MANSFIELD, Ohio – At halftime on Friday night at STARTEK Stadium, the only thing not decided was Madison’s homecoming queen.
That’s because the home team owned a shocking 45-3 lead at intermission en route to a 59-10 upset of previously unbeaten Lexington.
“I thought our kids played a great game,” Madison coach Jamie Masi said. “Our coaches put us in great positions and our kids executed.”
The win evened Madison’s record at 3-3 overall, 2-1 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference. Lexington, which allowed more points in the first half than in its last three games combined, fell to 5-1 overall, 2-1 in the OCC.
“We didn’t come ready to play,” Lexington coach Taylor Gerhardt said. “We got our butts kicked. Madison came out and were more physical than us in every phase of the game.”
Too Much Tyrell: Madison junior Tyrell Ajian, a Division I recruit already offered by Notre Dame and Michigan, put his stamp all over the first half. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound speedster had 111 yards rushing on just five carries and caught two passes for 88 yards before halftime.
Ajian had three TDs in the first half – a 6-yard run, an 80-yard TD on a screen pass, and an 85-yard dash. He didn’t touch the ball on offense in the second half as the running clock quickened the game and the Rams went to their bench.
“It’s definitely in our plan each week to find ways to get Tyrell the ball more,” Masi said. “And if the other team does everything it can to stop him, it opens things up for our other guys. And we are blessed to have other guys who can take advantage of it.
“Even when Tyrell doesn’t have the ball in his hands, his presence dramatically effects the game.”
More Madison Offense: Junior quarterback Tristen Vail had a big night, completing 6 of 9 passes for 199 yards and three TDs – all in the first half. Senior receiver Billy Buckley caught four passes for 111 yards, including TDs of 15 and 47 yards. Buckley also hauled in a 50-yard pass on Madison’s first play from scrimmage.
Senior running back Kanyon Tackett finished with 104 yards on just six carries, including a 64-yard burst on Madison’s first possession of the second half.
“I thought Tristen played a really good game,” Masi said. “He got great protection and has a lot of talent around him with his receivers and running back. We executed well and that made this a fun game against a very well-coached Lexington team.”
Rams Defense: The Madison defense was stifling with the only Lexington touchdown coming on a 3-yard run by junior backup QB Logan Pifzenmayer. The Rams’ defense also rang up two pick-6s on returns of 37 yards by Tackett and 97 yards by junior Blake Densmore.
Lexington managed just 196 yards of total offense, compared to 444 for the Rams. Senior QB Joey Vore completed 13-of-30 passes for 87 yards with four interceptions. Junior running back Hunter Biddle, one of the area’s leading rushers, gained just 52 yards on 12 attempts.
“I thought our defensive coaches did a great job of making a pretty simple game plan look complicated on the field,” Masi said. “Our kids were really focused.”
The Queen: Senior Alexis Jackson was announced as the 2015 homecoming queen. Her court is comprised of Kaylie Baker, Paige Doklovic, Kaylee Howe and Olivia Rickert.
Next Up: It gets no easier for Lexington next week. The Minutemen host Wooster, 5-1 overall, 3-0 in the league after beating Clear Fork 41-7. Madison will travel to Clear Fork to take on the Colts (2-4, 0-3).
