Staff report
SIDNEY — Freshman Andre Gordon put on a dazzling display in the first half, leading the Sidney Yellow Jackets to a 43-0 halftime bulge, on their way to a 55-8 lopsided win over visiting Toledo Waite Friday at Sidney Memorial Stadium.
It was the fourth win in a row for the Jackets, who are now 4-1 on the season. The competition amps up in a big way Friday night when Trotwood-Madison comes to Sidney Memorial Stadium for the start of the Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division season. Sidney’s final five games will be division games.
After Sidney took the opening drive from their own 48 and failed on a fourth-and-two at the Toledo two, the visitors moved the ball fairly well on their first possession. But they were forced to punt, and from that point, it was all Sidney the remainder of the first half.
Gordon was at the center of it, scoring his team’s first four touchdowns on runs of 12, 10, 34 and 38 yards.
The first score capped a 46-yard drive set up by a good punt return from Darryl McNeal. After Conor Beer had a good run on first down, Gordon was sacked and lost nine yards. He hit McNeal down to the 24, but the penalty bug bit again, Sidney backed up by a 15-yard personal foul call.
It was third-and-17 at the 32, and a middle screen lost a yard. But on fourth-and-18, Gordon bolted 21 yards down to the 12, then took it in on the next play. Peyton Osborne tossed to Damian Duff for the two-point conversion.
Waite then fumbled two plays later, and after a 20-yard Gordon-to-Beer pass and a 10-yard run by Isaiah Bowser, Gordon scored from 10 yards out for a 15-0 lead.
After another Waite punt, Beer went 15 yards to the 34, and Gordon then dazzled on a 34-yard run to make it 22-0 with 1:54 left in the opening quarter.
Waite put together a good drive to start the second quarter, but it ended on a sack. A few plays later, Gordon went 38 yards on a quarterback draw to make it 29-0.
With 3:00 left in the first half, he hit Duff with a 27-yard scoring strike to make it 36-0, and on the ensuing Waite possession, the GWOC leader in interceptions, Sidney’s Xavier Wise, picked off a pass and returned it 24 yards for a score. It was his fourth pick of the season.
The Jacket offense rolled up 355 yards in the first half.
Then to start the third quarter, Waite went three-and-out and when Sidney got the ball, Osborne handed off to Bowser and he went the distance, 55 yards, assuring a running clock the rest of the way with a 49-0 bulge.
After another Waite punt, Sidney scored again on a 28-yard run by Tristen Carlson for a 55-0 lead.
“It went pretty much how we expected,” said Sidney coach Adam Doenges. “We did what we needed to do. It wasn’t a clean game, but for the most part, it was a step in the right direction.”
Rockets headed for loss
COLDWATER — The Anna Rockets managed just nine yards of total offense in the first half, and fell behind unbeaten Coldwater in Midwest Athletic Conference action Friday night at Coldwater.
The Rockets trailed 40-0 late in the third quarter. Anna drops to 1-4 with the loss and faces another unbeaten team, Marion Local, Friday night at home.
Redskins get first win
FORT LORAMIE — The Fort Loramie Redskins got their first win of the season Friday night, downing Hardin Northern at home 17-0 in Northwest Central Conference play.
The Redskins are now 1-4 overall and 1-1 in NWCC play, and play at Waynesfield Friday.
The Redskins led only 7-0 after three quarters, the score coming on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Drew Wehrman to Blake Gaier.
The Redskins added another touchdown in the final period on a 3-yard run by Wes Puthoff, after Josh Siegel booted a 25-yasrd field goal.
