FREDERICKTOWN — Playing their first game as the No. 1 seed in Division V Region 19, the Fredericktown Freddies answered some critics and lived up to their billing on Friday night.

Fredericktown jumped ahead, 14-0, in the first three-plus minutes and cruised past the visiting Caldwell Redskins, 47-7. With the win, the Freddies advanced to the regional semifinal, where they will face Wheelersburg, a 52-42 winner over Monroe Central.

“This is great for our seniors; to get a win like this in their last game on this field, it is something they will always remember,” said Fredericktown coach Luke Beal. “This is also great for the program. Our fans have been out here since [Thursday] getting ready. It was just a great atmosphere. I’m really excited by how the kids played.”

From the start, Caldwell (8-3) was little match for Fredericktown (11-0). Freshman Matt Smith returned the opening kickoff 52 yards to set the Freddies up at the Redskins’ 35. A 24-yard run by Tony Lybarger quickly moved the ball into the red zone, and four plays later, C.J. Ruhl busted across the goal line on a fourth-and-2 play. Branden Smith’s kick made it a 7-0 game with 9:53 on the clock.

“We came out and got off to a fast start,” said Beal. “We had preached all week that we wanted to get off to a fast start. We wanted to capture the momentum early, and of course we got the big kickoff return and were able to score right away.”

Caldwell went three-and-out on its first drive, losing running back Seth Todd to injury on the first play. A short punt gave Fredericktown the ball inside the 50 once again. Starting at the 43, Austin Hoeflich rambled 18 yards on the first play from scrimmage, and quarterback Thomas Hinkle found a seam on the second, racing 25 yards for the score. Smith’s kick was good and Fredericktown led, 14-0, just over three minutes into the game.

An interception of Dylan Sayre by Nathan Cubbage stopped the Redskins’ next drive, but Fredericktown failed to capitalize after driving down to the 13-yard line. A sack of Hinkle by Cody Morris for an 8-yard loss set up a fourth-and-17 play from the 22. Hinkle hit Hoeflich with a screen, but gained only 14 yards, and the Redskins turned the ball back over at the 8.

Caldwell moved the ball out to the 31 on successful running by Bobby Snodgrass, but a tackle for a loss by Lybarger forced another punt. Fredericktown finished the quarter by moving the ball to the 14-yard line; five plays into the second quarter, Smith kicked a 25-yard field goal to make it a 17-0 game.

The teams traded the ball for much of the rest of the quarter before the Freddies got another break. Taking over at the Caldwell 35, Hinkle picked up a 13-yard gain on second down and Hoeflich picked up a couple more to move the ball to the 20. After getting no gain on second down, Hinkle hit Lybarger with a deep pass for another touchdown. Smith’s kick made it a 24-0 game at the break.

“Defensively, we knew we had a challenge, but I think our kids rose to the challenge and we played pretty solid defense the whole game,” said Beal. “We felt pretty good when we got the score right before the half and went up by 24. The way our defense was playing, we felt comfortable.”

One of Caldwell’s biggest problems in the first half was the Freddies’ starting field position. Fredericktown started with the ball in its territory only three times in the first half, with its worst field position being its own 40.

“When they start their first drive at the 35, and score two touchdowns in the first four minutes, it’s tough,” said Caldwell coach Mike DeVol. “We continued to play on our side of the field the entire first half, and when that happens, you are not going to have a great deal of success.”

In the second half, Caldwell did a better job of making the Freddies work for their points, although the Redskins had no real way to stop them. Fredericktown drove 70 yards on its first drive of the third quarter. Hinkle completed a 40-yard pass to Nathan Cubbage for another score, and Smith’s kick made it 31-0. Hinkle was shaken up on the play and returned only briefly, but Beal said that was only precautionary and Hinkle should be fine next week.

Caldwell continued to struggle to put anything together offensively, while Fredericktown made good on its opportunities. Smith capped the Freddies’ next drive with a 35-yard field goal to push the lead to 34-0 after three.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Tyler Hathaway, who was playing quarterback in place of Hinkle, made his way through the Caldwell defense for a 47-yard touchdown run. Hathaway was called for unsportsmanlike conduct at the end of the run due to celebration, but Smith still nailed the 35-yard extra-point attempt.

The Redskins began to move the ball with much of the Fredericktown second team in. Behind the running of Sayre, Snodgrass and Tyler Schockling, Caldwell moved into the red zone for the first time on the night. Facing a fourth-and-2 from the 8, DeVol gave the ball to Schockling, who was stopped by the Fredericktown defense at the goal line for no gain.

The momentum gained on that play carried over on the offensive side of the ball for the Freddies. Smith, now playing tailback, took the handoff from Ryan Logan and broke down the sideline for a 92-yard touchdown score on the first play. The kick failed, leaving the Freddies ahead, 47-0, with 5:37 left.

“That was a nice way to finish off our scoring,” said Beal. “Matt, for a freshman, is such a tremendous athlete. You get him the ball, and at any point on the field, you don’t know what is going to happen. That was great for him to be able to score in a playoff game.”

Caldwell responded with another strong drive, one that ended with a touchdown. Starting at their own 15, the Redskins moved the ball 85 yards on six plays, the biggest being a 61-yard run by Sayre. He was taken down at the goal line to set up a first-and-goal, but took the keeper on the next play to break the goose egg. Schockling’s extra-point attempt was good for the final, 47-7.

“We’ve played together as a team all year. They held it together and got better as the game went on,” DeVol said. “Even though the score doesn’t indicate it, I’m extremely proud of the character that they showed and the team effort that they gave. ... We didn’t get down; we didn’t quit.”

The Freddies will now turn their sights to the Wheelersburg Pirates, who are no strangers to the Freddies. The two teams met in the regional semifinal in 2007, with Fredericktown earning the victory in overtime. Beal knows his team must play well if it wants to advance.

“Everything is going to continue to get tougher,” said Beal. “The one thing about our kid all season is that they’ve risen to the challenge. That’s our theme. We’ll continue to rise to the challenge and continue to improve. We want to be a better team next week than we were this week.”

The game will be played Friday at 7:30 p.m.; the site will be determined Sunday.