“When we got to halftime, we had to come out and score,” Meeks said. “If we go up two scores, then they’re going to have some issues. If we go up three, then it’s very hard for them at that point. We were able to put it together.”
Senior TJ Meeks rushed for two TDs and Boehmer added another touchdown on the ground for Shawnee, which improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2020. Shawnee senior Trint Cordle threw a TD pass to junior Hayden Coppess and sophomore Julian Dixon also rushed for a score.
Tecumseh senior Connor Bledsoe and freshman Aidan Mossbarger each ran for 1-yard TDs for the Arrows (2-1).
“(Shawnee’s) got a lot of returning players back and we’ve got not very many,” said Arrows coach Chris Cory. “You could tell tonight the difference in how many games they’ve played. They were bigger, stronger and faster than us tonight. We were able to match them a little bit in the first half, but they kind of wore us down and we just weren’t able to pick it back up in the second half.”
Boehmer returned a punt 55 yards for a TD in the first quarter, but it was called back due to a penalty. A few plays later, Boehmer scored on a 2-yard run to give the Braves a 7-0 lead.
The Arrows countered with a long drive that resulted in a 1-yard TD run by Bledsoe to tie the score.
Late in the second quarter, Cordle hit Coppess on a 25-yard TD pass to give Shawnee a 14-7 halftime lead.
“We’ve had trouble getting out of the gate fast,” Meeks said. “We knew how these guys play. (Tecumseh) plays that old school, keep the ball away, two-and-a-half yards and a cloud of dust, go for it on fourth down and keep you from getting the ball sort of thing. We were playing right into their hands.”
Meeks credited his offensive line for opening up holes for both their running backs.
“We were bigger and stronger than they were up front,” Meeks said. “(Coach Cory) and his staff does a great job getting their kids ready, it’s just that physically for the most part in a lot of areas we were better. Our guys did what they were supposed to do. We had a lot of holes.”
Meeks scored on runs of 15 yards and 51 yards to give the Braves a 35-7 lead. A 1-yard TD run by Dixon with about eight minutes remaining triggered the running clock for Shawnee.
Tecumseh’s Mossbarger scored on a 1-yard run for the Arrows with 55 seconds remaining to make it 42-14.
It was the first time Shawnee had played Tecumseh in a non-conference game since the late 1990s. The two schools were members of the Central Buckeye Conference and later the CBC Kenton Trail Division for more than three decades. The Braves moved to the CBC Mad River Division this fall.
The Arrows (2-1) travel to Indian Lake (2-1) next week. The Lakers beat Allen East 28-27 in Week 3.
The Braves (3-0) host London (3-0), another former CBC Kenton Trail Division rival, next week. The Red Raiders beat Western Brown 49-14 in Week 3. They’ve outscored their opponents 132-28.
“It’s going to take a great effort,” Meeks said. “We’re going to have to play our best game.”
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