Chillicothe takes 21-0 lead into halftime on Portsmouth West.
Portsmouth West Zach Frye returned the opening kick of the second half to the Chillicothe 33 and seven plays later, an 11 yard pass by Steven Irwin ricocheted off a receiver and found Austin Bricker at the goal line for a touchdown.
It was the only shining moment for the Senators’ at Herrnstein Field Friday night as the Cavs earned their first win of the season 24-7.
Otherwise, Chillicothe held West in check most of the night allowing just 173 total yards, while racking up nearly 300 yards of their own.
The Cavs got on the board first when Ryan Mathis hit Luke Barnes on a 12 yard swing pass in the first quarter, giving Chillicothe its first lead of the young season.
It was the first of two td passes for Mathis.
Just four minutes later, Mathis hit Tim Beard for a 42 yard strike as Beard found his way behind the Senators’ defensive secondary. The reception put the Cavs ahead 14-0 with 1:06 left in the first quarter.
In the second, Mathis weaved his way through traffic on a 67-yard run up the gut of the West defense to give the Cavs a 21-0 lead at intermission.
After the half, the Senators found a seam to the outside on the kick to set up their only score of the night.
The two teams exchanged punts and in the 4th Quarter, Mathis found tight end Isaiah Johnson on a 49 yard pass to put Chillicothe in field goal range for Jacob Weber who connected from 25 yards out to complete an 80 yard drive.
Mathis ran 8 times for 93 yards while Tim Beard was the workhorse for the Cavs with 65 yards on 16 lugs. Mathis was fairly effective with his arm, completing 6-of-12 passes for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Chillicothe (1-2) will host Dayton’s Thurgood Marshall for Week 4 at Herrnstein Field.
NOTES: The game was delayed 41 minutes for lightning strikes in the Chillicothe area Friday night… Steve Bayless lit up a Portsmouth West return man for the Monroe’s Collision Big Collision of the game. Bayless will receive a Monroe’s T-Shirt at the Cavs Football Awards banquet… The Cavs had two interceptions vs West, Michael Beard and Tim Beard, which helped seal the victory… The Cavalier Marching Band will participate in Ohio University’s OU Band Day. Each year the Marching 110 invites area high school bands the Athens campus for a session with the college band and a chance to perform at halftime of the Bobcats game against New Mexico State... Finally, happy 53rd birthday to web photographer Dana Cousins who takes the fantastic photos you see on wbex.com.
