COLUMBUS, Ohio– The Anderson Raptors beat the Big Walnut Golden Eagles by a score of 29-22 on Friday night. Anderson jumped out to a quick 13-0 lead after the first quarter and extended the score to 23-8 at halftime. Big Walnut put together a 14-point fourth quarter but fell just short in their comeback bid.
Brayden Moore got the scoring started with an eight-yard touchdown catch from Owen Scalf near the midway point of the first quarter. Jordan Davis then scored on a one-yard run to make the score 13-0 with 15 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Big Walnut responded early in the second quarter with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Eli Stumpf to Nolan Buirley. Buirley rushed in the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 13-8. Maddux Snider converted on a 28-yard field goal to push the lead up to 16-8. Scalf found Cooper Kathman for a one-yard touchdown as time expired to give the Raptors a 23-8 lead at halftime.
The third quarter was scoreless from both sides. Buirley caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Stumpf to make it a 23-15 score with 8:40 remaining in the game. Anderson went on a lengthy drive and got some breathing room when Davis scored from five yards for his second touchdown of the night. The Golden Eagles responded very quickly with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Stumpf to Gavin Harrington with 1:40 left to go in regulation, but it was a little too late. Anderson held on and advanced to the State Championship for the second season in a row.
Scalf finished with 296 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Cooper Kathman and Brayden Moore were the recipients with one touchdown catch each. Kathman caught 11 passes for 118 yards. Jordan Davis had 68 total yards (48 receiving, 20 rushing) and two rushing touchdowns. Antwoine Higgins and Brayden Black each had an interception.
Stumpf finished with 236 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Buirley caught two of those touchdowns, while Harrington caught the other one. Owen Pollock had 84 receiving yards on just three receptions. Brady Taylor had an interception while Landen Doan recovered a fumble for the Golden Eagles. Eli Helton led the team with 13 tackles on the night.
Big Walnut ends the season at 12-2 overall. Anderson improves to 14-0 and will advance to the State Championship against Avon.
Written by Eli Altherr