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And it all came down to this. The final week of the season and both teams undefeated in league play. Trimble was also playing to remain undefeated for the season, and earn a trip into the state playoffs. Any fan for either team knew this would be a low-scoring battle between to of the best defenses in Southeastern Ohio, and the game lived up to that expectation. The opening series for each team was a perfect indicator as to how the rest of the game would be played. Trimble shut the Buckeyes down for a three and out and then partially blocked the punt. Then Nelsonville-York’s defense held the Tomcats to just four yards on their possession. The scoreless struggle lasted until the final play of the first quarter. After a bad snap, Trimble punter Sun Leeper chose to stay in the endzone and take a safety rather than attempt to scramble for the first down and possibly give the Buckeyes good field position. After trading possessions, the Tomcats found themselves with great starting field position after Nelsonville-York was forced to punt deep in their own territory. With 2:18 to go in the first half, Junior quarterback Roger Bingman found Sophomore Charlie Gatchel for a 16-yard score. Gatchel’s extra-point then made the score 7-2 headed into the half. The second half was a defensive battle of epic proportions that held both squads scoreless. The final Buckeye threat of the game was ended with 58 seconds remaining when Trimble’s Jerry Pastol forced a fumble that was recovered by Jim Wright. Turnovers were key throughout the night, and the defensive line play of Trimble, especially Rich Cain paced the Tomcats in the win. Trimble Senior defensive back Jeff Holbert, playing on a badly sprained ankle, had three interceptions on the night. Trimble had capped their perfect season and ventured into the playoffs. Nelsonville-York completed their season 7-3, 7-1 in league play.
Stats:
First Downs: T 9 NY 13
Scrimmage Plays: T 44 NY 60
Rushes/Yards: T 27-57 NY 43-113
Passing Yards: T 117 NY 44
Total Yards: T 174 NY 157
Passes A/C/INT: T 10-18-1 NY 5-17-4
Fumbles/Lost: T 0-0 NY 1-1
Penalties/Yards: T 5-40 NY 2-20
Punts/Average: T 7-31 NY 6-28
Individual Stats:
Rushing - Trimble: Todd Fouts 16-38, Paul Roberts 4-12; Nelsonville-York: Jim Monk 22-81, Tom Campbell 12-60
Passing - Trimble: Roger Bingman 10-18-1-117; Nelsonville-York: Heyes Dean 5-17-4-44
Receiving - Trimble: Jared McClelland 3-42, Jeff Holbert 3-34, Charlie Gatchel 1-16, Sun Leeper 1-15, Todd Fouts 2-8; Nelsonville-York: Brian Coakly 3-26, John Corwin 2-18 |
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