Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WAVERLY — If you purchased a ticket in Waverly on Friday night, you paid for a seat at the Julian Baker show.
Miami Trace’s junior running back put on a clinic, carving the Tigers’ defensive unit for 354 yards on 21 carries — an average of 16.9 per tote — alongside four trips to the end zone.
It powered his Panthers to a 42-21 season-opening win and was the centerpiece of a 534-yard night on the ground.
“We knew going in that we were more physical between the tackles and that we had to just not make mistakes,” Williams said. “Our mindset from the beginning was that we wanted to keep pounding them until we broke them. We made some mistakes in the first half that kind of hurt us and set us back, but in the second half, we rallied and stayed with what we’re good at.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
While Baker ran wild, Miami Trace’s defense flew to the football, forced stops when they needed to and forced five turnovers — two interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
One of those stops came inside their own 10-yard line, a true momentum killer in the moment.
“It was nice to be able to do some different things against a pass-heavy team,” Williams said. “It always seems to be a little bit of a weakness and we were able to step up tonight and make some plays. We had some injuries where some guys weren’t able to play tonight, and we had some guys step into those spots and make some plays.”
The Panthers (1-0) got on the board first, thanks to a 27-yard run from Cooper Enochs that put a cap on a four-play, 52-yard scoring drive to make it 7-0.
Less than four minutes later, Enochs made another house call, scoring from 20 yards out for a 14-0 count.
But after several changes of possession, the Tigers (0-1) finally graced the scoreboard.
With 2:42 left in the second quarter, Gunnar Myers found Hez Nelson for a 13-yard touchdown toss that ended a 15-play, 67-yard drive that took 4:46 off the clock, cutting the deficit in half.
Waverly took that momentum into the second half, scoring again with 9:47 left in the third. A two-yard touchdown plunge from Myers ended a nine-play, 77-yard drive and tied the score.
PHOTOS: Images from Miami Trace’s win over Waverly
“We just told the kids to stay with it,” Williams said. “At that point, it was just about sticking with our game plan and not changing. We simplified it at halftime and told the kids, ‘This is what we’re doing and we will not change it until they stop us.’ They did exactly what I needed them to do. If you allow young teams to stay in the game, they can be dangerous and [Waverly] has the skill players to be very dangerous. But we kept the pressure on and we got it done.”
The Tigers had clawed their way back into things but that’s when Baker decided to shift into second gear.
On the next play from scrimmage, he took a handoff and scampered 82 yards to the end zone to put Miami Trace ahead 21-14. Less than three minutes later, he struck again, this time on a 24-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 28-14 at the 6:42 mark in the third.
“[The offensive line] played really well today,” Baker said. “I’m the first one to get on them if they do somethings bad because I know how much potential they have. They’re really good blockers. I kept seeing the same hole and just hit it, got the yards I could get.”
Baker was far from finished.
With 11:56 left in the fourth, he’d score from 13 yards out and, essentially, deliver the knockout blow. Then, with 9:16 to go, he put an exclamation point on his performance with an 89-yard touchdown run to make it a 42-14 tally.
The night’s final score came with 5:51 to play — a three-yard run from Waverly’s Justen Kinnison — to produce the night’s final.
Following Baker’s final stat line, Enochs carried the football nine times for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Westin Dawes chipped in with three carries for 56 yards.
In total, the Panthers ran 43 times for 534 yards, an average of 12.4 yards per run play.
“When you have some dudes in front of them and then you have guys like [Enochs and Baker] running behind them, it’s hard to get away from anything else,” Williams said. “These are some good football players and these guys did what we asked of them tonight.”
The Tigers were led by Myers, who was 27-of-47 passing for 229 yards, two total touchdowns and two interceptions. Hez Nelson caught 13 passes for 132 yards and a score, and Justen Kinnison helped out with 90 total yards and a touchdown — 44 rushing and 46 receiving.
While Waverly attempts to rebound in Week 2 at Zane Trace, Miami Trace will host Wilmington — a 14-10 winner over Cincinnati Northwest on Friday.
“We’re going to get better in the second half of the season and we’re going to get some of our guys back that have been out,” Williams said. “When you have this game plan, we’re going to go until you stop us. Then, we’re going to find something else and adjust. We’ve got some horses to ride right now and we’re going to ride them as long as we can.”
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