Jamie Dye of Jonathan Alder stretches for extra yardage against Benjamin Logan Friday evening. Dye rushed for 236 yards as the Pioneers won, 43-36.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Will Channell)
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Benjamin Logan held a 16-0 lead over Jonathan Alder before any of the vehicle engines had cooled in the parking lot Friday evening.
The Raiders dropped a load of bricks on the Pioneers and one had to wonder when the rest of the house was coming down.
The Pioneers, however, kept their foundation intact during a second-half comeback enroute to a 43-36 victory during the opening Central Buckeye Conference game of the gridiron campaign.
Just what was the difference between the first half, in which JA (3-1) trailed 24-14 at the turn, and the second half?
“We quit giving up big plays and starting running the ball on offense,” said Alder coach Brett Glass.
The Pioneers (who will travel to Indian Lake on Friday) were scorched in the secondary by Raider quarterback Derek Coy during the opening half.
The senior signal-caller directed a pair of first-quarter series that resulted in touchdown passes of eight and 65 yards to Grant Ward.
“Benjamin Logan’s receivers just ran past us,” said Glass.
Coy also connected with Ward on passes for the two-point conversions to give the Raiders the early lead.
The Pioneers, who had a couple of series stymied early in the contest, took over at midfield after a nice kick return by Drew Myers.
Jamie Dye softened up Ben Logan’s defense with three runs for 22 yards as the initial quarter expired.
Dye needed only two plays into the ensuing period before he crossed the end zone.
Ethan Gordin’s extra point cut the Raiders’ lead to 16-7.
It did not take Ben Logan long to respond.
Starting from their own 38, the Raiders combined Coy’s passing with a couple of nice pickups on the ground.
Coy capped the series with a six-yard toss to Cole Waugh.
The Coy-to-Ward combination worked again on the conversion, pushing the visitors out to a 24-7 margin.
It was the Pioneers’ turn to quickly score on just two plays.
Quarterback Preston Eisnaugle found Dalton Potts for a 47-yard gain down to the Raider 25.
Dye, who finished with 236 yards on the ground, then finished the series with a burst through the JA defense.
Gordin’s PAT pulled the Pioneers to within 24-14.
The combatants spent the rest of the period exchanging the ball on punts. As such, the Raiders took their 10-point spread into the turn.
JA wiped nearly four minutes off the third quarter clock with a 10-play, 60-yard scoring drive.
Dye did most of the heavy lifting as Alder marched down to the one-yard line.
Eisnaugle snuck the ball over the end line for the touchdown.
Gordin’s PAT narrowed the gap to 24-21 with 7:58 left in the stanza.
Once again, the Raiders responded with a touchdown that widened the spread.
Three snaps after taking possession, Coy rifled a 42-yard scoring strike to Ward.
This time, the two-point conversion failed, leaving the Raiders ahead, 30-21.
The battle continued to rage with Jonathan Alder closing to within 30-28 with a little more than two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Dye blasted through BL’s defense en route to a 36-yard touchdown run.
Gordin’s PAT sliced the margin to 30-28.
Dye went down with leg cramps right after his score and that enabled Drew Myers to shine.
Myers stepped into Dye’s place and finished a quick, three-snap series with a 66-yard touchdown run as the third quarter expired.
Myers finished the game with 126 yards on the ground.
“Drew would be the No. 1 ball carrier on a lot of other teams,” said Glass. “He’s a nice No. 2 to have in your back pocket.”
Eisnaugle then passed to Potts with no time on the clock for the two-point conversion that gave JA a 36-30 lead.
The Raiders’ ensuing series early in the fourth quarter slowed when Coy was flagged for intentional grounding. He then was sacked by Brennan Blain back to the BL 10.
Benjamin Logan punted and gave the Pioneers a short field at the visitors’ 43-yard-line.
Myers bounced off tacklers on several runs, getting down to the seven-yard-line.
Two plays later, Eisnaugle flipped an eight-yard scoring pass to Bryan Blacka.
Gordin’s PAT gave the Pioneers a 43-30 lead.
The Raiders refused to surrender and pulled to within a touchdown as they moved 54 yards in seven plays.
Trent Berry finished the drive with a 20-yard run.
The two-point conversion failed, leaving JA up 43-36 with 6:23 left in the contest.
The Raiders recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and took over possession at the JA 35.
They moved down to the 12 before Coy was dropped for a five-yard loss.
A couple of incomplete passes left the visitors facing fourth-and-17.
Ben Logan tried a little razzle-dazzle with Berry firing an option pass on a reverse.
The ball skittered out of the receiver’s hands, returning possession to the Pioneers.
Dye got back into action for JA’s final series, picking up a first down and forcing the Raiders to burn their final two timeouts.
Alder advanced to its own 45-yard-line and the Raiders could no longer stop the timer.
Eisnaugle then went into the victory formation as time expired.
“Both teams had several players going both ways tonight and it was warmer than it has been,” said Glass. “We just won a battle of attrition.”