Announcement
HENRIETTA TWP. — Trevor Thome’s ability to make opposing defenses miss has made him one of the premier running backs in the area.
That trend continued Friday night, as the Buckeye junior answered the call by finding the end zone three times to help the Bucks to a 28-7 Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division road win over Firelands.
The victory helped Buckeye (8-2, 5-0) capture the outright division title and a Division III, Region 8 playoff berth.
With fellow speedster Nathan Scott out for undisclosed reasons, Thome carried the bulk of the load en route to picking up a game-high 195 yards on 18 carries in just three quarters.
“I don’t know if he’s in a class by himself, but whatever class he’s in, it sure as (heck) doesn’t take a long time to call roll call, I can tell you that,” Bucks coach Mark Pinzone said. “He’s a special kind of young man. He’s a grinder and a gritter, yet he’s still athletic and a great football player.”
Clinging to a 14-7 lead at the half thanks to Thome and quarterback Nate Polidori (4-for-7, 80 yards) capping long drives with short touchdown runs, Buckeye scored on its first two possessions of the third period to lock up the win.
Thome ended both drives with impressive runs — the first a 15-yard sprint when he broke through the interior of the Falcons line and the other an 8-yard dance that came thanks to a nifty spin move that made a defender miss.
The plays put down a pesky Firelands team that kept coming at the Bucks in the opening two quarters, including a 1-yard dive by quarterback Brad Thrasher (23 carries, 147 yards) to close the half.
“We grinded it out, but we were fine,” Pinzone said. “It was 14-0 and we played hard the last defensive series of the first half, but just had a couple of bad breaks that resulted in a touchdown.
“I told our guys that we had some goals to accomplish in the second half, and I’m real proud of the guys for stepping up.”
The defense limited Thrasher to just two completions and 37 yards after halftime. Buckeye also limited Thrasher’s chances on the ground, holding the 1,000-yard rusher to just 77 outside of the 70-yard carry he had against second-string defenders in the closing minute.
The Bucks added a stop on fourth-and-2 midway through the third and a first-half interception by Hayden Roskey.
“Our defense was fantastic,” Pinzone said. “I actually questioned our team, and I rarely do that, at halftime about our intensity level. You know, the rah-rah stuff. We were flat on the sideline and we were flat on the field, and we had to pick them up and that’s my job. The defense took the nod, went out there and played hard.”
Whatever the second-year coach said, it worked, and the Bucks find themselves in the postseason for the second year in a row.
“No matter how the chips fall, we’re just having fun,” Pinzone said. “I’m proud of our kids, I’m proud of our program and I’m proud of our community.”
Note
| Buckeye’s Dustin McCullough and Austin Wredberg left with apparent ankle injuries. |
Contact Dan Brown at sports@medina-gazette.com
Buckeye 28, Firelands 7
