Salem - September 8, 2017

Salem - September 8, 2017

When a high school football team chalks up 17 points in the first half and is able to reel off a 19-play drive in the second half, one would expect them to post an easy victory. Such was the case with the Salem Quakers on this Friday night with one exception, it wasn't easy. 

Winning the opening toss, the Potters elected to defer kicking off to the Quakers who returned to their own 33 where they launched into a nine-play 24-yard effort which ended with a quick-kick style punt by their quarterback, Mitch Davidson, that rolled to the EL 24. 

Coach Josh Ludwig and his crew could do nothing from this point, going three-and-out with a little over seven minutes on the clock. Unfortunately for the Blue and White, the visitors did know what to do at 6:58 when Davidson found Turner Johnson wide open in the middle of the field and it was 7-0 following the conversion by Braydon Gibson. The play covered 54 yards.

Following another failed drive by the Potters, the Red and Black would tally an additional TD some two minutes later when Davidson found Chase Ackerman from 15 yards out. 

Gibson who converted following the Ackerman TD would conclude Salem's scoring for the night on the last play of the half with a 37-yard field goal with one second on the clock.

The only other scoring of the half had occurred when diminutive sophomore Derreck Carter slashed in from Salem's 30 with 9:22 remaining in the clock before the intermission.

Neither team could score in the second half, as the Blue and White put up a valiant effort overcoming a 19-play Salem drive that came up empty with 10:41 left to play in the game.

COACH’S CORNER:

“I think we showed we can pound the ball, but we weren’t in the right situation tonight, trailing like we were,” Coach Josh Ludwig said following the game.
“We were forced to go to some trips sets late in the game, and that’s really not our forte. We just need to get back to work this week and concentrate on not falling behind early in the game,” the coach concluded,

DIGGER’S DUGOUT:

Officials for the contest came out of the New Philadelphia/Cambridge area. They included: Matt Motes, Byesville; Karl Bruns, Cambridge; Paul Kasper, Smithville; along with Joe Stephon and Willard Ackerman of New Philadelphia.

It seems as though only one team in Columbiana County will have an undefeated season. Beaver Local, Lisbon and Southern Local each went down, leaving only Salem undefeated.