No. 9 East Knox (7-4, 5-2) was fueled by a four touchdown performance by running back Blake Elliott, leading the Bulldogs to a 35-17 win over No. 8 Martins Ferry (5-6. 0-2) in the first round of the Division VI, Region 23 state football tournament.
Martins Ferry took a 3-0 lead on a 31-yard field goal with 8:58 left in the first quarter, and then jumped out to 10-0 on a 39-yard touchdown run with 1:16 left. With 2:55 left in the half, Lester took it in himself from 26 yards out. Elliott then ran it in from 16-yards out to give the Bulldogs a 14-10 lead.
With 7:42 on the clock in the third quarter, Lester hit Bracen Davis for a 52-yard pass to get the ball all the way to the one-yard line. Elliott plowed in for the score to put East Knox up 21-10. The Purple Riders made it a 21-17 game with a 50-yard touchdown run, but then with 8:19 left in the game Elliott ran it in for a one-yard touchdown. Elliott made it a 35-17 game with a 39-yard touchdown run and that would be the final.
Elliott had 27 carries for 185 yards and four touchdowns to lead the offensive surge for the Bulldogs. Lester carried the ball 11 times for 102 yards and a rushing touchdown. The quarterback was 7-for-11 for 138 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Davis caught four passes for 86 yards, Caden Wenger caught a 46 yard pass and Bryar Householder had a pair of catches for 25 yards.
Elliott had 18 tackles with one for a loss. Householder tallied nine tackles and a sack.
"We started out about the worst possible way postseason play can start with a turnover on the first possession of the game," Coach Andrew Beatty said. "Before we knew it we were down 10-0. However, these young men from East Knox are used to adversity and working through problems not running from them. We put together a nice drive and punched the touchdown in with a nice run by quarterback Jax Lester. On the ensuing kick off, we executed an onside kick to perfection and we were able to drive the ball down and score again right before halftime. To go into half up 14-10 was a huge momentum shift. In The second half we were able to clearly establish our identity and run game as Blake Elliott scored three of his 4 touchdowns in the second half."
It has been a huge season for Elliott, who now has 1,321 yards and 18 touchdowns, running at a 7.22 yard per carry clip. Lester reached 400 rushing yards in the win. He also has thrown for 1,295 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine picks. Davis now has 47 catches for 726 yards and nine scores.
"I’m proud of the young men for the way they carried the game on their shoulders and repeatedly did what winners do," said Coach Beatty. "To watch them with through adversity in the game and do things the EK WAY was very encouraging, and not just as their coach, but as a father, pastor, and community member. The EK WAY was on full display."
East Knox has the task of taking on the undefeated No. 1 Garaway Pirates (11-0, 5-0) in the Regional quarterfinals on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. The Pirates beat No. 16 Rock Hill 45-7 in the first round.
