Big Red Airs It Out In Bounce-Back Win
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STEUBENVILLE -- It became clear from early in Friday's contest that visiting Buffalo Health Sciences wanted to take away Big Red's potent run game.
What the Falcons did not account for, however, was Big Red's passing game can make plays, too.
With the box loaded up most of the night to slow down the run, senior quarterback Santino Haney and six different receivers took full advantage, the Big Red defense made some big plays of its own and it all culminated in a 35-8 bounce-back win inside Harding Stadium.
"It was a great night," Big Red head coach Reno Saccoccia said. "We didn't turn the ball over, we didn't have very many penalties, we just played really good, disciplined football and anytime you do that, you have a good chance to be successful. We took advantage of a couple turnovers, overall it was just a really good night.
"They had nine guys in the box to stop the run and they forced us to throw the ball, so that's what we did and we were able to have success with it. I'm really happy with the way we played."
Haney went 14 of 16 for 236 yards and three touchdowns while only playing one snap after halftime, Kaiden Anderson, Stephen McShan and Quintavius West each hauled in a touchdown pass and Landon Crosier ran for a score and returned an interception for another to lead the effort.
With the win, Big Red improves to 6-2.
"I want to congratulate our players for bouncing back. We stuck together and got a very good win tonight," Saccoccia said. "Now we have to keep it going and get ready for next week."
Steubenville finished the night with 270 passing yards and eight different players catching a pass.
McShan led the receiving effort with four catches for 37 yards and a score, while West hauled in two passes for 43 and a score and Anderson had two grabs for 91 yards, including a 59-yard catch-and-run for a score.
Crosier, who ran the ball twice -- a key fourth down conversion and a 6-yard score -- and caught two passes, had a big game on defense. His interception return of 50-plus yards on the last play of the second quarter was the highlight, but he also had a big sack on a fourth down and another key tackle for loss.
West also had an interception, Nathan Spencer had two TFLs, Qwanell Harper forced a fumble and Kyler Snyder recovered it as Steubenville finished with a 3-0 margin in the turnover battle.
After the defense got a stop on the opening Buffalo HSA (3-3) drive of the game, the Big Red offense went on an 11-play march the other way, seven of which were passes, capped by a Haney 13-yard strike to McShan in the end zone.
The defense forced a turnover on downs in the red zone on the next Falcons drive, and four plays later West hauled in a 35-yard TD pass from Haney to double the lead.
On the next Steubenville drive, the run game started to get going as Crosier converted a fourth down and then, after Colton Henderson got the ball inside the 10, Crosier capped it with a 6-yard power run across the goal line with 54 seconds left before halftime.
He then stepped in front of a Dominik Wakefield pass pass with no time left on the clock and returned it all the way, eluding tacklers and finding his way back into the end zone to make it 28-0 at halftime.
On the first snap of the third quarter, Haney hit a wide-open Anderson well behind everyone and he hauled it in and went all the way to score, quickly starting the running clock.
The clock stayed running until BHSA's Arieun Stevens (74 yards on 12 carries) scored on a 15-yard run late in the fourth quarter.
NOTES
• Joe Eitel's rankings had Steubenville now leading the Division III, Region 11 standings as of Friday night and labeled in control of its own playoff destiny.
• Prior to the game, players, coaches and volunteers from the youth flag football program were recognized.
• Senior members of the "Best Band in Buckeye Land" were honored at halftime.
UP NEXT
Big Red is back at home next week for a big match up with Division II power Columbus St. Francis DeSales.