SPORTS

Paint Valley grits out season-opening win

Derrick Webb
Reporter
  • Paint Valley starts its 2016 season with a 21-6 win over Cincinnati Hughes Thursday night.
  • The Bearcats held the Big Red' offense to just 102 total yards while forcing a pair of turnovers.
  • Bryce Newland threw for 57 yards in his high school debut while Tygr Tesi gained 53 on the ground.

CINCINNATI – Just when it looked like Cincinnati Hughes had gained an inch of momentum, Paint Valley snagged it back before the Big Red could blink.

With a 14-6 lead and 7:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, Bearcats senior Austen Blevins took a 30-yard punt return to the house.

That, eventually, put the finishing touches on a 21-6 season-opening win — one in which Paint Valley’s defense held an athletic Hughes team to 102 total yards — Thursday night at Cincinnati Taft High School's Stargel Stadium.

“I think this was one of the most total team efforts I’ve had in all of my years here,” Paint Valley coach Pete Hollon said. “We were playing on a skin and bones for most of the second half. We look out and we’ve got six defensive starters on the sideline. But it’s that next-man-up mentality. I thought my coaches did a great job tonight and made some tremendous adjustments.”

In 90-degree heat, cramps became a factor during the second half. That’s when a fresh Tygr Tesi entered the game in the Bearcats’ backfield.

He provided a much-needed spark at just the right time.

“We talked about that at the beginning of the year,” Hollon said. “Tygr is a kid that hasn’t been featured a lot. Nobody really knows his name. But tonight, he came in and gave us a huge boost. Really, if you think about it, he was the turning point in the ballgame.”

After the teams traded turnovers early, Paint Valley found the end zone with 2:03 remaining in the first quarter when freshman quarterback Bryce Newland hit freshman receiver Cruz McFadden for an 11-yard strike.

The 7-0 lead lasted until the 6:06 mark in the third when Cincinnati Hughes plunged across the goal line from three yards out. The Big Red tried for two, failed, and still trailed 7-6.

The Bearcats provided an answer with 9:33 left in the fourth. After Tesi took carries of 33 and 18 yards down to the Big Red 1-yard line, senior Drake Stanforth rolled over two defenders for a score, making it 14-6.

Paint Valley’s defense proceeded to force Hughes into a 4th-and-23 situation from its own 2-yard line. On the ensuing punt, Blevins struck to put the icing on the cake.

“We beat a good team tonight,” Hollon said. “And that goes to the preparation that we’ve had. I thought our kids played extremely well defensively and offensively, we knew we were going to have some hiccups. We tried to simulate that all week but, honestly, you can’t. Game situations are the only thing that you’re going to learn from.”

Freshman quarterback Bryce Newland finished 6-of-11 through the air for 57 yards and a score. Stanforth carried the ball 10 times for 34 yards, scored once and recorded three sacks. Tesi was the Bearcats’ leading rusher on just three rushes, gaining 53 yards.

In total, Paint Valley managed 129 yards offensively. But that comes with the fact of running just nine plays in the entire second half.

“When the weather became an issue, we did a great job in our rotations,” Hollon said. “(Newland) is going to take his lumps. But I thought he did some things well tonight. (Cincinnati Hughes) took away some of the things we wanted to do on offense just because of their athleticism. We hope that a win like this, over a Division III team, leads to even better things down the road.”

Paint Valley will get back to action Sept. 2 against Williamsburg at home. The Wildcats are a team that the Bearcats bested 24-21 in 2015.

“We just have to keep doing what we’re doing,” Hollon said. “Williamsburg is really similar to us and lost a ton from last year. But that program is a good one and they’ll be ready. It’s always a tough game, and this year will be no different.”

dwebb@chillicothegazette.com

Twitter: @dw1509