Photo/KRISTIN MAZGAJ BARNESVILLE’S C.J. Hannahs is tackled by a Buckeye Local defender during Thursday night’s season-opener in Yorkville. The Shamrocks rolled 32-8.

YORKVILLE — Being the first game of the season with a relatively youthful squad, there was no doubt who Barnesville head coach Blake Allen was going to turn to when his squad needed a jumpstart.

Early in the second quarter — with the game still scoreless — the Shamrocks cut senior quarterback C.J. Hannahs loose and he delivered in a big way. He scored two touchdowns before halftime and then added a passing and an additional rushing touchdown in the third quarter to spark the Shamrocks to a 32-8 victory against Buckeye Local at World War II Memorial Stadium.

“Everything starts with C.J.,” Allen said. “I don’t know what his numbers were, but he does it all. He’s the calming presence that’s able to bring the young guys along. That’s what you expect from a guy with 30-plus varsity starts.”

While Hannahs did the bulk of the damage on offense to the tune of 245 total yards, the Shamrocks’ defense was ready and waiting for the Panthers and their ground-and-pound run game.

Until the Shamrocks had built a 32-0 lead and triggered the OHSAA’s mercy rule in the early stages of the fourth quarter, Buckeye Local had just one first down and some 40 yards of offense. All told, the Panthers finished with 93 yards, negative yards passing and the Shamrocks pounced on a pair of fumbles.

“We’re young, but there’s no excuse to play the way we did,” lamented Buckeye Local head coach Jim Hoover. “It comes down to effort and that’s my fault. I promise we will get better.”

Allen heaped huge praise on his defensive unit, which came into the game focused on taking away Panthers senior Trey Hoover. The Shamrocks limited him to just 43 yards on 14 carries

“We preached to our kids you can’t let (Trey) Hoover get going because once he gets going, he’s really tough to bring down,” Allen said. “We stressed getting hats to the ball and getting to him before he can get down. Our kids did a great job. Our guys really fought their rear ends off, and I am very proud of them.”

With the defense continually giving the ball back to the offense, finally the Shamrocks were able to take advantage of their speed advantage and Hannahs’ moxy.

He opened the scoring with a 7-yard run and then weaved his way through the Panthers defense en route to a 47-yard scoring jaunt.

The lead swelled to 19-0 in the middle portion of the third quarter after the Shamrocks came up with a loose ball after a punt bounced and hit a Panther player in the shoulder. From there, Hannahs did work with his arm. He connected with junior Taison Starr on a beautifully designed play for a 10-yard touchdown. Marshall Meade was true on the PAT.

Following a turnover, Barnesville’s offense went back to work and Hannahs plunged in from a yard out. The drive was aided by a pair of penalties on the Panthers. That score closed the book on the night’s work for Hannahs.

Sophomore Camden Carpenter got into the scoring column when he hauled in a 42-yard pass from classmate Casey Carpenter. Meade added the placement.

“We wanted to make this a four-quarter game and allow our conditioning and speed to play a role to allow us to pull away,” Allen said. “There were so many nerves coming into this game because you put so much time into this first one and you just wan to make sure you’ve done enough to prepare the kids. My hat’s off to the players and the coaches for all of the work they’ve put in.”

Though Buckeye Local struggled mightily on offense, senior Dylan Palmer was able to find the end zone on a 12-yard burst late in the fourth against the Shamrocks’ second unit. He finished with 56 yards on just six carries.

Junior punter Jacob Berry, who got a workout in the first half, was impressive as well.

“We’re going to show up (Friday) and work to get better,” Coach Hoover said. “That’s all I can ask of these guys. We just have to keep improving each week.”

The Panthers are on the road a week from tonight at Union Local, while the Shamrocks will trek to Meadowbrook.