Madeira Stops Zane Trace 28-19
Article presented by Scioto Valley Dumpsters
“You’re a select group that’ll never be on the field together again” Heath Hinton told his Pioneers after a season ending 28-19 loss to Madeira in the Division V, Region 20 Quarter Final.
Not since the 2015 season (12-1) had Zane Trace won 11 straight games and only the second time since the turn of the century.
The Pioneers shutout Madeira in the second half, but the challenge was overcoming the three Mustangs TD’s scored in the second quarter.
A minute before halftime, a Zane Trace fumble gave Madeira the ball near midfield. The Mustangs’ Conner Cravaak lunged across the goal line on a 19 yard pass with 13 seconds remaining to put his team ahead 28-13.
“We went back and forth in the first half” said Mustangs Coach Christopher Stewart. “They turned the ball over which gave us an extra possession to go down and score that touchdown to put us up by two scores.”
Daniel Barnhart punched in on a 2 yard run to put Zane Trace on the board first for a 6-0 lead. The point after hit the left upright and fell short.
Madeira answered nearly four minutes later with a 6 yard run by Nicholas Heisser. The PAT gave the Mustangs a 7-6 lead. The Mustangs scored again to start the second quarter on a 4 yard keeper by quarterback Peter Breidenbach for a 14-6 score.
The Pioneers finished off their next possession with a 4 yard run by Carter Langley to cut the lead to 14-13.
Madeira answered again with a 12 yard run by Maxwell Autry for a 21-13 advantage. The Pioneers were moving as the first half was closing, then came the turnover and Madeira got the extra opportunity. Just as ZT’s Hayden Brannigan was pressuring the quarterback, Breidenbach released a toss to Cravaak who dragged two Pioneers across the goal line.
“I thought our defense played really well in the second half” said Hinton. “I thought our kids really stepped up. We just weren’t able to make enough plays up front and enough plays on the defensive side in the first half. But a credit to our team, to our defense for holding them to a shutout in the second half. A great job by those guys.”
“They made some great adjustments” Stewart said of the Pioneers after the intermission. “Their kids came out and played tougher in the second half and made some good adjustments and held us in check the second half.”
Zane Trace came out strong in the third quarter, forcing the Mustangs to punt three times. The Pioneers got a 25 yard run up the gut by Barnhart to tighten the score to 28-19. In the fourth, they drove inside Madeira’s 15. The Mustangs got into the backfield and another fumble ended the final serious threat for Zane Trace.
Barnhart, the SVC Offensive Back of the Year, led all rushers with 133 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns. Autry gained 106 yards on 12 carries.
Madeira (11-1) faces Germantown Valley View (11-1) the top seeded team in Region 20 at a neutral site next weekend. For Zane Trace, an 11-1 mark included a Gold Ball for an undefeated Scioto Valley Conference season. They also landed several All-SVC Honors. In addition to Barnhart, Nalin Robinson was selected Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year and Carter Langley, Lane Stewart, Hayden Brannigan and Spencer Brower as First Team selections. (SEE THE ALL-SVC TEAM HERE)
