»PHOTOS: Ross beats Badin in OT
Badin jumped out ahead early, looking for the same result as last year’s 41-20 win over Ross. Badin built a 10-0 first quarter lead after a 5-yard touchdown rush by senior Marshall Flaig and a 35-yard field goal from junior Michael Schweinefuss.
In this rivalry game, Ross coach Kenyon Commins said his players often have jitters, which can lead to them playing from behind.
“That’s something we have to address,” said Commins. “I think that in the second half and towards the end of the first half, you can kinda see us start to wear on them a bit.”
Ross responded early in the second quarter with a 14-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback CJ Boze, set up by a 34-yard pass from Boze to junior Nathan Latimer.
Boze led the Ross ground game, thrashing Badin for 113 yards and a touchdown. Junior Jackson Gifford also contributed two rushing touchdowns, bulldozing through Badin defenders for over five yards per carry.
“For me, to watch Jackson run the ball and to see the way he has developed physically, is a very proud moment for me,” said Commins, a long-time friend of the Gifford family.
Ross gained its first lead in the third quarter after Gifford’s first touchdown. A missed extra point attempt kept the Ross lead to only a field goal, which proved to be important later.
Badin tied the game late in the fourth, capitalizing on a fumble deep inside Ross territory. Schweinefuss tied the game with his second field goal, this time a 22-yarder.
In overtime, Ross received the ball first and ran the ball five consecutive times for the score, this time a 6-yard run by Gifford. The PAT made it 20-13.
Zach Switzer connected with Alex DeLong on a 29-yard TD pass on fourth and 20 to get Badin within one point, but didn’t convert the PAT as Ross celebrated the season-opening win.
Ross hosts Monroe next Friday in the first game on its new turf field. Badin travels to Talawanda.
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