Photo/KIM NORTH Barnesville’s Casey Carpenter (4) leaps high to pickoff his second pass in Saturday’s 38-14 win over Bellaire at sun-drenched Nelson Field. Also defending is teammate Bradey McIntire (11) while Bellaire’s Luca D’Aquila (13) was the intended receiver.

BELLAIRE — Barnesville used the next-man-up mentality Saturday and it paid big dividends.

With senior all-Ohio tailback Taison Starr sidelined with a knee injury suffered in practice earlier in the week, the Shamrocks (2-0) handed the ball to Trey Toliver. And boy did he deliver with a trio of career highs.

The 5-9, 180-pound freshman, who started at fullback in the season-opener against Buckeye Local, lugged the leather two dozen times for 248 yards and three touchdowns in Barnesville’s 38-14 win on sun-soaked Nelson Field.

“There was a little pressure on me to start and I had some nerves, but once I got out there and got the ball in my hands I was alright,” Toliver said. “I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my offensive line. They did a great job of opening holes for me. I love those guys.”

Barnesville head coach Blake Allen was all smiles when talking about the game.

“When Taison got hurt in practice we kind of challenged our offensive line which are our leaders,” he said.

“They responded in a big way and so did Trey. We knew coming into this season he was going to be pretty good, but today he was outstanding. He knew what role he had to fill today.”

The Big Reds actually led 7-0 after one quarter, thanks to a 13-yard scoring strike from Luke Heatherington to Luca D’Aquila with 4:54 on the clock. The quick, 2-play drive started after Bellaire’s Dalton Smelko fell on a loose ball at the Barnesville 46 after a botched quick-kick attempt by the Shamrocks on fourth down.

Heatherington rolled left and lofted the ball to the back corner of the end zone where D’Aquila went up and hauled it in. Jason Lemley added the PAT.

It was all Barnesville – on both sides of the ball – from there on.

With Toliver running loose behind a mammoth offensive line and the defense recording four interceptions, Barnesville put up 17 points in the second quarter and never looked back in taking a 17-7 lead into the locker room at the half.

Following the Bellaire touchdown, Barnesville marched 78 yards on 12 plays in drawing even. Toliver went in standing up from 16 yards and Evan Lough’s PAT made it 7-all. The Shamrocks converted three third-down plays on the nearly 8-minute drive.

On Bellaire’s third offensive snap, Barnesville’s Casey Carpenter picked off the first of his two passes on the day to give his team possession at the Bellaire 35. However, after reaching the 15 a holding penalty stalled the drive. Lough booted a 36-yard field goal to make it 10-7 with 5:39 left in the first half.

A 49-yard hookup between Heatherington and Mac Mac Pettigrew moved the ball to the Barnesville19, but on third-and-11, Carpenter snagged his second INT and was brought down at his own 9.

Toliver took the handoff from Casey Carpenter and found a hole on the left side of the line. Once he got through the gaping space, it was a foot race that he wasn’t going to lose as he took it 91 yards to the house. The placement failed, but the Shamrocks weren’t finished just yet as 3:34 remained on the clock.

“I knew they had some fast guys on their defense, so I just kept looking ahead and running as fast as I could,” Toliver explained of the lengthy TD run. “He (I’m not sure who) almost got me there at the end, but I was able to get in the end zone.”

Holding Bellaire to three-and-out, Barnesville started at its own 22. Toliver went off left tackle and sprinted 44 yards into Big Reds territory. Five plays later, Toliver had his third six-pointer of the day from 4 yards out with 48.1 ticks left. Casey Carpenter connected with Cam Carpenter for the two-point conversion and a 24-7 lead.

On its first possession of the fourth quarter, Bellaire cut the deficit to 24-14 on a 35-yard TD strike from Heatherington to Maurice Webb in the middle of the end zone. Lemley’s kick was good with 10:25 on the clock.

Bradyn Beckett’s 28-yard run set up the touchdown.

Barnesville relied on its offensive front of left tackle Salvador Almaraz, left guard Hank Johnson, center Marshall Meade, right guard Braden Butler and right tackle Luke Taylor – and a key dead ball targeting penalty on Bellaire on what would have been a fourth down for the Shamrocks.

With the drive extended, Toliver and Koby Jones combined for nine carries before Cam Carpenter went in from 8 yards out. Lough’s kick made it 31-14.

Bellaire drove inside the Barnesville 20 on its next possession, but Luke Detling stepped in front of a Big Reds receiver at his own 5 and took off the other way. The senior side-stepped a would-be tackler near midfield before completing the 95-yard pick-6.

“Barnesville is a good football team,” Bellaire head coach Mark Bonar said. “You can’t take anything away from them. They had a guy out and so did we (Drew White), but they had a guy step up and perform.

“I thought my guys played hard and battled all game,” he added. “They just ran the same play on offense and we couldn’t figure out how to stop it.”

Behind Toliver’s breakout game, the Shamrocks amassed 301 yards on the ground while Casey Carpenter was efficient at 14-for-18 for 157 yards. Detling caught six passes for 48. Bradey McIntire hauled in two receptions for 88 yards. Barnesville had 19 first downs.

Heatherington completed 10 of 20 attempts for 210 yards and the two TDs, but suffered the four picks. Beckett had 67 yards on 10 totes and Pettigrew caught four passes for 95 yards. Bellaire gained 10 first downs.

Both teams are on the road next week as Barnesville heads west on I-70 to Old Washington to meet Buckeye Trail and Bellaire goes south to Fort Frye.