Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
OAK HILL — The tough lessons Minford endured last year are now paying dividends.
The Falcons are finding ways to win, hanging tough in high-scoring affairs and playing with a level of excitement that was missing.
Friday was simply about defense and getting off to a fast start. Minford was dominant from the kickoff to the final whistle, earning a 29-6 victory at Oak Hill.
“Coming in, we knew we were the better team from top to bottom so it came down to doing our assignments,” Minford’s Curtis Glenn said. “We knew they were going to stack one side offensively and just try to hammer us all night. But we had guys ready and focused.”
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
The victory moves the Falcons to 2-2 this season, eclipsing last season’s win total.
“After last week against Eastern, we knew there were things we had to clean up. But we walked away with the feeling that we were nearly right where we wanted to be,” Minford coach Jordan Michael said. “It was an offensive explosion and it was good for us to play the entire four quarters and score the way we did. This was an important game for us, in terms of executing the things we worked on practice this week.”
Although Minford opened the game with a fumble, it managed to force a three-and-out to get the ball back and that’s when the offense got rolling.
Curtis Glenn got the night going with a two-yard plunge to put the Falcons ahead 7-0 early.
He was just getting started, though.
On the next drive, Glenn faked a handoff and fired a deep strike to a streaking Colt Donahoe for a 55-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0 after the first quarter.
PHOTOS: Images from Minford’s win over Oak Hill
“I was reading the safety and he was just running around instead of reading the play,” Glenn said. “At that point, I knew the play would work as long as I didn’t overthrow Colt. So I just put it in the air and let him do the rest of the work. I’ve been working a lot and building chemistry with the receivers. It feels like we have really tall receivers, so it comes down to just letting them make plays.”
Oak Hill (0-3) had two chances to put up points on their next two drives, but Minford came up with a fourth down stop inside the five-yard line and forced a fumble on the eight-yard line to keep the Oaks off the board.
That fumble happened with 3:00 left on the clock, and the Falcons barely needed two minutes to score.
Glenn threw a 40-yard strike to Izaiha Robertson alongside, completions to Peyton Caudill and Wyatt Swick, before he called his own number on a two-yard scamper for a 21-0 halftime lead.
At the point, it was clear the game was well in hand for the Falcons. Although the Oaks were moving the ball, the Falcons’ defense continued to make fourth down stops and got an interception from Caudill.
Ty Borland added Minford’s final touchdown of the night on a six-yard run while the Oaks avoided the shutdown with a late one-yard score from Blaise Ford.
“I’m very proud of our defense. The way Oak Hill’s offense works, they hold onto the ball and chew up the clock. But our guys did a great job of getting stops and a couple of goal line stands,” Michael said. “I couldn’t be happier with those guys. Offensively, we knew that we had to score any time we had the ball because of the potential of limited opportunities. But we had a really balanced attack and played a hard-fought game.”
Minford returns to action on Friday at Northwest while Oak Hill goes for its first win that same evening, hosting South Gallia.
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