Sidney senior receiver Perry “Tank” Fleming runs ahead of West Carrollton’s Devin Byrd during a Miami Valley League game on Friday at Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium in West Carrollton. Fleming scored on an about 60-yard punt return, which was one of four TDs the Yellow Jackets scored in the second quarter.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
Sidney junior Julius Spradling celebrates with Mitchell Davis during a Miami Valley League game on Friday at Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium in West Carrollton. Spradling ran for two TDs, returned a kickoff for a TD and threw a TD pass.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
Sidney’s Joel Lyons tries to tackle West Carrollton’s Kevin Davis during a Miami Valley League game on Friday at Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium in West Carrollton. The Yellow Jackets forced two turnovers and tackled a West Carrollton player for a safety.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
Sidney senior defensive end Mitchell Davis tackles West Carrollton’s Devin Byrd during a Miami Valley League game on Friday at Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium in West Carrollton.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
Sidney senior quarterback Tucker Herron looks to throw during a Miami Valley League game on Friday at Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium in West Carrollton.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
Sidney’s Maddox Barnes celebrates with Tank Fleming after Fleming returned a punt for a touchdown in the second half of a Miami Valley League game on Friday at Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium in West Carrollton. The play was called back due to penalty, but Fleming scored two TDs in Friday’s game.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
Sidney junior Isaiah Foster runs during a Miami Valley League game on Friday at Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium in West Carrollton.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
Sidney junior receiver Perry “Tank” Fleming runs along Will Boshears during a punt return in the second half of a Miami Valley League game on Friday at Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium in West Carrollton.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
Sidney senior receiver Tank Fleming runs during a Miami Valley League game on Friday at Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium in West Carrollton.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
Sidney junior Julius Spradling runs during a Miami Valley League game on Friday at Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium in West Carrollton.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
Sidney sophomore Tank Fleming runs during a Miami Valley League game on Friday at Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium in West Carrollton.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
WEST CARROLLTON — It took a few possessions for Sidney’s offense to get going, but it managed an onslaught in an about 13-minute span to pull away before halftime.
The Yellow Jackets scored five of their six touchdowns by halftime and beat West Carrollton 42-0 in a Miami Valley League game on Friday night at Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium.
Sidney (3-2, 3-1 MVL Valley Division) didn’t score until the final minute of the first quarter but added four TDs in the second to take a 36-0 lead. The entire second half was played with a running clock.
“We had a difficult time in the first quarter adjusting,” Sidney coach Dave Taynor said. “They’ve got some edge guys that get off the ball pretty quick. That gave us some fits in the first quarter and led to a couple of negative plays that put us behind the chains.
“But if they’re playing up the field as hard as what they are, they’re allowing themselves to give up some gap scheme runs, which is what we really leaned on throughout the day.”
Sidney junior Julius Spradling ran for 108 yards and two TDs on 12 carries, returned a kickoff for a TD and threw a TD pass to Perry “Tank” Fleming. Aside from the TD reception, Fleming returned a punt for a TD. He had three catches for 55 yards.
West Carrollton drove into Sidney territory just once. The Yellow Jackets secured the shutout by forcing a turnover on downs on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Mitchell Davis forced a fumble, Maddox Barnes recovered it, and Dylan Kelly intercepted a pass. The Yellow Jackets also forced a safety in the second quarter. They held West Carrollton to 79 total yards, 25 of which came on fake punt attempt.
“Defensively, we’ve progressed all throughout the year,” Taynor said. “… We’re much sounder in our fits. We’re fighting when we’re down inside the 20-yard line, fighting to make stops. The last couple weeks, we’ve made two or three stops. …We’ve got to continue to build upon that.”
Sidney’s last TD came after a long possession in which Isaiah Foster picked up most of the yards on the ground. Davis, a senior, caught a 15-yard TD pass from senior QB Tucker Herron to end the drive.
“You go back to the Stebbins week, and we were up in that game, and we wanted to try to salt the clock away while we had the lead, and we really didn’t,” Taynor said. “We didn’t do a great job up front and at the running back positions.
“It’s been a challenge to them the last couple of weeks, and I think they responded really well to that today. …We used (the clock) and pounded the ball.”
Sidney had over 300 yards of offense; Foster finished with 100 yards rushing on 11 carries. Spradling and Herron combined to throw for 103 yards.
Spradling suffered a shoulder injury late in the second quarter. He had his arm in a sling in the second half.
“He’s going to get X-rays on it, get it checked out,” Taynor said. “No idea right now. Just precautionary. He was one of the guys who wasn’t going to take a whole lot of reps in the second half. Unfortunate it happened basically in the last two plays of the first half. He’ll respond to it well. He’s a good leader.”
After one punt and two turnovers on downs on Sidney’s first three possessions, the team scored when Spradling ran in from about 35 yards out with 43 seconds left in the first quarter.
Fleming returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown with 10:11 left in the second. Kelly intercepted a pass, and Spradling scored soon after on a 10-yard TD run to push the lead to 21-0.
After a series of penalties pushed West Carrollton back inside its 5-yard line, defensive lineman Luke Carter tackled a ball carrier in the end zone for a safety with 2:32 left to push the lead to 23-0. Carter led the squad with six tackles, two of which were for loss.
Spradling returned the ensuing kickoff 69 yards for a touchdown, which pushed the lead to 29-0 after the extra point hit off the cross bar.
But Sidney recovered an onside kick, and on a fourth and four, Fleming caught a 47-yard TD pass from Spradling on a halfback pass with 32 seconds left to push the lead to 36 points and ensure the second half started with a running clock.
Davis hauled in the 15-yard TD pass from Herron with less than five minutes left for the game’s final score.
The Yellow Jackets are scheduled to host Greenville this coming Friday. The Green Wave (0-5) lost 35-7 to previously winless Piqua on Friday.
Reach Bryant Billing at 937-538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports on Twitter and @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook.
