Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
BAINBRIDGE — Braylon Robertson was a man possessed on Friday.
Paint Valley’s junior tailback did just about everything he could humanly do, playing outstandingly well on both sides of the football.
His final stat line consisted of 24 carries for 237 yards and three touchdowns, two catches for 26 yards, an interception and a handful of tackles.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
He was nothing short of magnificent.
That effort, alongside the bully-filled play of his offensive line as well as an opportunistic defense, led the Bearcats (4-1, 2-0 SVC) to a 41-20 victory over Westfall.
“I’m super proud of him. He’s an exceptional player,” Paint Valley coach Corey Dye said. “He’ll be the first to tell you that our offensive line is the reason he’s able to perform the way he did tonight. He’s an explosive player and he could go off on any given night. We’re lucky to have him. He’s going to give credit where credit’s due. Our offensive line is really coming together and tonight, they proved that.”
Dye’s hunch was correct.
Robertson, instead of talking about himself, gave the glory to the big fellas up front — a unit that allowed the Bearcats’ offense to rack up 412 yards of total offense.
“These dudes block for me every night,” Robertson said. “It makes my job ten times easier. If they’re not there, I ain’t going anywhere. It was a crazy night for me but I’m just trying to do anything I can to win.”
Mission accomplished.
Tale of the tape
It took just 81 seconds for Paint Valley to grace the scoreboard. Robertson capped a 33-yard drive with 10:39 left in the first quarter, making it 7-0.
That score remained until the 8:01 mark in the second when quarterback Preston Fauber found wide open Bryson Dunham in the corner of the end zone, ending a 15-play, 92-yard scoring drive.
Just like that, Westfall (2-3, 0-2 SVC) found itself in a 14-0 hole. But the Mustangs were just down — not out. After three turnovers haunted WF’s offense in the first half, it started to figure things out in the second.
An onside kick was how the third quarter started and Westfall took advantage of an earned opportunity, driving 48 yards to the house. Quarterback Bryce Wickline scored on an eight-yard rush to cut the lead to 14-7 and, for the time being, swing momentum onto his own sideline.
However, Robertson wasn’t a fan.
Three plays later, he took a handoff 34 yards to the house, making it a two-score ballgame again at 21-7.
PHOTOS: Images from Paint Valley’s win over Westfall
On WF’s next drive, the Mustangs gambled on 4th & 1 from their own 41-yard line. The Bearcats’ defense stuffed a run attempt, giving way for Robertson to score from 41 yards out on the very next play for a 27-7 score with 5:13 left in the third.
“There are some things we need to work on and I’ll give credit to [head coach] Logan Stepp, who’s doing a great job building Westfall’s program,” Dye said. “That offense is difficult to stop and we knew coming in that they weren’t just going to roll over. We knew we were going to have to play well in all three phases of the game to win and that’s exactly what we did.”
At the 5:08 mark in the third, things went from bad to worse for Westfall.
Following PV’s touchdown, the Mustangs fumbled on the kickoff. Gage Wagner, at the right place and the right time, scooped it off the turf and ran into the end zone for a 33-7 score.
Before the fourth, Westfall pieced together a scoring drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown plunge from Cade Hall. But the Bearcats answered with 7:22 remaining, thanks to a seven-yard touchdown pass from Fauber to Carson Free — effectively pounding the nails in the coffin.
The night’s final score came with 6:48 left when Wickline found pay dirt from a yard out.
“Each week, we’ve got different challenges,” Dye said. “This was one of the biggest tests for us. I feel like a lot of our kids are growing up. I’m proud of them. Defensively, our staff put together a great game plan. We knew we were going to have to do some things to try and make [Westfall] think a little more. But we did a good job defensively. We feed off that energy. Still things to clean up but our effort was phenomenal tonight.”
Stat book
Following Robertson’s efforts was Fauber, who was 11-of-14 passing for 125 yards alongside two touchdowns, an interception and 35 rushing yards. Free was his top target, catching seven passes for 82 yards and a score.
Westfall was led by Wickline, who was 14-of-28 passing for 168 yards alongside 23 rushes for 116 yards and three touchdowns. Joey Wright added 45 yards rushing and Jaden Towler had 71 receiving yards on five receptions.
What’s on tap
While Westfall attempts to bounce back next week, hosting Southeastern, Paint Valley travels to Adena to try and stay perfect in league play.
“We learned a valuable lesson in Week 2. We had a horrible week of practice, went up to West Jefferson and they kicked us in the teeth,” Dye said. “There’s no better lesson. From there on out, we’ve had great practices. These guys know that if we have great practices, we’re going to play football. So that’s been key for us and it’s what we’re going to focus on.”
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