LEES CREEK — Miami Trace made it two wins in a row by defeating East Clinton 21-7 Friday night at ECHS in South Central Ohio League action.
The Astros have lost five straight following a 2-0 start. EC is 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the league.
The Panthers lost their first five but have won two straight to improve to 2-5. In the SCOL, MT is 2-2.
For East Clinton, it was a frustrating contest as the Astros had their chances, but just could not capitalize on their opportunities. For Astro head coach Jeremy Yankey, it’s losing the battle in the trenches that makes the difference.
“We’re just not a very physical team and it’s affecting our ability to compete in the South Central Ohio League,” said Yankey. “I know it’s just year number one of the process, but we’re getting man-handled up front, sometimes by sophomores and juniors and we’ve got to do a better job. It’s not because of lacking effort. It’s the fact that we do not match-up well against teams like this. We’ve got to get it figured out and it starts in the weight room. That’s where we’ve got to make a better commitment. I see this happening each week and it’s very frustrating to me and our coaching staff.”
For the ball-controlled Panther offense, senior running back Larry Jackson was the difference, as he accounted for all three of the Miami Trace touchdowns, one in each of the first three quarters. The first score came on the Panthers opening drive, which consisted of eight plays covering 53 yards. Jackson’s six-yard TD run put MT on the board at the 6:50 mark and Blake Pittser’s PAT made it a 7-0 contest.
The second score was the result of a grind-it-out 14-play 67-yard drive which ate up nearly six and a half minutes of the clock. Jackson capped the drive with another six-yard run to paydirt, at the 8:59 mark of the second quarter, and Pittser’s kick made it a 14-0 Panther advantage.
East Clinton’s cut the deficit to 14-7 late in the half, when quarterback Erik Moore found an opening on the right side of the Astro line and reached the goal line with 1:15 remaining. Freshman kicker Austin Arellano booted the PAT to close out the first half scoring.
MT scored its third touchdown of the night on the first drive of the second half, covering 50 yards on 14-plays. Jackson reached the end zone at the 6:49 mark and Pittser’s PAT kick extended the Panther lead to 21-7. East Clinton was unable to mount any potential scoring drives in the second half as the Panthers chewed precious time off the clock.
Next week, the Astros will host Hillsboro while Miami Trace returns home to face unbeaten SCOL foe Wilmington.
SUMMARY
Oct 9, 2015
@East Clinton HS
Miami Trace East Clinton
MT 07.07.07.00…..21
EC 00.07.00.00…..07
First quarter
MT-Larry Jackson TD run, Pittser kick, 6:50
Second quarter
MT-Larry Jackson TD run, Pittser kick, 8:59
EC-Erik Moore 20 yard run, Austin Arellano kick, 1:15
Third quarter
MT-Larry Jackson TD run, Pittser kick, 6:49
Fourth quarter
No scoring
