Johnstown was struggling before a few Zanesville miscues aided the Johnnies' surge

ZANESVILLE — TJ Carper understands time is needed to turn around Zanesville's fortunes.

The Blue Devils showed some promise with their defense, but a couple of penalties extended Johnstown's scoring drives in the second quarter.

It allowed the Johnnies to build a 16-0 halftime lead en route to a 38-0 season-opening win on Friday at John D. Sulsberger Stadium.

Miscues haunt Zanesville

The Blue Devils appeared to grab momentum late in the first quarter, recovering a Johnstown fumble at the Johnnies 37-yard line. However, an illegal participation penalty on third down led to a turnover on downs with a fourth-down incompletion.

Johnstown then marched down the field, covering 61 yards on 11 plays. A 17-yard connection between Sam Marasek and receiver Tyler Poulton highlighted the drive, while Zanesville was called for a facemask and an illegal substitution to set up Landon Myers' 3-yard scoring run. Nana Owusu added the two-point run for an 8-0 lead at the 7:22 mark of the second quarter.

On the ensuing Johnstown possession, Zanesville was called for defensive holding on a punt, giving the Johnnies a first down. Owusu turned that into points, racing 36 yards to the end zone. Tyler Sheets added the two for a 16-0 lead with 3:52 left in the half.

The Blue Devils had a chance to get on the board, recovering another Johnstown fumble at the Johnnies 27. However, they mustered just eight yards on four plays with a fourth-down incompletion before the half.

"We had three trips to the red zone and came away with no points. We have to learn how to finish drives and find that killer instinct," Carper said. "We played good defense until the third, and we don't have a lot of depth with only a few guys with varsity experience. We need to learn to keep fighting, and I want to see us get better every day."

Johnnies run their way to victory

All three Johnstown scoring drives in the second half did not feature a pass. Myers added a 1-yard scoring run and Sheets scored from four yards out in the third, while Kaden Carpenter added an 8-yard TD in the fourth.

Johnstown ran 52 times for 279 yards, including Owusu for 117 yards on 18 carries and 57 yards on 11 carries by Myers.

Johnstown coach Mike Carter felt finishing those scoring drives in the first half led to his team's second-half success.

"They have a lot of fine players, but those drives allowed us to find our rhythm. We did a better job sustaining blocks and controlling the line of scrimmage," Carter said. "In the second half, we put ourselves in favorable positions. Our backs were churning their legs, we were firing off the ball and we were getting a big push off the line of scrimmage.

"Our coaches also made good adjustments at the half, and our players were really focused," he added. "It's a lot of credit to the staff for giving the players the opportunities to do what we do."

Johnstown's defense was also stout, only allowing one first down through three quarters and that came via a Johnnie penalty. The Blue Devils finished with just 72 yards, 20 by running back Carter Hennessey.

"We read our keys, controlled the gaps and flew to the ball," Carter said. "Our coaching staff has our guys prepared, and our players responded."

bhannahs@gannett.com; X: @brandonhannahs

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Johnstown was struggling before a few Zanesville miscues aided the Johnnies' surge