Photo by Joe Lovell Martins Ferry’s Luca Shane tries to break the tackle of Bellaire’s Noah Pramik during the Purple Riders’ SPARKY Trophy victory on Friday inside Nelson Field. Ferry won 40-12 over the Big Reds.

BELLAIRE — A suffocating defensive effort, combined with a diabolically methodical offensive attack, propelled Martins Ferry to a convincing 40-12 conquest of archrival Bellaire on Friday before a robust, chilly throng at Nelson Field.

Ferry thus retains the beloved SPARKY Trophy, symbolic of football conquest over their down-river rivals. Bellaire still holds a slim 59-56-7 overall advantage in this 120-year rivalry.

The Purple Riders (7-3) thus find themselves on the cusp of the Ohio Div. VI Region 23 playoffs. The top 12 teams in each region advance. Ferry entered Week 10 ranked 13th, so the Riders must await the results of other games and see where the line is drawn.

But, on this night, it was all about the SPARKY.

Ferry’s defense was astoundingly stout on the evening. Granted, Bellaire (3-7) saw its season shift when its top player — Raekwon Pettigrew — broke his leg on Sept. 12. Yet the Big Reds have played proudly throughout, and with a quarterback as gifted and gritty as Michael Dippel, Bellaire is always a legitimate threat.

Martins Ferry had other ideas. Bellaire was held to negative-five yards rushing (Dippel was sacked four times), and completed just 14 passes for 183 yards and two scores. The Riders picked off two passes and recovered a fumble off a wild kickoff, scoring touchdowns after all three turnovers. Ferry, which also had a kickoff return for a TD, did not turn the ball over.

Leading the offensive charge was sophomore sizzler Walkquem Cox, an ironically-named phenom who rushed 21 times for 99 yards and a score. Cox, who has nearly 1,400 yards rushing this season, is a speed back who plays with a hard edge, fighting and clawing like the other fellows are trying to steal his lunch money.

Ferry runs much of its offense out of an offset power-I, sending Cox behind two up-backs and a formidable offensive line. Their first drive of the game lasted 21 plays (just three passes). Bellaire was pushing back, and actually held the Riders to a Jacob Theaker field goal. But the Riders were unrelenting, and the three turnovers proved the difference.

“I thought our game plan was pretty solid,” said Ferry Coach Justin Kropka.”But that goes to our defensive linemen (Tayson Palmer, Clayton Snyder, Malachi Giles). They had a great night. They got in the gaps, they were where they should be, they shed blocks.

“Our defensive backs did a great job keeping everything in front of them, making plays on the balls, and we had a freshman have a breakout night, which we knew was coming eventually.”

That freshman is Jakori Cox, who told big brother Walkquem to “Hold my SPARKY!” while posting a second-quarter pass interception, followed by a huge, 72-yard kickoff return to glory in the third quarter.

Ferry QB Colby Kropka was the trigger-man for the offense. The head coach’s son, just a junior, ran for 51 yards and a touchdown, and passed for another 88 yards and two more TDs.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled for these seniors, and the town, and the school,” coach Kropka said. “We’ve been through some tough times. In all honesty, this is one of the first games where we’ve had all the bullets in the gun. It’s been a bizarre, trying year. But we came out on the right end of it. These kids came through with flying colors. This is the one that matters. My great grandfather played here, my grandfather played here … my son’s the fifth generation (Kropka) to play here.

“I told these kids, this is special and it takes special performances to win this game.”