CIRCLEVILLE — Circleville snapped a five-game losing streak to Logan Elm in convincing fashion with a 35-8 win Friday to reclaim the Backyard Brawl Trophy.
“These past couple years have been really tough. We’ve had so much talent on this team, but this year just felt a different level of confidence from everybody,” senior quarterback Hudson Phalin said. “So being able to actually go out and complete the game — it’s amazing.
“Senior year, but it feels good. Being able to go out with the win over Logan Elm, a rival we haven’t beat all throughout my high school career. It just feels unreal.”
Phalin ran for 87 yards with a two-yard touchdown in the first quarter and threw for 166, including a 16-yard score to fellow senior Jack Kline in the fourth quarter to cap the night’s scoring.
It was Kline’s first touchdown of the season as his offensive production has been limited thanks to a cast on his left hand.
“I’ve been waiting for it,” Kline said. “I couldn’t have done anything without my guys up front blocking for Hudson, getting me the ball. I mean, it was a perfect ball. I couldn’t ask for any better ball, better quarterback, better line, better team.
“This just feels great. It’s just beautiful seeing that trophy in our hands.”
Circleville stopped Logan Elm from gaining a first down to start the game and then put together a quick five-play drive that featured an 18-yard pass from Phalin to Alec Spradlin followed by an 18-yard touchdown run from Kole Nungester. Kaden Paxton’s kick made it 7-0.
The Braves wasted no time coming up with an answer as Austin Holbrook connected with Blake Summers on first down for a 73-yard score. A two-point pass from Holbrook to Tyler Bowlby gave LE a one-point edge.
CHS followed with a seven-play drive that finished with Phalin scoring from two yards out to put the Tigers on top 14-8.
Logan Elm set itself up with great field position after a 37-yard kickoff return from Connor Kint.
The Braves put themselves in a first-and-goal situation, but the Tigers’ defense rose to the occasion. On third-and-goal from the 2, Holbrook was stopped for no gain and then a fourth down pass was intercepted by Jacob Liston in the endzone.
The Braves never got inside Circleville’s 20 again.
Other than that big pass play for the touchdown, Circleville didn’t allow a play that exceeded 10 yards until late in the third quarter.
“The problem is that one play can cost you the game,” Circleville coach Jay Sharret said. “And it nearly cost us the game last week. And the way our defense played last week against a tough Westfall team and then to come out and get zinged on the pass you’re talking about, then to stick their cleats in the ground and play good sound and we tackled so much better tonight. And, I mean, Logan Elm came to play, so we had to wrestle the game from them, and we did.”
Coming out at halftime with the 14-8 lead, Circleville opened the second half with a six-play drive that ended with Ray Ezell breaking off a 44-yard run to make it 21-8.
Later in the period, a Chase Foster interception gave the Tigers a short field and Phalin connected with Uriah Woodworth on a 29-yard touchdown.
Logan Elm turned the ball over on downs as the third was coming to a close, setting up Circleville’s last scoring drive that ended with Kline’s TD catch with 8:25 left in the game.
“Overall, they were just a more disciplined football team than we were,” Logan Elm coach Terry Holbert said. “We really tried to challenge our guys at halftime, you know, the last couple of weeks, we’ve been in really close ball games and we just haven’t done the winning things to win the football games and, unfortunately, we just got caught up in some things tonight again.
“They were the more disciplined football team, they were the more physical football team. They deserved to win. They executed at a higher level than we did.”
Circleville finished the night with 396 yards of offense – 230 on the ground. Ezell ran for 102 on 14 carries. Woodworth had 79 yards on three catches.
“They’re balanced and even though they throw a lot of heavy sets in different formations, they run it and throw it very well,” Holbert said. “And because they run a variation of things, that puts a lot of pressure on a defense to make quick adjustments, to get your guys in the right position, and we just didn’t do a good enough job tonight.”
The Braves finished with 227 yards of offense, netting only 23 on the ground. Summers led the receivers with his 73-yard catch while Kint caught five balls for 49 yards and Bowlby had three for 63.
“I think we grew a lot from the first half to the second half, because they came out and played toe to toe, they were ready to play some good football,” Sharrett said. “But I think we kind of dialed up a little bit more physicality in the second half and maybe wore them down a little bit.
“To ask these guys what I’ve done since I’ve been here and they answer day in and day out, and I couldn’t be happier for them. We’re 4-0, 1-0 in the league, and I couldn’t be happier.”
This is the first time the Tigers have started the season 4-0 since 2002.
“We know we can win those tough games, but I think it’s really starting to click, and you could see that really in the second half,” Phalin said. “It feels a little different this year. Like I said, new level of confidence, but, you know, we know we’ve got that talent and we’re not done yet.”
It hasn’t been since 2018 that the Braves have gone through the first four games without a win. With a seven-point loss to Westfall and a one-point setback to Miami Trace last week, the Braves have been within striking distance of a couple of wins, but are looking to make that extra needed play.
“That is the great challenge. And I just told the guys in the locker room, it’s really difficult and it sucks to go through adversity, but if you will persevere through it, there are great things that can come out of moments of adversity,” Holbert said. “But the tough part is when you’re in the midst of it — like we are right now — continuing to persevere and work to do the right things.
“It’s very easy to kind of pack up shop and crumble. I’m not saying that tonight was a close game, but when you’ve been in games you should have won and you haven’t, that can really do something with the psyche.
“But I believe in our guys. We’ll come back and we’ll have a great week of practice and prepare to win a game next Friday.”
Circleville (4-0, 1-0) hosts Amanda-Clearcreek (1-3, 0-1) next week while Logan Elm (0-4, 0-1) heads to Fairfield Union (1-3, 0-1).
Circleville 35, Logan Elm 8
By Quarters 1 2 3 4 F
Circleville 14 0 14 7 35
Logan Elm 8 0 0 0 8
First Quarter
CV — Kole Nungester 18 run (Kaden Paxton kick), 8:33.
LE — Blake Summers 73 pass from Austin Holbrook (Tyler Bowlby from Austin Holbrook), 8:15.
CV — Hudson Phalin 2 run (Kaden Paxton kick), 4:23.
Third Quarter
CV — Ray Ezell 44 run (Kaden Paxton kick), 8:18.
CV — Uriah Woodworth 29 pass from Hudson Phalin (Kaden Paxton kick), 3:02.
Fourth Quarter
CV — Jack Kline 16 pass from Hudson Phalin (Kaden Paxton kick), 8:25.
TEAM STATISTICS
CV LE
First downs 19 10
Rushing yards 45-230 26-23
Passing yards 166 204
Comp.-Att.-Int 8-12-0 14-22-2
Total yards 396 227
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 8-70 5-50
Punts-Ave 2-46 4-31
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Circleville — Hudson Phalin 17-87, Ray Ezell 14-102, Kole Nungester 10-37, Jack Kline 2-4, Drake Klinger 1-0, Jace Captain 1-0. Logan Elm — Ayden Hartley 9-39, Austin Holbrook 11-(-13), Bryson Parish 5-1, Judd Schultz 1-(-4).
PASSING – Circleville — Hudson Phalin 8-12-0-166. Logan Elm— Austin Holbrook 14-20-2-204, Judd Schultz 0-2-0-0.
RECEIVING – Circleville — Jace Captain 1-1, Owen Miller 1-7, Uriah Woodworth 3-79, Jack Kline 1-16, Drake Klinger 1-38, Alec Spradlin 1-10. Logan Elm — Ayden Hartley 3-3, Blake Summers 1-73, Tyler Bowlby 3-63, Bryson Parish 1-8, Connor Kint 5-49, Dalton Davy 1-8.