Malvern defense dominates in 34-0 playoff shutout of Ashtabula St. John

Hornets advance to second round behind Julius Gore’s 231 rushing yards and a stifling defensive effort.

Malvern WR/RB Roy Simmons fights for yardage while eluding an Ashtabula St. John defender in a Div. VII first-round playoff game Oct. 31.

Mark Tucker

Ray Sarvis Ray Sarvis Ray Sarvis CFPS correspondent

Published November 5, 2025 - 11:57 a.m.

Despite closing the regular season with a tough defensive loss to East Canton, the Malvern Hornets still secured a top-eight seed in Division VII, Region 25, ensuring a home game to start the OHSAA playoffs. The No. 5 seed Hornets made the most of that opportunity, blanking Ashtabula St. John 34-0 on Oct. 31.

Malvern’s defense turned in a dominant performance, allowing only two first downs and just 60 total yards. St. John was penalized for more yards (70) than it gained on offense. “We were really happy with our play Friday night,” said head coach Matt Chiurco. “I thought we came out ready to go and really took it right at them.”

Roy Simmons opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 9-yard rushing touchdown, then added a 32-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Jaxon Jones in the second quarter. Malvern pulled away with three touchdowns in the second, building a 28-0 lead by halftime.

Senior running back Julius Gore powered the offense with 231 rushing yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns, averaging nearly 10 yards per carry. “Julius ran really hard and we wanted to get the ball in Roy’s hands more and he delivered as well,” Chiurco said. “I thought our offensive line did a really good job as well.”

Jones finished the night completing 11 of 17 passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. His other touchdown pass went to Josh Untch on a 12-yard strike in the second quarter. Simmons added 50 rushing yards on six carries and caught four passes for 49 yards. Aiden Sprague led the team in receptions with five for 39 yards.

Defensively, Brodie Powers led the Hornets with five tackles, while Owen Ball and Luke Thomas each added four.

The win improves Malvern’s record to 7-4 and advances the team to the second round of the playoffs, where they’ll travel to face fourth-seeded Monroeville (9-1) on Nov. 7.

“We’re going to have to play our best game of the year Friday against a really good Monroeville team,” Chiurco said.

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