By George Starks |
ANSONIA- It was a game that lived up to all the hype it was given.
Ansonia and Tri-Village, both 4-0 on the season, put it all on the line in a effort to claim the top spot in the Western Ohio Athletic Conference.
With the score knotted up at 22-22 with 8:48 left in the game after the Patriots scored off a 21-yard TD pass from Braden Keating to Griffen Richards, Ansonia would answer at the 2:23 mark of the final quarter on a one-yard plunge from senior Keegan Weiss.
At that point, the Patriots would have one last chance to even the score up and send it into overtime.
Tri-Village did everything in its power but looking at a fourth down at the Tigers 29 and 26.3 seconds left to play, it wasn’t meant to be as a shot down the right sideline fell to the ground.
The Tigers took over on downs and would take a knee on the next play, posting a 30-22 conference victory.
After falling to the Patriots by a point a year ago, the Tigers were ready to turn the tables on the Patriots.
“We lost this game last year by a point and our guys were ready for this,” said Ansonia coach Adam Hall. “These guys have been lifting weights all year. We averaged 30-40 kids in the weight room almost every day. They’ve worked hard all summer and during two-a-days. They wanted this game, and they went out and took it.”
There was never a doubt that it was the style of football that legendary coach Eugene Hoening had made famous at Ansonia.
In the first half, Ansonia ran over 30 plays, all on the ground as Ansonia held a skinny 16-15 lead at the break.
Even with that, it was the Tigers defense that made the difference/
“Our ‘D line’ was getting the pass rush on those guys and that made a huge difference tonight,” Hall pointed. “Coach Hoening still helps us a lot. Coach Hoening is the best and he helps us out a lot.”
There’s no doubt that the Tigers are now in control of their own destiny. With five games left to be contested, Hall is more than aware that it’s not in the bag.
“You can’t win a conference title in week five,” Hall pointed out. “We still have teams out there that will be gunning for us and we have to be fair to them.”
One of those teams will be next on the schedule as Ansonia will head to Twin Valley South Friday. The Panthers are 2-3 on the season while the Patriots will host 3-2 Tri-County North.
Also, Arcanum will play host to National Trail, Bradford will travel to Dixie while Mississinawa Valley will head to Preble Shawnee.
CNO Photos by George Starks. Featured photo: Tri-Village senior Reed Wehr couldn’t haul in a first quarter pass from Braden Keating.
