Shamrocks Show Killer Instinct In Decisive Win Against Seminoles
Kim North Trending
WOODSFIELD - Barnesville's ability to finish its offensive possessions and Monroe Central's inability to do the same was the difference Friday night in a battle of small school unbeatens.
The Shamrocks (8-0) scored on six of their eight series of plays in handing the Seminoles (7-1) their first setback, 44-14, at jam-packed Memorial Park.
Monroe Central put up 339 yards of total offense and moved the first-down sticks 18 times, but had zero points at halftime despite 15 more offensive snaps and two trips inside the Barnesville red zone. An interception in the end zone stifled another Seminoles' drive to start the third quarter.
"We moved the ball but we couldn't punch it in," Monroe Central head coach Jonathan Calder said. "We knew all week they were going to get their yards because they are a strong, physical team, but the ball didn't bounce our way a couple of times and they capitalized off of that.
"I thought it was a well-fought game on both sides. We just didn't come out on top."
Tailback Trey Toliver did the most damage for the Shamrocks. The sophomore ran for a career-best 265 yards and scored two touchdowns. He now has 993 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. His scoring runs came from 24 and 48.
He had 10 runs that went for 11 yards or more.
"He's something. He's hard to bring down and, unfortunately, he's only a sophomore," Calder said. "We'll have to face him a couple more years."
"He's something special," Barnesville head coach Blake Allen said of Toliver. "He shined tonight but he'll be the first one to give credit to the offensive line and the other backs for their blocking. It was a total team effort."
The Shamrocks ran for 322 yards as Koby Jones had 60 on seven totes and a 9-yard TD scamper. Quarterback Casey Carpenter only misfired on two of his 12 attempts that covered 153 yards as the visitors amassed 475 yards in offense. The southpaw threw three TD passes to three different receivers. Cam Carpenter had a 22-yarder that got the scoring started; Eli Messenger hauled in a 40-yard fly pattern for six and Bradey McIntire caught a 10-yarder.
Barnesville's string of 14 consecutive scoreless quarters. AJ Rutter added a 3-yard scoring run and Wyatt Cohen had both placements.
One area that gets overlooked for Barnesville is its special teams, especially kickoff coverage.
"That is huge. Evan (Lough) and the kicking team did a good job of pinning them deep and making Howell have to work with long fields," Allen said. "That gives our defense a batter shot."
Tucker Howell accounted for 302 of the Seminoles' total yards. He ran for 133 and passed for 169. A.J. Rutter had a 3-yard scoring run and Max Demchak caught a 33-yard scoring strike.
"He is something special," Calder said of Howell. "He made some plays tonight. I really wanted this one for the seniors, but we just couldn't get it done."
Cooper Howell caught five passes for 34 yards. Demchak had three receptions for 44.
With the win, Barnesville extends its consecutive regular-season winning streak to 34 games. It hasn't lost since week 4 of the 2021 season.
The Shamrocks finish the season with home games against Shenandoah and Union Local. Meanwhile, Monroe Central ends on the road at Frontier and Shadyside.