EC takes care of Lawrenceburg and Spartans earn win for EIAC Big Schools

Trojans begin season where they left off

Two EIAC powerhouses went toe-to-toe last Friday and the Trojans from East Central earned a win over the Lawrenceburg Tigers.

Mr. Football candidate Josh Ringer let it be known why he is being considered for that honor in the first quarter of the game. The senior and Miami of Ohio commit put four scores on the board in the first stanza. Ringer scored on runs of 8,4,5 and 33 yards. He then added a fifth score in the second quarter, taking that handoff for 21 yards to paydirt. Ringer added a receiving touchdown before the half ended, hauling in a 29-yard dart from Cole Burton. Lawrenceburg put up a touchdown in the second quarter when senior quarterback Logan Ahaus connected with Keaton McGrath for a 36-yard score.

Despite the lopsided score, the Tigers looked efficient on offense and Ahaus was poised and made good throws. The senior QB was 12-22 for 134 yards. Burton went 8-14 for 158 yards and a score in his first outing. Ringer finished with 12 carries and 160 yards. East Central was led in receiving yards by Ryan Brotherton who caught three Burton passes and racked up 92 yards. Lawrenceburg’s McGrath led all receivers, hauling in six receptions for 101 yards. Tigers’ safety Zavyn Slayback led his squad on the defensive side with seven total tackles. Dylan Maxwell led the Trojans with nine tackles and Brayden Becknell recorded the lone sack of the contest.

The Trojans will battle with rival Harrison this Friday. The Wildcats are 1-0 earning a 37-8 win over Taylor (OH) last week. Lawrenceburg will face Taylor this Friday as they look for their first of many wins this season.

Buchanan runs wild in Spartans victory

The Connersville Spartans started the season 1-0 after a week one win over rival Richmond.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Red Devils put the first score on the board and took a 7-0 lead. The Spartans tied it up after a Kaleb Caldwell six-yard touchdown run and CHS took the lead on a Micah Buchanan 80-yard rumble; a missed extra point sent the squads into halftime with Connersville up 13-7.

Connersville added another touchdown from Buchanan in the final quarter; this carry went for 43 yards and a second failed extra point gave the Spartans a 19-7 lead. A fourth quarter touchdown by Richmond made it a one-score game and a turnover got the Red Devils the ball back with a chance to tie the game. The Spartans were saved when freshman Rylan Kleen picked off a Jayden Shipp pass. Connersville took over on offense and ran out the final two minutes on the clock, taking a 19-13 opening night win.

Buchanan’s performance puts him atop the EIAC leaderboard with 209 rushing yards on 19 carries. The junior also had an interception and a fumble recovery on defense. Caldwell rushed for 81 yards on his 12 carries in his first start as the Spartans’ quarterback and completed one of his two pass attempts for nine yards. Fullback Draiden Perez worked the middle of the field with seven carries for 41 yards. Perez and senior Wesley Wise led the Spartans on defense with nine tackles each. The Spartans lost scoring opportunities due to turnovers (3 fumbles lost) and penalties (4 personal fouls) that took them out of the running game on offense and giving Richmond an easy first down on defense in the fourth quarter. The offensive line made holes for Buchanan and Caldwell ran the read-option offense very well for limited action as a signal caller.