Braylon Robertson to do so. He had 11 carries on the opening drive, racking up 52 of the drive’s 69 yards and finishing with a one-yard plunge for a 6-0 lead.
After the teams traded punts, Zane Trace faced a 2nd and 13 to open the second stanza on its own 29-yard line. That’s when senior running back Daniel Barnhart went around the left end, shaking two would-be tacklers and rumbled his way 71 yards down the Pioneer sideline to the end zone, putting ZT ahead 7-6.
On the next play from scrimmage, Zane Trace’s Drew Lane recovered a fumble at the Bearcats’ 34-yard line. Four plays later, junior quarterback Carter Langley punched it in from a yard out.
With 8:29 left in the half and only three plays later, ZT’s Blake Phillips picked off a pass and sprinted 42 yards to the end zone. Following Landen Robinson’s extra point, the Pioneers had jumped out to a 21-6 lead and did it, seemingly, in the blink of an eye.
“We have dudes at every level,” Robinson said. “We have three running backs that could play for any school out here. They just go, go, go and don’t stop. They always run straight up and down getting positive yards, and with the offensive line we have to compliment that, we definitely like how we move.”
The Bearcats wouldn’t go away easily with Cavan Cooper forcing a fumble and then punching it in from three yards out to cut the lead to 21-13 late in the half.
However, the Pioneers struck back three minutes later when Langley hit Kyle Stonerock on a play-action pass for a 23-yard touchdown, giving Zane Trace a 28-13 halftime lead.
“Some of our guys took a year off from playing, but came right back and it’s only added to the team,” Stonerock said. “We all have the same goal in mind, and we’re all working towards that.”
The action out of the break started off slow with both teams punting early, but that’s when the Pioneers went back to their bread and butter for a massive scoring drive.
Starting at its own 18, ZT split carries between Barnhart and Phillips, along with hitting each of them out of the backfield on passes to go 82 yards over five minutes. The drive was capped by Barnhart’s three-yard plunge, his second of the game, extending the lead to 35-13 with 2:45 left in the third.
Paint Valley did all that it could to stay in the game, scoring twice via short touchdown runs from Robertson and Cooper to cut the deficit to 35-27 with 3:48 left in the game.
It would all be for naught, though, as the Pioneers managed to run out the rest of the clock to earn a share of the Scioto Valley Conference title — their first since the 2016 season.
Statistically, Paint Valley was led by Robertson, who had 183 yards on 26 carries with two scores. Fellow sophomore Carson Free reeled in six catches for 101 yards.
Zane Trace got a huge game from Barnhart as the senior went over 1,000 yards rushing on the year with 241 yards on 28 carries alongside two scores. Langley finished with 112 total yards — 87 passing, 25 rushing — and two touchdowns.
The Pioneers will look to capture a Gold Ball when they travel to Adena in Week 10. Paint Valley aims to rebound at Southeastern.
“That would be huge, and mean a lot to the Zane Trace community,” Stonerock said of the chance to win a Gold Ball. “It’s been six years since our last championship and Gold Ball, and seven years since the last 10-0 season. So accomplishing all of that next week would be a big deal.”
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