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Martins Ferry Explodes In Third Quarter To Retain SPARKY Trophy

MARTINS FERRY -- The 123rd Bellaire-Martins Ferry football contest was a tale of two halves Friday inside the Dave Bruney Football Complex. After a first half filled with back-and-forth punches, it was the Purple Riders who kept up a barrage of haymakers, turning a 28-21 halftime lead into a dominant 54-21 final score to retain the SPARKY Trophy.

The Cox brothers played a heavy hand in the victory for Martins Ferry-- junior running back Walkquem Cox finished with a titanic 269 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground, while sophomore Jakori Cox plucked two interceptions on back-to-back plays in the third quarter-- and returned both for pick-sixes to near single-handedly pull his team away from the Big Reds.

"This senior group-- obviously my son’s in there-- I’ve known them all since they were little kids," Martins Ferry head coach Justin Kropka said after the game. "So, I honestly felt like this was the most important game I ever coached in my life.

"All those guys have talked about since the time they were six years old was bringing home that SPARKY trophy. That was ultimate to me, to get that and send these seniors out the way they ought to be sent out. And I just couldn’t be more thankful for this."

Friday's scoring started on the second play of the game-- the first dropback of the game for Bellaire. Big Reds quarterback Michael Dippel was hit climbing the pocket, the ball popping up out of his hand for a fumble-- and snatched out of the air by linebacker RJ Welshans, who raced 50 yards for an early defensive touchdown.

Bellaire answered back near the end of the first quarter. Kole Gonglik worked himself wide-open over the middle, where Dippel found him for a catch-and-run 37 yards to the end zone. The game was tied 7-7 going into the second frame, where the tug-of-war continued.

Walkquem Cox scored his first touchdown of the day on the first play of the period, bursting across the goalline from two yards out.

Bellaire tailback Trevor Dowery ripped off his biggest run of the game to tie the rivalry game back up, a 52-yard rocket up the middle just 13 seconds after Cox's score.

Cox found the end zone again just over a minute later, an impressive 38-yard score where the junior simply refused to be dragged down despite multiple efforts by the Big Reds.

The ensuing extra point, though, was blocked by Gavin Hibbitts, who was 3-3 on the day on extra points himself, putting Ferry ahead 20-14. Raekwon Pettigrew caught an 11-yard touchdown pass on a slant route to give Bellaire a 21-20 lead with two-and-a-half minutes left in the second quarter.

Ferry used up clock and marched down the field, quarterback Colby Kropka giving his team the lead again with a 1-yard QB sneak with 12 seconds before halftime. Cox punched in the two-point conversion attempt for a 28-21 showing.

Martins Ferry never looked back from there.

Cox started the second half with a 39- and a 14-yard run to get his team to the red zone, and scored from six yards out thereafter.

Then, it was time for the younger Cox to make his mark.

Tested down the sideline on a deep throw, Jakori Cox cradled the pass attempt for an interception, and wound his way back and forth across the field for a 75-yard touchdown return with just under nine minutes left in the third quarter.

The play was spectacular enough, but Cox had an encore in-store. Again in coverage against a deep throw down the opposite sideline for a true 50-50 jump ball, the sophomore ripped the ball away from the intended receiver and again embarked on a long, winding voyage for a 70-yard touchdown return to the elation of the onlooking Purple Rider faithful. The back-to-back pick sixes put Ferry ahead 47-21.

Walquem Cox punctuated the scoring outburst with a 54-yard touchdown rumble, his fourth touchdown of the game.

"I thought they would stack the box a little more early," Kropka said of Bellaire. "We were gonna try to use the passing game a little more than we did. But when they went to the three-man front, we just decided to go two tight ends and just kind of ride our horse all the way to the finish line. And Walkquem, you know, he’s been doing it for three years. It wasn’t a shock to me. If he gets lanes, he’s gonna wear you down."

With just under five minutes left in the third quarter, Ferry had put up a 26-point frame, and iced the game, which was played with a running clock the rest of the way. Both teams had pulled their starters late in the third.

"We had three big turnovers," Bellaire head coach Mark Bonar said. "The one to start the game, could have ended the game, but then our guys fought back, and we played a great first half, gave up a score right before half, which, it just happens. They’re a good team with a good running back and it kind of wore us down, but we had two plays that gave them other scores. So it just happens. We’re getting ready for the playoffs and we think we’ll be fine."

Indeed, both Martins Ferry (9-1) and Bellaire (6-4) had already qualified for the playoffs, both set to participate in OHSAA Division V, Region 17. Though official seedings have not yet been released, Martins Ferry is predicted to have a home game as the seventh seed, while Bellaire will hit the road as the 10th seed, according to JoeEitel.com.

Dowery was Bellaire's leading rusher with 118 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Gonglik caught three passes for 54 yards to lead the way through the air.

In the all-time rivalry, Martins Ferry now has 57 wins, Bellaire has 59, and there have been seven ties.

Martins Ferry 54, Bellaire 21

Bellaire 7 14 0 0 -- 21

Martins 7 21 26 0 -- 54

MF-Welshans 50 fumble return (Theaker kick)

B-Gonglik 37 pass from Dippel (Hibbitts kick)

MF-W. Cox 2 run (Theaker kick)

B-Dowery 44 run (Hibbitts kick)

MF-W. Cox 38 run (kick blocked)

B-Pettigrew 11 pass from Dippel (Hibbitts kick)

MF-Kropka 1 run (W. Cox run)

MF-W. Cox 6 run (run failed)

MF-J. Cox 75 interception return (kick missed)

MF-J. Cox 70 interception return (Theaker kick)

MF-W. Cox 54 run (Theaker kick)

RUSHING: Bellaire 31-128-td (Dowery 20-118-td; Shively 4-12; Dippel 4-1; Streshenkoff 2-4; Pettigrew 1-(-7)). Martins Ferry 31-337-5tds (W. Cox 20-269-4tds; Whetstone 5-26; Kropka 2-1-td; Sinkinson 2-0; Ball 1-42; Johnson Jr. 1-(-1)).

PASSING: Bellaire 6-13-107-2tds-2ints (all by Dippel). Martins Ferry 2-6-14 (Kropka 2-5-14, Lucas 0-1).

RECEIVING: Bellaire 6-107-2tds (Gonglik 3-54-td; Pettigrew 2-44-td; Scott 1-9). Martins Ferry 2-14 (Roby 1-20, W. Cox 1-(-6)).

FIRST DOWNS: Bellaire 11; Martins Ferry 13

PENALTIES: Bellaire 5-50; Martins Ferry 7-47

FUMBLES: Bellaire 2-2; Martins Ferry 1-1