»RELATED: Week 6 Scoreboard
»RELATED: Springfield hammers Xenia
“That was the game plan – big plays,” Smith said. “They’re aggressive, so we had to get the deep passes going.”
And when the Braves did they put the game out of reach with a four-touchdown surge in a span of seven offensive plays on their way to a 34-7 Central Buckeye Conference crossover victory on homecoming night.
Smith scored the first touchdown on a 38-yard play with 3:35 left in the first quarter. On the first play after an Urbana punt, Glass threw 56 yards to Jarzab for a 14-0 lead with 1:20 left in the quarter. Then Glass ran 69 yards for a score on a three-play drive and Jack McCrory went five yards on a two-play drive and the Braves led 27-0 with 8:01 left in the half.
“It feels good that our kids came out and got on them fast,” Shawnee coach Rick Meeks said. “That’s what we wanted to do.”
Shawnee (3-3) didn’t take advantage of some similar situations in last week’s 7-6 loss at Northwestern. The Braves have been up and down on offense while breaking in Glass at quarterback. It’s the sophomore’s first full season at the position.
“Robie has been inconsistent at times either missing receivers or not seeing them,” Meeks said. “Tonight he pretty much saw what he should see.”
Glass completed 6 of 11 passes for 197 yards and added a 79-yard touchdown to Smith in the third quarter. He rushed for 81 yards on 14 carries. The Braves outgained the Hillclimbers 409-174.
The Braves start Kenton Trail Division play next week against Kenton Ridge (4-2). Does Meeks think his team is where he wanted them to be at this stage?
“No,” he said. “If we had taken care of business last week, I would’ve said yeah. But I’m still a little unsure because we’ve been up and down.”
Urbana (1-5) is trying to rebuild its program under new coach Carleton Cotner. The Hillclimbers started well with a drive to the Shawnee 4-yard line. Then a snap over quarterback Preston Shields’ head, two penalties and an incompletion moved the Climbers back to the 39. Then Shawnee’s Pete Mueller blocked a punt to set up the Braves’ first score.
“We do things to beat ourselves,” Cotner said. “And until we grow up and we stop doing that, we’re going to have long nights like this.”
The Climbers showed flashes at times behind junior quarterback Preston Shields, who completed 5 of 11 passes, and running back Nic Dorsey, who rushed for 110 yards.
“This program didn’t get to where it was overnight, and we’re not going to get it changed overnight,” Cotner said. “It’s going to take some time. I have belief in these kids and their heart and their effort. We’ve just got to get better at those little things.”
About the Author