Explosive plays and defensive pressure carried unbeaten Tri-Valley to a key road win

NEW LEXINGTON — Tri-Valley showed its full arsenal on Friday night.

Max Lyall accounted for four touchdowns, three through the air, and Jayden Wallace had a pair of scoring runs in a 41-14 rout of New Lexington in a battle of 4-0 teams.

Lyall completed 11 of 17 for 256 yards, all in the first half, Ryan Lamonica finished with four catches for 177 yards and a pair of TDs and Wallace ran for 108 yards on 18 carries to highlight the offense for the Scotties (5-0).

"We saw on film they didn't play a high safety so we exploited it with some deep passes," Lamonica said. "Our defense played great, too. They put us in some good positions, and it was a total team effort."

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Quick start put Tri-Valley in control

The Scotties forced New Lexington to punt on its first series, and the offense went to the air immediately. Lyall found Lamonica for a 45-yard strike on the first play from scrimmage, and two plays later, Lamonica hauled in a 19-yard scoring strike for a 6-0 lead.

After the teams swapped punts, the Panthers (4-1) fumbled a return, and the Scotties recovered at the New Lex 17-yard line. Two plays later, Wallace scored from 11 yards out, and Bode McCullough's extra point made it 13-0 midway through the first quarter.

Tri-Valley stretched its advantage to 20-0 in the closing minute of the first. After the Panthers missed a 31-yard field goal, Lyall found Lamonica streaking down the field for a 58-yard gain. The Scotties then turned to Wallace three plays later for another 11-yard scoring run.

New Lexington cracked the scoreboard with just over 7:30 left in the second quarter. Isaiah Stephens found Paul Stenson for a 2-yard touchdown, and a Tristan Barrowman extra point cut the deficit to 20-7.

It was the lone highlight for the Panthers. Tri-Valley answered when Lamonica hauled in a 53-yard touchdown from Lyall to push the lead to 27-7.

The Scotties took a 34-7 advantage into the half after Lyall found Keaton Hahn for a 26-yard TD with five seconds left in the second.

Tri-Valley coach Cam West praised his offense's efficiency, as Lyall capped the team's scoring with a 4-yard TD run in the third.

"I feel like we have the two best receivers in the league in Hahn and Lamonica," he said. "Their length hurts teams, and they move so well. Opposing defenses have to pick their poison, and it's a luxury for us to have two guys like them."

Another win to build on

There was a lot of hype for a battle of unbeatens, but it was a one-sided game for the Scotties. The defensive pressure kept Stephens on the move, and New Lex never found a rhythm on offense.

Tri-Valley outgained New Lex 393-232. Stephens was just 15 of 30 for 129 and Carson Kellogg was held to 71 yards on 19 carries. No Panther receiver had more than four catches or 40 yards.

West complimented his defense for another big performance.

"New Lex is a good team, and Coach (Kevin) Board and his play calling makes them dangerous," West said. "They want to run inside zone then hit you over the top. Our defensive front got pressure. We kept them off balance and never let them get comfortable."

Tri-Valley has home games with Maysville and River View ahead, but Lamonica said the team's goals won't allow the Scotties to relax.

"We have a lot more work to do," he noted. "We have big games ahead and goals to chase down. We're not satisfied yet."

bhannahs@gannett.com; X@: @brandonhannahs

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Explosive plays and defensive pressure carried unbeaten Tri-Valley to a key road win