Utica 34, Fredericktown 20
Justin Giffin was a force in the backfield for Utica (2-1, 0-0), galloping around the field to lead a rushing attack that amassed a total of 260 yards to help beat the Fredericktown Freddies (1-2, 0-0) on Friday night.
The Freddies got on board first with a 28-yard run to go up 7-0, but Hayden Piper tied it up 7-7 on a two-yard run. Fredericktown took a 13-7 lead on an Elijah Roush touchdown run of five yards, but Piper responded with a score from a yard out to make it 13-13 at the end of the first, which would be the halftime score.
In the third quarter, Giffin scored on a 30-yard run to make it 19-13, but the Logen Fisher kick was off target. The Freddies responded with a rushing touchdown of seven yards and a good PAT to make it 20-19, but Giffin responded with an eight-yard touchdown run. Anthony Roenker completed the two-point conversion to make it 27-20. Gavin Chinn capped off the scoring for the Redskins in the fourth quarter with a 40-yard catch from Piper. Fisher nailed the extra point to make it a 34-20 game, securing the win.
Giffin had 25 carries for 181 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win. Piper also had two rushing touchdowns, going for 65 yards on 15 carries. In the air Piper was also dominant, going 10-for-14 with a touchdown pass. His number one target was Gavin Chinn, who caught eight passes for 114 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, Aidyn Burgess tallied seven tackles with two for a loss and one sack. Piper had an interception and four tackles.
For the Freddies, Blake Sipes had 21 carries for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Roush had 10 carries for 45 yards. The team rushed for a total of 220 yards. Sipes was 5-for-15 passing for 56 yards and an interception. Gavin Toombs and Trevor Bellman caught two passes a piece, for 28 and 20 yards respectively. Defensively for the Freddies, Cirk Parker had 15 tackles and a sack. Recording half-sacks were Lane Warner and Nick McFerren.
