Pirates cruise past Falcons, clinch share of SOC title

MINFORD — A dominant first quarter performance allowed the Wheelersburg Pirates to cruise their way to a 56-6 win over the Minford Falcons in a Southern Ohio Conference game on Friday night.

The win keeps the Pirates a perfect 9-0 overall and 4-0 in the league. The win also clinches them at least a share of the SOC-2 title. The Falcons fall to 2-7 and 1-4 on the year.

The Pirates rattled off five touchdowns in the first quarter to blow the game wide open.

Senior running back Elijah Brown continued his current trend of finding the end zone, scoring the game's first two scores. He went untouched into the end zone on his first scoring run from 11-yards out and then plowed in behind his left side of his offensive line with a 2-yard run.

Brown finished the night with 6 carries for 54 yards. Teammate Braylon Rucker led the Pirates with 90 yards on 5 carries. Rucker also threw for 97 yards and a touchdown pass.

An interception at midfield by Brew Hanzel set up the Pirates next score.

Two plays following the turnover, Rucker kept the ball on a designed quarterback run and knifed his way through the heart of the Falcon defense for a 31-yard run.

The defense again came up with another turnover to set up another score.

An mishandled snap on second down shot behind Minford quarterback Curt Glenn and a pile of Pirates dove after the ball. Senior defensive lineman Kaleb Shepherd came up with the ball at the Falcon 2.

On the ensuing play, Stephen Hall nosed his way in for the score. The Pirates pulled off a two-point conversion, as Brady Doss tossed a pass to Luke McGraw to expand the lead to 29-0.

Brown scored his final touchdown on a 25-yard run to close out the first quarter. On the play, Brown took the handoff on the sweep to the right, broke through a tackle and outran would-be tacklers into the end zone.

The scoring didn't stop in the second as the Pirates continued to pour it on.

Hunter Bivens took a pop pass on a jet sweep, broke to the outside and turned up the field for a 36-yard dash to push the lead out to 43-0 just 61 seconds into the second frame.

Rucker tacked on his final touchdown of the night on a fourth down play. Rucker kept the ball and went towards the right side of his line, ran through a tackler and left the pack for 47 yards and the score.

The final score of the half came off the foot of Cooper Heimbach, as the senior kick nailed a chip shot 22-yard field goal to put the Pirates ahead 53-0 at the break.

Heimbach later boomed a 47-yard field goal in the third to finish out the scoring for Wheelersburg.

In the fourth, the Falcons would piece together a drive that resulted in the score following a turnover.

Glenn would roll to his left on third down and loft a pass to the back of the end zone to Carter Frazie, and Frazie went up and made the grab for the catch and finalized the score.

The Pirates close out the regular season at home next Friday against Portsmouth West. The Falcons host the Valley Indians.

Wheelersburg 36 17 3 0 = 56

Minford 0 0 0 6 = 6

First Quarter

Wh —Elijah Brown 11 run (Cooper Heimbach kick), 8:52.

Wh —Elijah Brown 2 run (Cooper Heimbach kick), 6:18.

Wh —Braylon Rucker 31 run (Cooper Heimbach kick), 3:50.

Wh —Stephen Hall 3 run (Brady Doss pass to Landon McGraw), 2:52.

Wh —Elijah Brown 25 run (Cooper Heimbach kick), 0:16.

Second Quarter

Wh —Hunter Bivens 36 pass from Braylon Rucker (Cooper Heimbach kick), 10:59.

Wh —Braylon Rucker 47 run (Cooper Heimbach kick), 7:21.

Wh —Cooper Heimbach 22 field goal, 2:42.

Third Quarter

Wh —Cooper Heimbach 41 field goal, 1:45.

Fourth Quarter

Min — Carter Frazie 19 pass from Curt Glenn (kick no good), 1:30.

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Wh Min

First downs 14 2

Rushes-yards 28-227 24-11

Passing yards 97 24

Total yards 324 35

Cmp-Att-Int 5-7-0 3-11-1

Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-2

Penalties-yards 2-15 0-0

Punts-average 2-31.5 7-27.3

Time of Poss. 17:42 23:08

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Individual Leaders

RUSHING — Wheelersburg: Braylon Rucker 5-90 2-TD, Hunter Bivens 1-36 TD, Jonah Collier 1-8, Jack Doerr 1-2, Stephen Hall 11-47 TD, Canaan Arthur 1-minus 1, Elijah Brown 6-54 3-TD, Damian Brannigan 2-1; Minford: Mason Bradley 6-minus 2, Bryce McLaughlin 3-12, Curt Glenn 10-minus 11, Ty Borland 2-0, Austin Cole 3-12.

PASSING — Wheelersburg: Braylon Rucker 5-5 97 TD, Jack Doerr 1-2-0 20; Minford: Curt Glenn 3-11-1 24 TD.

RECEIVING — Wheelersburg: Brady Doss 1-15, Kenyon Evans 2-29, Bryson Montavon 1-9, Xavier Miller 1-17; Minford: Carter Frazie 3-24 TD.

MISSED FIELD GOALS — None.