Raiders romp over Pirates

The Raiders overcame a disappointing 55-6 loss to Providence with a convincing 54-6 win over Berea Friday night.

The Raiders had little difficulty handling the depleted Pirates, who only had 16 players dressed for the game due to injuries and suspensions.

Taking advantage of 4 Berea turnovers in the first half, the Raiders stormed ahead to an insurmountable 40-0 lead by the break, and scored on all seven of their possessions in the game. The Pirates had six turnovers in all, finishing the game with only one possession without losing the ball.

The game was quick, as once the Raiders had a 38-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, the competition clock was started via coach’s agreement.

McCreary opened scoring on their first drive, set up by a 40-yard run from Brandon Troxell on the first play. Hunter Jones took the ball in from the 1-yard line for an 8-0 lead, and that set the tone for the rest of the game.

Troxell finished the game with 156 yards rushing on 9 carries and one touchdown. Ryan Jones, Ryan Anderson and Hunter Jones also scored a rushing TD each in the contest.

Quarterback Hunter Jones threw only five pass attempts all night, but completed four of them for a total of 77 yards and three touchdowns. Devon Hamilton caught two of them for a total of 56 yard, and Ryan Jones caught one for 19 yards.

It was the second win in a row for McCreary over Berea.

The Raiders hope to keep momentum alive this Friday night when they travel to take on the Sheldon Clark Cardinals, a rematch from last year.

Last year’s contest was marred by 5 McCreary turnovers and 11 combined personal foul penalties called against the two squads.

This year should be better as the Raiders have matured and improved their ball-handling skills and could be a more competitive contest.

The Cardinals are 1-3 this season, their only win a 40-12 victory over Betsy Layne, and are averaging only 15 points per game while allowing opponents more than 35. The Raiders enter the match-up with a 3-2 record and have averaged over 43 points per game while allowing only an average of just over 29.