ST. MARYS – Friday night’s opening round playoff contest at Grand Lake Health Systems Field had all of the marks of a shootout early on but the St. Marys Roughriders ran away with the second half en route to a 42-18 victory over visiting Buckeye Valley.
Opening the game with the football at kickoff for the 10th time in 11 games this season the Riders took the opening four minutes off the clock and utilized 10 plays to travel 73 yards capped by an 11-yard Aiden Hinkle touchdown run, his 22nd of the season to take a 7-0 lead.
Buckeye Valley’s first drive of the contest mirrored the Riders in a pair of ways, length and time but was markedly different in that it featured just six runs of the 16 plays called. Levi Richards six yard touchdown run with 11:54 remaining in the second stanza pulled the Barons within 7-6 but a 2-point conversion attempt failed to produce a lead.
Flipping the script to a quick drive the Roughriders pushed their advantage to 14-6 with 10:28 to go in the opening half when Hinkle raced his way into the record books with a 62 yard sprint in the third play from scrimmage. Hinkle’s score moved his career total past 3,000 to become the 13th Roughrider back to accomplish the feat.
Set up by a 69 yard pass play on the first play of their next drive the Barons freshman quarterback Nathan Huss brought his troops to within 14-12 but could get no closer as another 2-point run attempt was thwarted by the front of the blue and gold defense.
St. Marys added to their lead once again on their next possession with the football, just their third of the half when Hinkle cashed in for his third score of the evening from six yards out to make it 21-12. The Roughriders covered 70 yards over 11 plays and five minutes while capitalizing on solid offensive line play to create holes for Hinkle, Keegan Sharpe, Brayden Sullivan, and Colton Mabry.
Buckeye Valley threatened to pull closer on their final possession of the first half on two gains of 44 yards into St. Marys territory but were forced to surrender the ball on downs near the final whistle after a Roughrider sack of Huss on fourth down, the second time he had been taken down in a four play sequence.
In almost identical fashion to how the contest started, the third quarter of play began with a 13 play drive from the visiting Barons and ended with a toss from Huss to senior Connor Hardman for a six yard score. Trailing 21-18 the Barons once again attempted a two-point conversion, this time a pass which was ruled incomplete on a jump ball by the officials near the back corner of the endzone.
53 yards and eight plays were all the Roughriders needed on their ensuing drive to push Hinkle to two consecutive games with four touchdown runs and a 28-18 advantage as the senior capped off his brilliant evening on a two yard dive for six.
Trailing by 10 but able to move the football the Barons moved again quickly towards midfield but were unable to protect Huss who was sacked and forced into a 4th and 37 and into the first punt of the game.
Junior Carter Steinberg, making his second career start and working with a short field after the punt pushed his way into the endzone for his first career score on the drives eighth play to take a 35-18 lead at 8:52 in the fourth.
St. Marys defensive unit stepped up and made plays once again on the next Buckeye Valley possession to give their offense a short field to work with.
Despite the only pass attempt of the game falling incomplete by Steinberg, the Riders notched the games final tally with 6:22 to go on a Dominik Osborne nine yard scamper to help secure a 42-18 victory.
Buckeye Valley sees their season come to an end with a 6-5 mark while the Roughriders move to 9-2. The Barons were led through the air by Huss who ended the evening 24 of 32 for 244 yards and a touchdown despite 13 rushes and a touchdown and a negative tally of 25 yards on the ground.
Aiden Hinkle carried 22 times for 217 yards and four touchdowns as part of a Roughrider rushing attack that accrued all 357 yards in the game on the night.
Next up for St. Marys is a Week 12 trip to Millersburg and a matchup at second seeded West Holmes, 49-7 winners over Shelby on Friday evening.