Braves’ ground game takes control in win over Knights

Shawnee grinds out 333 yards, as McCrory gets 161 yards, 3 TDs in win.

Shawnee High School's Brad Jarzab is tackled by Greenon defenders during Friday night's Central Buckeye Conference game at Shawnee. Jarzab had had 137 rushing yards and 63 passing yards in the Braves' 35-13 victory. Staff Photo by Barbara J. Perenic

Barbara J. Perenic Shawnee High School's Brad Jarzab is tackled by Greenon defenders during Friday night's Central Buckeye Conference game at Shawnee. Jarzab had had 137 rushing yards and 63 passing yards in the Braves' 35-13 victory. Staff Photo by Barbara J. Perenic

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By Brian Plasters, Contributing Writer 12:03 AM Saturday, September 24, 2011

SPRINGFIELD — It’s been a familiar theme for the Shawnee High School football team at its best: Pound the center of the opponent’s defense, then line up and do it again.

Alex McCrory showed why the plan works after he scored three touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 161 yards as the Braves beat Greenon 35-13 on Friday.

Undefeated Shawnee rushed for 333 yards as a team and generated 21 first downs at Dave Long Memorial Stadium.

“Our offensive line did a great job,” McCrory said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that can carry the rock for us.”

That proved to be true in the first quarter when the Braves pushed 70 yards on 10 rushing plays, and Nick Costa scored on a 1-yard run. McCrory expanded the lead to 14-0 in the second quarter with a 3-yard run.

Brad Jarzab scored on an 8-yard run in the third quarter, and McCrory scored twice more in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Jarzab rushed for 137 yards and passed for 63.

Josh Bannick (8 yards) and Sebastian Conner (2 yards) scored for the Knights (1-4), both in the second half. Josh Pilcher passed for 110 yards on 15 completions.

“We had some chances,” Greenon head coach John Jewell said. “We made some plays and made (Shawnee) work for everything they got.”

Even though the outcome is familiar, the Braves entered some unfamiliar territory with a 5-0 record.

The last time the Braves were 5-0 was 1996 (when they finished 10-0). The last two seasons the Braves started 4-1.

A home date with 5-0 Kenton Ridge is next week as both teams open up Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division play.

“We’re proud of it,” Shawnee head coach Rick Meeks said of the five wins. “We just have to keep going. We can’t sit and think about it now. When people start telling you how good you are and then you start believing it, that’s when you lose.”

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