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Smithville used the quick-strike passing game and took
advantage of four Chillicothe turnovers to beat the Hornets
35-0 in the Hornets first conference game and first road game
of the season.
Chillicothe lost a fumble on the first play of
the game, and things went down hill from there. Smithville
used two plays for Quarterback Eric Gromacki to find Andrew
Duncan for a 22 yard touchdown with less than a minute gone in
the 1st quarter.
Chillicothe tried to answer the adversity putting
together a 14 play, 7:27 minute drive that stalled with a 2nd
and 7 at the 15 yard line. A 5 yard penalty, a loss of five
yards on a pass plan and an incomplete pass left Chillicothe
with a 42 yard field goal attempt that fell just short of the
crossbar. It would be the only scoring threat for Chillicothe
all night.
While Chillicothe had twice the time of possession in the
first half, it was the passing game that hurt Chillicothe.
Gromacki found Duncan for two more touchdown passes of 59 and
34 yards in the first half. A 6 yard run late in the first
half gave Smithville a 28-0 lead.
It took Smithville one play to hit 35 points and a
continuously running clock. Gromacki went to the air on the
first play of the 3rd quarter and this time found Tyler Lamb
for a 68 yard touchdown play.
Chillicothe was their own worst enemy at times, losing
three fumbles and one interception. Two of the turnovers led
to Smithville scoring. The Hornet pass defense struggled all
night, with Gromacki going 6 of 8 for 209 yards and four
touchdowns in the game. Meanwhile the Hornets managed just 83
yards rushing and 55 yards passing against the larger and
quicker Smithville defense.
Both teams are now 2-1 on the season. |
