Salem takes first step in EBC
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Salem’s Zavier Kinsey looks for the ball against Alliance on Friday at Sebo Stadium. (Photo by Gary Leininger)
The Quakers dominated the ground game in their contest against the Alliance Aviators on Friday night en route to a convincing 49-25 victory over the Aviators. The win also provides the Quakers with an important 1-0 start in the Eastern Buckeye Conference (EBC).
"It's not that it's Alliance; that really doesn't matter. We are 1-0 in the league. It is our first league championship game we have this year, and we took advantage of it," Quakers head coach Ron Johnson remarked.
With the victory, the Quakers improve to 4-0 on the year while the Aviators fall to 1-3, 0-1 in the EBC.
Not only does the win keep the Quakers perfect on the season, but it also breaks a dubious record that they have experienced against the Aviators. The victory snaps a four-game losing streak to the Aviators that they were carrying into the contest. The last time the Quakers topped the Aviators was back in the 2020 COVID season. The Quakers were 1-9 against the Aviators over the past ten years.
However, the Quakers provided little doubt about the outcome of the contest as they dominated the trenches by rushing for 342 yards and holding the Aviators to 275 yards on the ground. They carried a 186-164 advantage in total yards going into the halftime locker room and held off the Aviators’ attempts at a comeback in the second half of the contest.
"You can shorten the game and reduce the number of possessions. When we were three scores up with nine minutes to go, you knew they had to onside kick. They weren't going to get three more touches," Johnson said.
Brandon Kana continued his outstanding season with 155 yards rushing in the game, scoring once on the ground and also hauling in a 16-yard pass for a score. Bairon Exline added another 99 yards on the ground and 2 TDs.
"It feels fantastic," Quaker senior center Zhane LeFleme said. "Whenever we mess up, they make us look good. It come down to us doing our assignments and everything and if we do our thing, they do their thing."
The Quakers scored on four of their first five possession in the game, with only halftime preventing them from scoring on all five.
"We stayed ahead of the chains, and it allowed our running backs to make plays, and it paid off for us," commented Johnson. "Our offensive line has been doing a great job, and our lead backs are doing a good job. When our guys see it (hole), there is no hesitation; they hit it. They are so strong and have power."
They scored on a 32-yard run by Exline at the conclusion of a 69-yard drive on 10 plays. That provided the Quakers with a 7-0 advantage at the 7:44 mark of the opening stanza.
The Aviator answered with an equally impressive 77-yard drive on 11 plays, with Trevin Wiles scoring on a 14-yard scamper. However, the Aviators had a botched snap on the extra point and trailed 7-6 with 2:39 left in the first quarter.
The Quakers responded with another drive resulting in a score as Kana raced into the end zone on a 16-yard reception to put them up 14-6. That score came with just 6 ticks left in the quarter.
But the Aviators’ Lyric Grimm returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown to close the first frame. That brought them within 2 points, with another unsuccessful point-after attempt as the Quakers led 13-12.
The two teams would exchange scores in the second quarter as Kana fumbled the ball as he plowed toward the end zone, only to have Jaxson Douglas recover the ball for the touchdown and a 21-12 Quakers advantage.
The pesky Aviators would add a score with only 21 seconds remaining in the half when quarterback Cashe Brisker connected with Wiles on a 6-yard pass. That made it 21-18 at halftime.
But it was the Quakers’ defense that finally took control as the Aviators went three-and-out to start the half, helping propel the Quakers to a 12-yard run by Kana at the 9:29 mark of the third quarter to make it 28-18.
The Quakers once again stonewalled the Aviators and took advantage of the field position to score on a 2-yard run by Kevin Blackburn to make it 35-18. That score came with 5:02 remaining in the frame.
The Aviators added their final score of the game with 9:30 left in the contest on a 1-yard plunge by Brisker to make it 35-25 in favor of the Quakers. The Quakers added scores of 28-yards on a run by Exline and a 12-yard run by Zander Kinsey to close out the scoring on the night.
"To me it is just another game. We are 4-0 now in my senior season. I want to go all the way," LeFleme remarked.
The Aviators will be on the road again next Friday, traveling to Minerva for another Eastern Buckeye Conference game. The Quakers will look to keep their winning streak alive next Friday when they travel to Beaver Local in a non-conference contest.
AL: 12-6-0-0 -- 18
SA: 14-7-14-14 -- 49
SCORING
S - Bairon Exline 32 run (Ronin Sutter Kick)
A - Trevin Wilkes 14 run (Kick Failed)
S - Brandon Kana 16 pass from Adrian Gelonese (Sutter Kick)
A - Lyric Grimm 93 kickoff return (Kick Failed)
S - Jaxson Douglas fumble recovery in endzone (Sutter Kick)
A - Wilkes 6 pass from Cashe Brisker (Run Failed)
S - Kana 12 run (Sutter Kick)
S - Kevin Blackburn 2 run (Sutter Kick)
A - Briske 1 run (Charlie Ekey Kick)
S - Exline 28 run (Sutter Kick)
S - Zander Kinsey 12 run (Sutter Kick)
TEAM STATS
ALLIANCE
First downs: 16; Total yards: 309; Rushes-yards: 46-275, Passing: 34; Comp-Att-Int. 4-9-1; Punts 2-11; Fumbles-Lost 0-0; Penalties-Yards 10-110.
SALEM
First downs: 20, Total yards: 407, Rushes-yards: 43-342, Passing: 63; Comp-Att-Int. 9-14-0, Punts 0-0, Fumbles-Lost 2-0, Penalties-Yards 7-48
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING--Alliance, Trevin Wilkes 13-149; Salem, Brandon Kana 24-155, Bairon Exline 7-99
PASSING--Alliance, Cashe Briske 4-9-1; Salem, Adrian Gelonese 9-14-0
RECEIVING--Alliance, Breyonn Edwards 3-29; Salem, Bairon Exline 4-25, Brandon Kana 3-18, Jaxson Douglass 1-17
INTERCEPTIONS--Salem, Blake Bezon
FUMBLE RECOVERIES--None