SOUTH POINT — I guess you could say the Coal Grove Hornets know how to pick 'em.
Fresh off a bye week, the Hornets defense completely shut down South Point's aerial attack with 6 interceptions to help Coal Grove shutout the Pointers 43-0 in an Ohio Valley Conference game on Friday night at Alumni Stadium.
In total, four different Hornets came up with a turnover, with Kaden Murphy on the receiving end of three of those interceptions. The juniors' final one came in the fourth quarter when he returned for a touchdown. Leland McKnight, Derik Bloomfield, and Brayden Young all were able to pick off a pass to aid in the shutout victory.
Offensively, the Hornets only amassed 189 yards on the ground, but it was the usual suspects leading the way.
Murphy led all rushers with 83 yards, but found the end zone 3 times. Murphy also went over the 1,000 yard mark for rushing on the season. Fullback Caden Turner finished the game with 78 yards and 2 scores on the ground.
The win moves the Hornets to 3-1 overall and 3-1 in the OVC. The Pointers fall to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in league play.
Coal Grove took the opening drive and used up 9 plays to score the games' first points. Facing a 4th-and-6 at the South Point 10, Murphy took a handoff to his left, found a cutback lane to his right and scampered across the goal line for the touchdown. He proceeded to run in the two-point conversion to give the Hornets an 8-0 lead.
South Point marched down the field using a little bit of everything, as Brayden Hanshaw completed his first 5 passes and Landon Vance carried the ball four times to move the Pointers to the Coal Grove 9. However, a holding penalty pushed the Pointers backwards and Hanshaw's fourth down pass was completed to Caesyn Pope, but he was tackled at the 2.
The Hornets moved the ball out to the 34 before Murphy was stripped on a second down run and the Pointers fell on the loose ball.
But Murphy quickly made up for the miscue, picking off a pass on the ensuing play and returning it to the South Point 42.
The Hornets needed just eight plays to convert the turnover into points. The drive was highlighted by a second down run by Murphy where he gained the first 6 yards on his own, and then his offensive line helped lead a "rugby scrum" to push the tailback another 6 yards for a first down. Then two plays later, Rylan Smith picked up another first down on a 9-yard keeper.
Murphy finished off the drive, by pin-balling off several defenders the final 4 yards for the score. The conversion run failed, leaving the score at 14-0 with 2:57 remaining before halftime.
The Coal Grove defense started the third quarter with another turnover, this time it was Leland McKnight who made a leaping interception on the second play of the half.
Two plays later, Murphy went north-and-south on a second down run for a 28-yard score to stretch the Hornets lead out to 20-0 with 10:53 in the third quarter.
On the ensuing possession, defensive end Derik Bloomfield, sniffed out a screen pass for his first interception and ran it back to the South Point 18.
Three plays later, Turner negotiated the final 8 yards as he carried two defenders into the end zone with him. McKnight hit Klaiber for the two-point play to make it 28-0.
Later in the third, McKnight found Klaiber on a rollout for a 21-yard completion on first down, and two dead ball penalties pushed the Hornets deeper into South Point territory. Then on the next play, Turner bulled his way through two tacklers and scooted into the end zone for his second score of the night. McKnight called his own number on the conversion and ran it in to give the Hornets a 36-0 lead with 3:25 remaining in the third frame.
Murphy added the exclamation point on the defensive side of the ball, as he picked off another pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown. Bloomfield split the sticks on the extra point to give the final score of 43-0.
Hanshaw finished the game 17 of 35 passing and 120 yards through the air.
Coal Grove will be on the road next Friday against Fairland. South Point will host Portsmouth.
Coal Grove 8 6 22 7 = 43
South Point 0 0 0 0 = 0
First Quarter
CG — Kaden Murphy 10 run (Murphy run), 5:46.
Second Quarter
CG — Kaden Murphy 4 run (run failed), 2:57.
Third Quarter
CG — Kaden Murphy 28 run (pass failed), 10:53.
CG — Caden Turner 8 run (McKnight pass to Klaiber), 7:26.
CG — Caden Turner 20 run (Leland McKnight run), 3:25.
Fourth Quarter
CG — Kaden Murphy 34 interception return (Derik Bloomfield kick), 7:05.
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CG SP
First downs 15 11
Rushes-yards 32-189 10-22
Passing yards 25 120
Total yards 214 142
Cmp-Att-Int 2-4-1 17-35-6
Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties-yards 4-35 11-107
Punts-average 0-0.0 1-42.0
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Individual Leaders
RUSHING–Coal Grove: Brayden Young 2-18, Rylan Smith 1-9, Braydon Klaiber 2-3, Kaden Murphy 14-83 3TD, Caden Turner 12-78 2TD, Team 1-minus 2; South Point: Brayden Hanshaw 6-24, Landon Vance 2-0, Isaiah Traylor 2-minus 6.
PASSING–Coal Grove: Rylan Smith 0-0, Leland McKnight 4-5-1 24; South Point: Brayden Hanshaw 17-35-5 120, Kamren Miller 0-1-1 0.
RECEIVING–Coal Grove: Rylan Smith 0-0, Braydon Klaiber 0-0, Kaden Murphy 0-0; South Point: James Carey 4-31, Steeler Waulk 2-20, Ayyden Collins 2-12, Landon Vance 2-17, Kamden Miller 1-2, Caesyn Pope 1-15.
MISSED FIELD GOALS–None.
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