AMANDA — Amanda-Clearcreek used several big plays to break things open on the way to a 42-12 win over visiting Logan Elm.
“All week our coaches harped on beat the Braves. All of our coaches see them as our biggest rival and all week they just preached beating the Braves and we came out with that mindset,” AC’s Bodie Martin said.
After only eight yards on four carries in the first half, the junior came through with a number of big plays for the Aces.
With a 21-6 lead at the half, Martin took the first play 65 yards for a touchdown. He took the first play of the fourth quarter 30 yards for a touchdown and added a 33-yard score on AC’s next possession in the period.
“All week in practice I’ve been focused on keeping my head up while getting the handoff and not focusing on the handoff so I can see the holes better and it paid off I guess,” Martin said. “During halftime, coach Ron talked about the whole time on offense that if we put it in the endzone, it’s over, they’re done. I saw that hole open up and I wasn’t getting caught again.”
On top of his 138 yards rushing on five carries in the second half, Martin also intercepted a Braves’ pass early in the fourth.
“D-line was putting pressure on the quarterback all night and forcing bad throws all night, and they’d been running that wheel route all night, so I knew it was coming. I just jumped it,” he said.
“We finally put four quarters together. We’ve shown excellent quarters, but we finally put four together,” AC coach Chet Saum said.
Having time out of school during the week for the Fairfield County Fair actually helped the Aces as Saum said the players came to practice with a focus and energy he doesn’t see when they’re coming right after school.
“Everybody says fair week sucks, but our kids came in absolutely dead focused,” he said. “I told some people Wednesday, after practice, that was by far the best practice I’ve ever been a coach of.
“It was a combination of a lot of hard work, finally getting really focused and putting four quarters together.”
The Aces’ defense put pressure on the LE passing game all night and did a good job keeping running back Michael Bock under control. The Braves’ senior finished with 97 yards on 25 carries, his second-lowest output of the season. He also scored on a one-yard run in the third quarter.
“We’re designed to stop the run and he’s a great back. We were able to tackle well,” Saum said. “There were a lot of times that he did break a tackle but there were three more guys on him. We pursued the ball really, really well.”
Even though Bock had 97 yards on the ground, the Braves netted only 34 yards rushing.
Friday night started out looking like it would be a tight battle.
After a Braves’ punt on the first possession of the game, the Aces strung together 11 plays and Tommy Stai scored from nine yards out for an early 7-0 lead.
The Braves came back with a 15-play drive that wrapped up with an eight-yard pass from Aaron Walters to Ne’Miah Waugh. LE couldn’t convert the PAT and trailed 7-6.
The teams then traded punts before AC scored again.
This time it was a quick, two-play possession. Tanner Affolter grabbed 14 yards on the first play and then Stai broke free with a 42-yard burst to put the Aces up 14-6. Stai had 52 yards on seven carries in the first half and spent the second half on the sideline with an icepack on his shoulder.
An incompletion and two plays that resulted in lost yardage had LE punting again. A problem with the snap sent the ball toward the endzone where AC’s Mason Williams made the recovery for a 21-6 lead with four minutes left in the first half.
AC quarterback Logan Stevens threw the ball only three times Friday. He had one completion to Brody Elder for 18 yards.
The Braves had 187 yards passing.
Not only was the win big for the Aces because of who they beat, it gives the Aces a good shot at hosting a first-round playoff game in Week 11.
“It’s no secret we think Logan Elm is probably our biggest rival and we were definitely where we needed to be this week,” Saum said. “After that one, we should host. Playoffs in the Pit, that’s what’s supposed to happen.”
But he knows success in the playoffs will be tough in the Aces’ region (Division V, Region 19).
“All roads lead to Harvest Prep and Ironton, so we’ve got to do what we can do,” he said. “It’s probably one of the most difficult regions outside of D1.”
The Aces (5-3, 2-2) head to Fairfield Union (4-4, 3-2) next week, while the Braves (5-3, 3-2) host Alexander (3-5) in non-league action.
Amanda-Clearcreek 42, Logan Elm 12
By Quarters 1 2 3 4 F
Logan Elm 0 6 6 0 12
Am-Clearcreek 7 14 7 14 42
First Quarter
AC — Tommy Stai 9 run (Hayden Dunn kick), 5:13.
Second Quarter
LE — Ne’miah Waugh 8 pass from Aaron Walters (kick failed), 11:07.
AC — Tommy Stai 42 run (Hayden Dunn kick), 5:35.
AC — Mason Williams recovered fumble in endzone (Hayden Dunn kick), 4:02.
Third Quarter
AC — Bodie Martin 65 run (Hayden Dunn kick), 11:50.
LE — Michael Bock 1 run (pass failed), 8:52.
Fourth Quarter
AC — Bodie Martin 30 run (Hayden Dunn kick), 11:23.
AC — Bodie Martin 33 run (Hayden Dunn kick), 7:45.
TEAM STATISTICS
LE AC
First downs 16 7
Rushing yards 35-34 30-230
Passing yards 187 18
Comp.-Att.-Int 18-33-1 1-3-0
Total yards 221 248
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 0-0
Penalties-Yards 4-30 1-15
Punts-Ave 4-28 3-38
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Logan Elm — Michael Bock 25-97, Aaron Walters 7-(-31), Tyler Bowlby 1-(-22). Amanda-Clearcreek — Bodie Martin 9-146, Tommy Stai 7-52, Logan Stevens 2-6, Nick Holland 6-7, Tanner Affolter 3-20, Silas Hoffman 2-0, Branson Fowler 1-(-1).
PASSING – Logan Elm — Aaron Walters 18-32-1-187, Austin Holbrook 0-1-0-0. Amanda-Clearcreek — Logan Stevens 1-3-0-18.
RECEIVING – Logan Elm — Ne’miah Waugh 2-9, Joshua Hunter 1-8, Keegan Diehl 2-36, Justin Marcum 4-55, Preston Piacentini 4-30, Gavin Hoover 3-34, Michael Bock 2-15. Amanda-Clearcreek — Brody Elder 1-18.