Pacers fight back to knock off Mount Vernon

Leading 34-14 midway through the third quarter, things were looking good for the Mount Vernon football team.

But that’s when Caleb Rowe took over the Delaware Hayes, leading the Pacers to four straight scores and pulling off a 41-34 upset of the Yellow Jackets (1-2).

Rowe completed three touchdown passes, one for 48 yards, then ran the game-winner in from 32 yards out to lift the Pacers to the thrilling, come-from-behind victory.

Rowe finished the night completing 10 of 18 passes for 236 yards and four scores. He also rushed for 92 yards and two TDs.

The defeat wiped out a tremendous performance from Mount Vernon quarterback Mason Richards.

The senior rushed for 222 yards and five scores, adding another 55 yards through the air on 7 of 18 passing. Richards scored on runs of 21, 79, 28, 12 and 25 yards.

Jake Hubbard added 64 yards rushing on just 12 carries, while Landon Dawson had 23 yards rushing and caught two passes for 29 yards.

Defensively, Dawson led the way for MV, recording eight tackles and a sack. Luke Mullins added six tackles and a fumble recovery, while Liam Richards had three tackles.

Danville rallies for victory over Lucas

Trailing midway through the third quarter Friday, it was gut-check time for the Danville football team.

The Blue Devils had just suffered a 27-8 loss the week before to Utica, and now trailed Lucas 14-8 with five minutes left in the third quarter. But a couple of long plays sparked the Devils (2-1) and they went on to score the final 18 points and defeat Lucas, 26-14.

Cyren Wallace got the Devils going with a long run and then quarterback Nolan Ridgway hit Carson Proper that set Danville up deep in Cub territory. Briggs Wallace finished off the big drive with a 5-yard run to even the score.

After forcing a Lucas punt, Cyren Wallace took over for the Devils, running 57 yards for the go-ahead touchdown and the Devils never looked back.

Christopher Mosher added a TD run for the final score.

Wallace led the Devils with 203 yards rushing on 15 carries and two TDs. Ridgway connected on 10 of 17 passes for 43 yards, and rushed for another 14. Briggs Wallace carried the ball just two times but rushed for 21 yards and a score. He also caught two passes for nine yards, while Wesley Payne caught two for 13.

Defensively, Danville held Lucas to just 156 yards of offense on the night. Sylas Mizer led the defense with 14 tackles and combined with Owen Gronberg on a sack. Gronberg also had 11 tackles, while Landon King had 13 and Mosher 17 for Danville.

East Knox falls to Colonel Crawford

An early lead disappeared quickly for East Knox, which fell to Colonel Crawford 42-18.

The Bulldogs (0-3) got on the board first but watched as the Eagles scored 14 in the second quarter and 21 in the third to pick up the victory.

Jax Lester completed 20 of 27 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs. Rush Beatty caught six of those passes for 40 yards and a TD, while Cason Faucett caught five for 46 and a score. Logan Clark had four receptions for 76 yards and Dakota Cooper had three for 21 yards and a TD.

Beatty led the EK defense with 18 tackles. Caden Ridenour added eight, while Lester and Ray Arnold each had six.

Fredericktown knocks off Redskins

Blake Sipes accounted for three touchdowns to lead the Fredericktown Freddies to a 27-20 victory over host Utica on Friday.

Sipes ran for 110 yards and a score, as well as connected on 5 of 9 passes for 136 yards and another two touchdowns. Brode Davis caught three of those passes for 75 yards and the two TDs.

The Freddies (3-0) rushed for 253 yards as a team.

Utica was led by quarterback Aaron Hays, who completed 13 of 24 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Hunter McKinney caught eight of those passes for 150 yards and both scores.

Centerburg runs its way past Worthington Christian

Leading by just four points at halftime, the Centerburg Trojans took control in the second and rolled to a 53-14 victory over Worthington Christian.

The Trojans led 18-14 at halftime, thanks to three touchdowns from Miles Marshall. Marshall had TD runs of 4 and 2 yards, and caught a 47-yard pass from Blane Ball for the other score in the first half.

In the second half, it was Ball’s turn. The senior quarterback connected with Marshall on another 47-yard strike to begin the half, then hit Jackson Ballinger for 37 yards and another score. Ball also had 49 and 15-yard touchdown runs. Carter Waggoner capped off the scoring for the Trojans with a 15-yard run.

Ball finished with 127 yards rushing and completed 7 of 11 passes for 177 yards. Marshall ended with 76 yards rushing and caught two passes for 94 yards. Ballinger caught two passes for 70 yards and the score.