MT. ORAB — Clinton-Massie dropped its first Southern Buckeye Conference American Division game in nearly five years when it lost 50-28 at Western Brown Friday.

Massie’s last conference loss came at Goshen, 33-31, Oct. 13, 2017.

Also with the loss to the Broncos (6-1, 2-0), ranked sixth in the latest Ohio Associated Press Division III football poll, Massie (2-5, 1-1) will miss out on a winning season for the first time since 2001, unless the Falcons can win multiple post-season games.

Bronco quarterback Drew Novak accounted for all seven of his team’s touchdowns, four by air and three by land. He finished the evening with 341 yards on 13-of-18 passing and another 85 yards on 19 carries.

On the first play of the game, Novak found a streaking Matthew Frye for an 80-yard bomb and 7-0 lead.

Massie evened the score on the first play of the second quarter on Brody Clutter’s 5-yard scoring run.

That was the start of a 42-point second-quarter scoring deluge that saw the teams score on six of seven possessions.

Novak answered Clutter’s score with a 2-yard run a couple minutes later. He set up the play with a 55-yard pass to the 3 on 3rd-and-14 two plays earlier.

Massie knotted the game again, at 14, on Logan Chesser’s 59-yard gallop 7:36 before the intermission.

The Falcons recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff and cashed in for six more points five plays later on Clutter’s second score of the evening. Massie’s advantage stood at 20-14 after the missed extra point.

Western Brown saw Massie’s six and raised it one when Novak hooked up with Frye again 2:46 before the break for a 21-20 advantage. The Broncos converted a 4th-and-10 play earlier in the drive.

After forcing a three-and-out, during which CM suffered two false starts, Novak found paydirt again and tacked on a two-point conversion pass a half-minute before halftime to build the Broncos a 29-20 cushion.

“We thought we hung with them pretty well. We had all the momentum. I think right before the half, giving those eight points up…man, that just took the momentum away,” CM head coach Dan McSurley said. “If we go (to halftime) down 21-20, and we have the ball (to start the second half), we were poised and thought we could get back in the game with the running game. We ran the ball really well. I thought we controlled the game with our running game in the first half. Once we broke down in the second half, it was tough.”

Massie would play catchup the rest of the evening.

The Falcons didn’t help their cause by fumbling on the first play of the second half.

Western Brown made the Falcons pay for the miscue three plays later when Novak found Brady Sutton for a 33-yard TD pass and 36-20 lead.

Massie answered with a 14-play, 63-yard drive to cut the Bronco margin in half, 36-28. Keegan Lamb hit Brighton Rodman with a 8-yard pass in the end zone.

That would be as close as Massie would get as Western Brown scored on its next two possessions, a Novak 49-yard pass to Isaiah Smith with 1:40 left in the third quarter and a Novak 12-yard run, after another Massie fumble, with 7:06 left in the contest.

“We competed tonight. We’re young. We had to play a perfect game to beat these guys, and we just didn’t. Those two penalties (right before halftime) and those two fumbles took all the momentum,” McSurley said. “We have to win out to make a run and get in the playoffs. We’ve got to get better. Hopefully this type of experience going against this type of team is going to pay dividends down the road. The goal now is to get to week 11.”

As of early the morning of Oct. 1, joeeitel.com has Clinton-Massie unofficially four spots out of playoff position. The Falcons have opportunities to rack up computer points from 6-1 New Richmond and 4-3 Wilmington down the stretch.

Massie returns to action Friday versus Batavia.

SUMMARY

Sept 30, 2022

@Kibler Field

Western Brown 50, Clinton-Massie 28

CM-00-20-08-00—28

WB-07-22-14-07—50

RUSHING – Clinton-Massie (46-280) Chesser 13-105, Clutter 18-92, McDowell 13-77, Lamb 2-6. Western Brown (24-99) Novak 19-85, Chisman 4-11, Huff 1-3.

PASSING – Clinton-Massie Lamb 1-2, 8 yards. Western Brown Novak 13-18, 341 yards.

RECEIVING – Clinton-Massie Rodman 1-8. Western Brown Smith 5-160, Frye 3-112, Sutton 1-33, Chisman 2-24, Graham 1-7, Osborne 1-5.