Photo/JOE LOVELL BUCKEYE LOCAL senior running back Trey Hoover turns the corner as the Shenandoah defense pursues during Friday’s fame in Yorkville. The Zeps rallied for a 42-36 victory.

YORKVILLE – Shenandoah made the hour-plus journey to southern Jefferson County worth it Friday evening, bouncing back from their first loss of the season to rally from an early 14-0 deficit and claim a 42-36 victory over the host Buckeye Local Panthers, improving to 5-1. Buckeye Local, on the other hand, falls to 2-4 despite strong play thus far this season.

When asked about how he got his team to refocus down 14-0, Zeps grid boss Josh Lowery stated “I told them to just keep fighting hard. For some reason all year long, we start slow. We have been trying to figure it out, but I wasn’t worried, we weren’t worried. We knew once we got that first offensive touchdown we were going to be okay.”

Lowery was asked about the game plan, as the Zeps had much more success running and passing this week than last, and noted “The plan was at first just to spread them out and see how they were going to defend us. In our offense, we want to run the ball more than we pass it. I know it may not look like it sometimes, but we really want to run the football, and when we establish the run game, you see what it does for our passing game.”

Buckeye Local coach Jim Hoover was also asked about the 14-0 lead evaporating, and why he felt that happened and he answered “Youth. We’ve got four sophomores and a freshman starting, youth is what got them (Shenandoah) back in the game. Big plays. They didn’t drive on us, it was big plays. Missed tackles, missed, poor tackling, that’s what got them back in the game.”

Hoover was questioned about positives from the game, and his reply was curt, saying: “Offensively when you score 36 points in a high school game, you should win the damn game. We are trying to change the culture of losing is accepted. It’s not accepted. It’s accepted by the culture here, and that is what we are trying to change.”

The Panthers opened the game with a 10-play drive that covered 60-yards and ate up 5:49 of the clock, capped off when junior quarterback Skyler Ebright went up the middle from nine yards out. Wyatt Kalman’s PAT was good for a 7-0 Panthers lead.

The Zeps couldn’t get their vaunted passing game going on their first drive, which was snuffed out when Trey Hoover picked off frosh QB Braxton Barnett and took it back 37-yards to the visitors’ 16.

After a penalty started the hosts at the 26, Ebright hit Dylan Palmer in the back of the endzone from 18-yards out for a touchdown. Kalman was true again, raising the Panthers’ lead to 14-0.

Shenandoah, however, was not out of it yet. Barnett started the ensuing drive with a 40-yard dash, then found pay dirt three plays later, finding Hunter Yates in the front of the end zone for a 38-yard score. The conversion pass failed, leaving the Big Green trailing 14-6.

The Zeps’ defense forced a punt, then using eight straight passes, many of which were short screens to the right sideline, marched 80-yards, with Barnett finding Yates for the third time on the drive from seven yards out for a score. The conversion pass was off, leaving the Zeps trailing 14-12 at the 5:33 mark of the second.

Buckeye went deep into their playbook, running a single-wing between Hoover and Ebright switching back and forth at quarterback, with Ebright slipping through the line and going 44-yards for the score. Palmer ran the conversion in for a 22-12 lead with 3:09 left in the first.

The Noble Countians effectively went between the pass and the run, driving to the hosts one with less than a minute to play. The Panthers made a fourth-down stop but were flagged for a facemask. On the next play, Barnett ran the option to perfection, flipping the ball to Feldner to score from a yard out. Barnett then hit Wade Miley for the conversion pass, putting the score at a 22-20 mark in favor of the hosts just before halftime.

Shenandoah started the second half by driving 82-yards own 11 plays, covering nearly four minutes. Barnett was able to find receivers repeatedly on the sideline, running screens and dump passes to take small chunks out of the field. The frosh closed the scoring stanza by diving in from a yard out to give the visitors their first lead of the evening. The conversion pass was batted away, however, Shenandoah held a 26-20 lead at the 8:08 mark of the third.

Buckeye wasn’t down long, riding the legs of Hoover who had five carries for 56-yards of the 80 they had to cover before Ebright found pay dirt again from the five. Jacob Berry swept in for the conversion, putting the Blue-and-Silver back up 30-26.

Shenandoah seemed to be piecing together a good following drive, but the Panthers extinguished that, as David Edwards and Issac Chandler combined to sack Barnett on third down, and Chandler pulled him down on fourth to give the hosts the ball back.

The teams proceeded to swap punts before the Panthers were back in business, covering 57-yards on five plays with Ebright nabbing his fourth touchdown of the night to put Buckeye up by 10, which the lead remained when the conversion run failed.

From this point on, Shenandoah proceeded to display the big-play ability of their passing game that they have shown many times this season. On their first play from scrimmage on their ensuing drive, Barnett threw a pass towards Yates that appeared far above the six-foot junior’s head. The receiver climbed the ladder to snatch the ball from the air, slipped the grip of a pair of would-be tacklers, and took off down the right sideline, eluding and outrunning the Panthers’ secondary on the way to a 65-yard score. Barrett then hit Ratiaczak for the conversion to close the Panthers’ lead to 36-34.

Buckeye Local couldn’t get things moving on their next drive and went three-and-out, using just over 2:20 of the clock and giving the visitors the ball back with 6:21 remaining. The Zeps, however, only needed 11 seconds of that time, as Barnett dropped back to pass on first down and saw Brenden Portman wide open in the middle of the field. The freshman lofted a pass to the junior and seconds later he was across the goal line, putting Shenandoah back up. Feldner dashed in for two, putting the visitors back ahead, 42-36.

Buckeye had one more chance and were putting together a strong drive late, but Yates picked off Ebright with 1:21 to seal the hard-fought victory.

Barnett finished the evening 22-33 for 272 yards, three scores, and one pick, to go with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown. Yates was his favorite target, snaring seven catches for 141 yards and three touchdowns. Hoover led the Panthers offense with 149 yards on 21 carries. Ebright contributed 72 infantry stripes on 16 lugs with four touchdowns.

Buckeye Local’s hits the road next week as they visit undefeated Caldwell, while Shenandoah hosts Monroe Central.