The Tigers of McClain hosted the Adena Warriors on Friday at McClain Field as the boys of fall opened their 2019 football season. Despite the early threat of rain and a short delay for lightning, the skies cleared and playing conditions were ideal for the Tiger faithful who filled the home stands and the good showing of Adena fans filling the east bleachers.
Greenfield entered the game hoping to rebound from the dismal 2-8 record last year, only winning one Frontier Athletic Conference game. After what the coaches described as a “good weight room” offseason, the expectations going into the game were positive.
Second-year coach Jake Orr-Zody looked anxious as the Tigers took the field. Due to the weather and the amended pregame activities, the Tigers did not run onto the field through the banner as usual. A short warmup time was allowed for both teams and the kickoff finally came at 7:12 p.m.
The Tigers won the coin toss and elected to receive.
In their opening series, the Tigers ran the ball three times totaling less than 10 yards and punted the ball away.
Adena’s QB Preston Sykes promptly took the first snap from center and ran to the left side of the field for 68 yards and a Warrior score. With the extra point, Adena led 7-0 at the 9:44 mark in the first quarter.
The Tigers second possession was no better than their first, punting the ball away after failing to make a first down. Adena came right back out and on their second snap from center for the game, Sykes threw the ball to Bennett for a 70-yard score. At 6:23 left in the first quarter, the Tigers had spotted the Warriors 14 points.
Two more scores and a missed extra point in the second quarter put Adena up 27-0 at halftime.
The third quarter saw the Tigers come to life with a spark by Garrison Banks on a kickoff after another Adena score.
Adena’s Dakota Cottrill ran the ball in from 2 yards out to put the Warriors up 34-0.
On the ensuing kickoff, Banks ran the ball back 89 yards for the first Tiger score of the game. A successful two-point conversion made the score 34-8 with 8:23 remaining in the third.
At the 3:50 mark in the third, Adena ran a 5-yard touchdown to stretch its lead to 41-8. Greenfield answered back on a long QB keeper by QB Braden Wright for 73 ysards making the score at the end of the third 41-14.
That would end the scoring for the night as the ground game took over in the fourth quarter. Fatigue was evident as Tiger players were attended to several times with cramps and fatigue.
The Tigers start the season at 0-1 and will face off against McDermott Northwest next Saturday at Lucasville Valley High School.
Mark Branham is a stringer for The Times-Gazette.
