Photo by Kim North Barnesville’s Salvador Almaraz (5) carries the ball while River’s Brayden Strawn (56) tries to fight off a block.

HANNIBAL — A slight adjustment at halftime broke open a defensive battle as visiting Barnesville remained unbeaten as the high school football season reached the midway point.

Friday night the Shamrocks (5-0) scored two quick touchdowns that snapped a 7-all deadlock early in the third quarter and went on for a 35-21 victory over River in a ‘meetin’ of the unbeaten’ on the artificial surface at jam-packed Martin Flannery Field.

The two small school heavyweights went toe-to-toe in the first half that saw each gain 156 total yards, but neither gain an advantage on the scoreboard.

“They were starting to load the box up against our running game. We drew some plays up at halftime and the kids executed,” Barnesville head coach Blake Allen said. “The coaches and the kids did a great job at halftime.”

After Barnesville’s Taison Starr returned the second half kickoff to the near midfield, the Shamrocks struck quickly. Senior quarterback C.J. Hannahs found Starr down the left hash on the second play and the speedster took it to the house for a 50-yard scoring play. Evan Lough kicked the second of his five PATS for a 14-7 lead.

Not wanting to give River’s Brody Lollathin a chance at returning the ensuing kickoff, Lough’s squib kick bounced off a Pilots player and was recovered by Barnesville’s Luke Detling at the River 48.

“No. 8 is a great returner and he broke one earlier, so we didn’t want him to touch the ball,” Allen explained. “We just happened to get a lucky break and the ball hit a River player and we were alert.”

On second-and-7, Detling lined up along the Barnesville sideline uncovered and Hannahs quickly found him for a 43-yard gain to the Pilots’ 2. On third-and-goal, Hannahs found his way into the end zone from a yard out, and Lough made it 21-7 with less than three minutes elapsed from the third-quarter clock.

“I couldn’t be any prouder of my kids. It was a defensive slugfest in the first half. Two good teams going at it, but they (River) had all the momentum going into the locker room at halftime,” Allen recalled. “The way our kids came out and responded. I couldn’t be happier for them.”

Flannery agreed.

“That is one of the most physical games I’ve ever coached in,” Flannery noted. “Barnesville has hard-nosed kids. River has hard-nosed kids. We traded punches with them in the first half, but early in the third quarter set the tone.

“That’s a really good Barnesville team,” Flannery assessed. “They are better than they were last year. They out-punched us tonight. They out-coached us tonight. Give credit to them. They did everything they needed to beat us. They called the right plays at the right times.”

River came right back when Finn Bowers powered his way in for six points from six yards out. Max Castro’s placement made it 21-14.

However, the Shamrocks answered with a 4-play scoring drive that covered 58 yards and was capped by a 43-yard strike from Hannahs to Detling on a crossing pattern over the middle.

Duker Castello picked off a Kabel Isaly pass on River’s next possession, but Barnesville was forced to punt.

That’s when the Barnesville defense came up big again. On fourth-and-1 from their own 25 with a little more than two minutes left in the third quarter, Flannery rolled the dice by big Quentin Leasure, the Shamrocks’ 6-foot, 305-pound defensive tackle, met 230-pound Kaden Johnson at the line and didn’t budge.

Hannahs rifled a laser to Detling from 10 yards on a slant left on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Lough’s kick upped the margin to 35-14.

River added a late touchdown when Ty Long went in from two yards out.

The Shamrocks struck first when Starr raced off the left side from 8 yards out in the opening quarter. The Pilots drew even when Lollathin laid out in the end zone to snag a 25-yard pass from Isaly late in the second quarter.

Hannahs, who ran for 79 yards and a TD on 22 carries, completed 12 of 17 passes for 240 yards and a trio of TDs, including a 3-for-3 effort to start the third quarter for 136 and two scores. Detling caught five for 140 and two TDs, while Castello landed four for 41. Starr, who rushed for 43 stripes on 14 totes, had two catches for 58 yards.

Isaly was 19-for-30 for 238 yards, a TD and two picks. His first INT thwarted a possible Pilots scoring drive on the first possession as Detling stepped in front of a receiver at the Shamrocks’ 5. Lollathin hauled in nine passes for 161 yards. Long grabbed five.

“To hold a team like River to 21 points and only 7 in the first half, man our defense played well,” Allen praised. “That feels like a shutout because they have a lot of talent and a lot of skill. That’s a heck of a team.”

Barnesville 35, River 21

Barnesville 7 0 21 7 – 35

River 0 7 7 7 – 21

B-Starr 8 run (Lough kick)

R-Lollathin 25 pass from Isaly (Castro kick)

B-Starr 50 pass from Hannahs (Lough kick)

B- Hannahs 1 run (Lough kick)

R-Bowers 6 run (Castro kick)

B-Detling 43 pass from Hannahs (Lough kick)

B-Detling 10 pass from Hannahs (Lough kick)

R-Long 2 run (Castro kick)

RUSHING: Barnesville 39-136-2tds (Hannahs 22-79-td, Starr 14-43-td, Cam. Carpenter 1-11, Alamraz 2-3). River 33-142-2tds (Johnson 5-37, Bowers 9-35-td, Isaly 10-33, Lollathin 2-22, Mozena 2-15, Long 4-7-td, team 1-(-7)

PASSING: Barnesville 12-17-240-3tds (all by Hannahs). River 19-30-238-td (all by Isaly)

RECEIVING: Barnesville 12-240-3tds (Detling 5-140-2tds, Castello 4-41, Starr 2-58-td, Almaraz 1-1). River 19-238-td (Lollathin 9-161-td, Long 5-36, Mozena 3-33, Bowers 1-4, Thompson 1-4)

FIRST DOWNS: Barnesville 14. River 14

PENALTIES: Barnesville 4-43. River 8-55

FUMBLES: Barnesville 2-0. River 4-1