Gore leads Malvern football comeback; Maher sets personal best in cross country

Football

Tusky Valley had Alijah Levengood, who was, true to his name, good. But Malvern had Julius Gore, and on this night, he was better.

Gore rushed for two second half scores and a pivotal two-point conversion to power the Hornets’ comeback and defeat the visiting Trojans 14-13 in nonconference action Sept. 19.

Levengood rushed for a one-yard score in the first period to stake Tusky Valley to an early 7-0 lead. The freshman signal caller then added another keeper for his second TD in the second period; however, the extra point attempt was no good, so the Trojans lead was 13-0 at the half.

The moribund Hornet offense began clicking in the second half as Gore, who rushed for 182 yards on 24 carries, began ripping off big runs. In the third quarter, Gore ran it in from 14 yards out to put Malvern on the board. He then scored on the two-point conversion to pull the Hornets to within five points at 13-8.

In the fourth quarter, Gore broke free and raced to the end zone on a 38-yard run. The two-point PAT was no good, but the stout Malvern defense, which held its opponent to 178 total yards of offense, prevented any comeback by the Trojans.

The Hornets (3-2), meanwhile, managed nearly 270 yards of offense, 213 of them coming on the ground. Quarterback Jaxon Jones was 7-of-16 for 55 yards for Malvern. Roy Simmons caught four passes for 27 yards, and Josh Untch gained 28 yards on three receptions.

Levengood finished with 34 yards on nine carries and threw for 57 yards with two interceptions. Hunter Witts led Tusky Valley (1-4) with 48 yards on 13 carries.

Boys Golf

Malvern had a great week on the links as the Hornets begin to turn their attention to the OHSAA tourney. First, the squad took part in a tri-match Sept. 15 at Great Trail. Facing off against Minerva (178) and St. Thomas Aquinas (216), Malvern was top dog with a nine-hole total of 172. 

Ayden Pelle led the way with a 41, while brother Tyler carded a 43. Cam Good and Cooper Kiehl then posted identical scores of 44 to send the Hornets to victory.

The tri-match was just a warmup for the main event: the Inter-Valley Conference Boys Postseason Tournament held at River Greens Golf Course Sept. 18. The Hornets, who placed fifth in the conference’s preseason tournament in early August, shot up the leaderboard, shooting a 306 and finishing second to Indian Valley.

Kiehl shot a 68, four-under par to finish third individually. Good and Ayden Pelle each posted 77s, and Tyler Pelle’s 84 capped the scoring for Malvern.

Girls Golf

Since Malvern does not have a girls golf team, there is no coverage of girls’ golf, that is, until the postseason. Senior Kami Rayborn, who competes with the boys’ team during the regular season, represented the Hornets at the Inter-Valley Conference Girls Postseason Tournament, hosted by Carroll Meadows Golf Course Sept. 16.

Malvern coach Lance Gram sang Rayborn’s praises following a performance in which she finished fifth individually.

“Rayborn proved once again that she is among the top golfers in the IVC,” he said. “Kami shot an impressive 82 under tough course conditions.”

Cross Country

The Hornets were in action over the weekend at the Sandy Valley Invitational, hosted by the Cardinals Sept. 20. Competing in the small school division, the Maher sisters had an excellent race, leading Malvern to a fourth-place showing with 121 points.

Emma Maher not only finished eighth overall and earned a medal, her time of 21:17.30 was a lifetime personal best. Younger sister Olivia was close behind, placing 11th in 21:41.00, and also medaled. Mya Doughty (22.36.50) was the Hornets’ third medalist of the day, finishing 18th. Lexus Buchman and Annabell Renz both set lifetime PRs in placing 46th and 69th, respectively.

The Malvern boys team tied East Canton with 142 points for sixth place out of eight teams, but was relegated to seventh due the sixth runner for the tiebreaker. Leading Malvern was Dalton Pennington, who placed 18th overall in 18:00.20. The time was a season best for Pennington and also earned him a medal.

Jacob McClelland (19:10.20) and Dekon Pennington (19:11.30) placed 23rd and 24th, respectively, as both were awarded medals. Cooper Dorr finished 40th and Parker Babiczuk recorded a lifetime PR in placing 78th.