Hornets stay with ground attack to outlast Trojans in 40-34 shootout

COAL GROVE — The only kind of spread the Coal Grove Hornets seem to be interested in is how big of a post-game meal will there be this week.

In an era of spreading the field with five receivers and filling the air with passes, the Hornets are taking a different approach by lining up and telling the defense, “Here we come. Stop us.”

The Hornets’ power running game was the key to a 40-34 Ohio Valley Conference win over the speedy Portsmouth Trojans on Friday.

With Coal Grove (3-2, 2-0) using a double tight end offensive line and full-house backfield, the Portsmouth defense stacked the line of scrimmage.

And why not? The Hornets didn’t attempt a pass, so it was just grit versus grit.

The Hornets offensive line of Ayden Hankins, Wade Delong, Elijah Douglas, Karder Keaton, Justin Lunsford, tight ends Braylon Shope and Easton Mader and blocking back Max Klaiber again controlled the line of scrimmage as the Hornets ran the ball 60 times for 444 yards.

Gauge Craft was again the workhorse as he carried 34 times for 247 yards and scored 4 touchdowns. He had plenty of help as Case Webb ran just 7 times for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns, fullback Liam White had 12 rushes for 64 yards and quarterback Truitt Fields carried 6 times for 27 yards.

Portsmouth (1-4, 1-1) had 298 total yards with 161 passing and 137 rushing. Quarterback Camron Williams was the main weapon as he ran 4 times for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns while completing 13 of 24 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown with an interception.

Portsmouth punted to open the game — the only punt of the night — but Coal Grove fumbled the ball back to the Trojans before the defense held again.

On the Hornets next possession, they 66 yards in 8 plays with Craft running 28 yards for the score. Webb ran for the conversion and it was 8-0.

But Portsmouth answered as Williams scrambled and raced 63 yards for a touchdown. He threw to Fernando Poxes for the conversion to tie the game with 3:46 left in the first quarter.

Coal Grove came back with a 68-yard, 9-play march that saw Craft break into the clear for a 37-yard score. White added the conversion run for a 16-8 lead.

After a good kickoff return to the Hornets’ 49, the Trojans scored 9 plays later as Poxes ran 3 yards into the end zone. Williams added the conversion run and it was 16-all with 7:21 left in the half.

Coal Grove got the ball on its own 20-yard line and covered the 80 yards in 12 plays with Craft running the final 6 yards with just 20 seconds left in the half.

The conversion pass failed and the lead remained 22-16.

But Portsmouth got a 70-yard kickoff return by J.J. Henderson for a touchdown to tie the game just 13 seconds later. The conversion kick failed and the game was tied at the break.

The Hornets took the second half kickoff and went 58 yards in 10 plays with Webb going 12 yards for the score. The conversion run failed and it was 28-22 at the 6:16 mark.

Portsmouth used a 51-yard catch and run by Mekhi Berry to trigger a quick 5-play, 61-yard drive with Williams running 3 yards for the tying score. Webb blocked the conversion kick and it was 28-all with 4:10 on the clock.

Coal Grove began a 64-yard drive in the third quarter that spilled over into the fourth stanza and lasted 12 plays, the final play a one-yard run by Craft with 10:32 left that made it 34-28.

The Trojans got to the Coal Grove 23-yard line but a fourth down pass was incomplete and the Hornets began what proved to be the clinching drive.

Sparked by runs of 40 and 24 yards by Webb, Coal Grove got to the 4-yard line where Webb finished off the drive with 3:39 to go and it was 40-28.

The Trojans’ Jemarkus Parker returned the kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown, but a penalty on the play forced them to start a drive at their own 20.

Aided by a pass interference penalty, Portsmouth went the distance in 11 plays and ended on a 21-yard scoring strike from Williams to Jay Lofton in the end zone and it was 40-34.

But the drive ate up most of the clock and only 32 seconds remained. Portsmouth used an onside kick-off, but the Hornets grabbed the ball and only needed to run one play to end the game.

This Friday, Coal Grove hosts Gallia Academy and Portsmouth visits Chesapeake in a pair of OVC games.

Portsmouth 8   14   6    6   =   34

Coal Grove 8   14   6   12   =   40

First Quarter

CG — Gauge Craft 28 run (Case Webb run), 5:13

Prt — Camron Williams 63 run (Fernando Poxes pass from Camron Williams), 3:46

Second Quarter

CG — Gauge Craft 37 run (Liam White run), 9:57

Prt — Fernando Poxes 3 run (Camron Williams run), 7:21

CG — Gauge Craft 6 run (pass failed), 0:20

Prt — J.J. Henderson 70 kickoff return (kick failed), 0:07

Third Quarter

CG — Case Webb 12 run (run failed), 6:16

Prt — Camron Williams 3 run (kick blocked), 4:10

Fourth Quarter

CG — Gauge Craft 1 run (run failed) 10:32

CG — Case Webb 4 run (run failed), 3:39

Prt — Jay Lofton 21 pass from Camron Williams (run failed) 0:32

———————

         Prt CG

First downs  15  25

Rushes-yards         16-137 60-444

Passing yards        161 0

Total yards  298 444

Cmp-Att-Int 13-24-1 0-0-0

Fumbles-lost         0-0 3-1

Penalties-yards      11-102 6-50

Punts-average       1-46.0 0-00.0

———————

Individual Leaders

RUSHING — Portsmouth: Camron Williams 4-80 2-TD, Fernando Poxes 5-30, Jemarkus Parker 4-5, De’Monie Wood 3-22; Coal Grove: Gauge Craft 34-247 4-TD, Case Webb 7-106 2-TD, Liam White 12-64, Truitt Fields 6-27.

PASSING — Portsmouth: Camron Williams 13-24-1 161 TD; Coal Grove: None.

RECEIVING — Portsmouth: Trey Pendleton 4-43, Jay Lofton 2-25 TD, Fernando Poxes 1-16, Nick Poxes 1-3, Mekhi Berry 1-51, J.J. Henderson 3-27, De’Monie Wood 1-minus 4; Coal Grove: None.