CEDARVILLE — Why throw the ball when you can ground and pound?
The Greeneview Rams answered that questioned for the 10th time this season, unleashing it’s powerful — and often times quick strike — rushing offense on Greene County and Ohio Heritage Conference rival Cedarville on Friday.
Behind a senior-laden offensive line, the Rams ran for 259 yards in a 42-8 win over Cedarville in the Battle of 72 to cap the third 10-0 season in school history and claim the top seed in Region 20 of the Division V playoffs.
Senior quarterback Alex Horney led the balanced attack with 75 yards and three touchdowns, while senior receiver Joey Giannobile added 59 yards and one score and senior running Cooper Payton back chipped in 54 yards. Nine different players had at least one carry and only two went for negative yards.
“That’s a credit to the offensive line,” said Coach Ryan Haines, who has overseen two of the 10-0 seasons. “They make it go. It’s their show. Coach (Neal) Kasner doesn’t shy away from his mentality of running the football. I think we agree there.”
And why not?
With senior tackles Gavin Henry (6-1, 210 pounds) and Caden Brubaker (6-1, 225), senior guard Blake Midlam (6-1, 235), senior center Weston Saunders (6-0, 170), and junior guard Hunter Leath (6-0, 265) leading the way, it’s easy to be successful.
Greeneview showed that early.
Like on the first play.
That’s when Payton broke through the line and then scampered down the sideline for 32 yards. A couple plays later Horney broke free and scooted for his own 32-yard run and a touchdown less than two minutes into the game.
Cedarville moved from its 24 to the Greeneview 40 behind the legs of senior back Colt Coffey and junior QB Will Mossing before turning it over on downs.
On the first play of Greeneview’s next possession, Giannobile turned a sweep right into a 56-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 4:52 left in the first quarter.
After a Cedarville three and out, the Rams made it 21-0 on a 30-yard TD pass from Horney to Giannobile. Horney finished with 38 passing yards.
Midway through the second, an interception by senior Caleb Lawson set the Rams up with a short field and on the first play, Horney ran 26 yards for a touchdown and a 28-0 lead. One possession later, Horney ran it in from eight yards and a 35-0 halftime lead. A nice 17-yard run by Payton set up Horney’s score.
With a running clock in the second half due to the point deficit, the Rams only had a few possessions and scored on their first one on a nine-yard run by junior Karter Newman.
“The kids are well coached,” Haines said. “I’ve got coaches who work seven days a week. They get the players in position to win and be successful. Just really proud of our coaches and players.”
Late in the game, the Indians (4-6) avoided the shutout on a nice 68-yard drive that featured plenty of Coffey, who ran for the bulk of the yards and then found sophomore Lincoln Pyles for a 12-yard TD pass. Coffey then ran in the two-point conversion.
Coffey finished with a team-high 57 rushing yards and 12 yards passing yards. Mossing completed one pass for 11 yards but only played the first quarter before exiting with an injury.
“We played hard and we’re only going to grow from here,” said Cedarville Coach Brian Bogenschutz. We’re a young group. In the winter time, they were in the weight room and they knew. They looked around and they don’t see all the familiar faces they’ve seen for the past few years and were like, OK, now it’s time to start it fresh.”
The Rams host Graham in the first round of the playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday, seeking their first playoff win since beating Gamble Montessori in 2021.
“They put 10 games on (our) schedule and (we) won them all, something to be proud of, but our mantra is going to be what’s so magical about number 10. We’ve got to go get another one. That’s on me,” Haines said. “I haven’t coached well enough in the playoffs the last couple years. We haven’t been well prepared. That’s been kind of my off-season this year.”
Reach Scott Halasz at 937-502-4507.
