WEST ALEXANDRIA — The Twin Valley South football team won its homecoming game, 45-14, beating Cross County Conference opponent Mississinawa Valley on Friday, Sept. 30.
“We are real happy the kids played hard, they executed, and got results,” said South coach Clint Bartlett.
“Coming into the game knowing they had some good weapons, we were playing the game expecting them to throw the ball a lot, and we got on the board quickly,” he said. “Once we had the lead, we never gave it up and were able to build on it for the win.”
The Panthers’ first drive ended with a touchdown pass. Later in the first quarter, senior Troy Bowers picked off a Blackhawks’ pass and returned the ball for favorable field position. The next TVS drive was capped with an Andrew Augspurger touchdown run. After a third defensive stand, South came back and punched a third touchdown in to give themselves a 21-0 lead.
“Our defense played extremely well, while the offense was firing on all cylinders,” said Bartlett. “We didn’t turn the ball over, and that made it real easy to be able to execute.”
In the second quarter, South drove the ball with similar success, ending on a big run by senior Sammy Shockey who is back from an injury suffered earlier in the season. TVS scored a second touchdown in the quarter to push the lead to 35-0, but gave up a touchdown against MV before the halftime break.
South didn’t let up after emerging from the locker rooms. In the third quarter, they were able to score two more times. The first score came on a Ryan Bassler field goal, the other was the second Augspurger touchdown run of the night.
The fourth quarter was given to the Panthers’ backup to experience more playing time. The Blackhawks ended up scoring another touchdown before the game ended in favor of the home Panthers.
Mike Myers went 3-for-3 passing for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Augspurger led the ground game with 152 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns. Bassler had six carries for 66 yards and a touchdown, and Shockey contributed 58 yards on 10 carries. Jared Cottingim and Bowers combined for all three catches.
“Nice to have Shockey back,” said Bartlett of the senior running back. “It’s his senior year, and he was able to battle back from his injury to get himself back earlier than we anticipated. It’s just a credit to his work ethic.
“It was a great win for us to win homecoming for the seniors, but now we got to put this on the shelf and get ready for Bethel,” Bartlett said. “I know the coach real well, Scott Clodfelter, so we have to be ready.”
The game between the visiting Panthers and the host Bethel Bees will be held on Friday, Oct. 7. Both teams are 3-3 on the season, with South currently in fourth place with a 3-1 CCC record.
