WEST CHESTER, Oh. – On a cold and rainy evening, the undefeated Anderson Raptors and 8- 3 Trotwood-Madison Rams fought a tough, competitive game on Friday night, with the Raptors hanging on 38 to 7 over the Rams, moving them on to the DII OHSAA State semifinals for a third consecutive year.
For the second straight week, the Anderson Raptors found themselves down 7-0 early in the game, and never looked back, this time scoring all 38 points unanswered in a perfect offensive symphony, orchestrated by quarterback Owen Scalf, who threw for five touchdowns.
Despite the undesirable conditions for a majority of the first half, both the Raptors and Rams offenses utilized a heavy passing game, to mixed results for each. Betting on the arms of Scalf and Trotwood-Madison’s Dallas Shehee, both teams struggled to put together consistent drives throughout the opening acts of the game.
It took a majority of the first quarter for either side to find themselves in the red-zone, and it was the Rams who struck first; Shehee found his most dangerous wideout Armani Rodgers wide open in the endzone for the games first score.
The Raptors did not waste any time in their response, however, as the Anderson offense rolled right down the field on the Rams defense during the ensuring drive, and capped it off with a 40-
yard touchdown catch and run by Teagan Jallick on fourth down, tying the game up at seven-a-
piece early in the second quarter.
With the adverse weather conditions slowing down in the latter parts of the second half, both offenses began to find their rhythm. Trotwood Madison found success on the ground and through the air on two separate drives, but each time, the fabled Anderson defense was up to
the task, getting two fourth-down stops in their own red-zone.
One of those stops came at an important time for the Raptors, as after a Rams interception midway through the second quarter, the Shehee led offensive unit was driving. With momentum in the contest hanging in the balance, Reid Baker blew through for a huge sack, stopping the Trotwood offense.
Scalf and the Raptors offense did what they’ve done all season, turning a big play by their defense into a touchdown on an explosive play. This time, it was Tysin Weaver, who made an athletic play to catch the ball and dive for the pylon for a 40+ yard touchdown.
For the first time, Anderson had the lead and the momentum in the contest, and their defense followed it up with yet another huge stop.
After halftime, the Raptors found another gear offensively. Tailback Jordan Davis found a seam off the tackle and broke away for his longest run of the game, setting Anderson up inside the ten yard-line. From there, Scalf used his arm for another passing touchdown, this time to Cooper Kathman.
Down three scores, the Rams offense struggled to gain back the momentum they had early in the contest. Anderson’s defense was once again in lockdown mode, preventing any big plays through the air, and allowing minimal gains on the ground.
The first turnover of the night for Anderson came from a Mark Madden interception, as the defensive back took advantage of an underthrown Shehee deep ball, and easily made the catch to give the Raptors the football back in good field position.
Following the turnover, Anderson’s offense went right back to work, utilizing the quick-passing game and a hurry-up offense to wear down the Rams defenders, churning their way to the goal line, when Scalf found Tanner Holt out of the backfield for six more points. After the PAT,
Anderson had pushed their lead to four scores. While the lead for the Raptors was going to be a tough one to overcome for the Rams,
Trotwood-Madison’s team never gave up, finding success in the latter parts of the contest through the air.
As the fourth quarter wore on, Anderson got the ball back one last time, and continued to showcase why they are one of the most effective offenses in the state. Scalf dazzled once again, carving up the Rams secondary, and capped off his impressive night with his fifth touchdown, this time to Brayden Moore.
“I couldn’t have done it without my offensive line, said Scalf. “I just go out there and throw it to my receivers who make the play.”
After coming up just short of a State Championship last year, the Raptors motivation is clear; to get back to the championship and be just seven points better this year.
“It just means so much”, said Scalf. “We had so many early practices this year, just because we came up short (seven) points last year. This is awesome, the second one I’ve been a part of (winning the regional championship), and I’m looking to win more.”
Next week, the Raptors will square off in rematch against Big Walnut, who Anderson beat a year ago. in this same game, the DII state semifinals, 28-24.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Evan Dreyer, Anderson
SCORING BY QUARTERS
A: 7-7-14-10-38
TM: 7-0-0-0-7
SCORING PLAYS
TM: Armani Rogers 21 pass from Dallas Shehee (Rodgers kick)
A: Teagan Jallick 40 pass from Owen Scalf (Maddux Snider kick)
A: Tysin Weaver 23 pass from Scalf (Snider kick)
A: Cooper Kathman 11 pass from Scalf (Snider kick)A: Tanner Holt 6 pass from Scalf (Snider kick)
A: Maddux Snider 34 field goal
A: Brayden Moore 12 pass from Scalf (Snider kick)
RECORDS: Anderson (13-0), Trotwood Madison (8-4)
UP NEXT: Anderson vs, Big Walnut (12-1)
