MOUNT VICTORY — Ridgemont drew first blood, but Buckeye Central scored far more often to earn a 42-18 road victory on Friday night.
The Golden Gophers broke on top when Wade Gamble finished a march with a 2-yard plunge for a 6-0 edge.
But Derex Dean tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Trevor Kirgis. Dean’s conversion run put B.C. in front to stay at 8-6 early in the second quarter.
That opened the floodgates.
Dean finished with four TD passes, including another 28-yarder to Kirgis to make it 16-8. The Bucks’ QB found Manny Mullens for a 37-yard TD strike and tacked on a 9-yard touchdown run for a 30-6 bulge.
Gamble’s 3-yard scoring dive sliced the advantage to 30-12 with 1:32 showing in the half. However, that was too much time, as Dean connected with Heath Jensen on a 25-yard TD throw as the half ended to make it 36-12.
Manny Mullens got loose on a 30-yard touchdown dash in the third quarter, while Mason Howard’s 35-yard jaunt in the fourth period finished the scoring.
Dean was 6-of-12 passing for 142 yards and four touchdowns, while running for 44 yards and another score. Mullens ran for 108 yards and another TD. Kirgis caught three passes for 75 yards, including a pair of scores.
B.C. controlled the game statistically, too. The Bucks had the advantage in first downs (17-10), yards rushing (139-132), yards passing (142-0) and total yards (281-132).
Buckeye Central improves to 3-0 and hosts Seneca East on Friday night.
Ridgemont falls to 1-2 and travels to Crestline next week.
We want your feedback on the accuracy and quality of this article. Take a 1 minute survey and be registered to win a $25 Visa gift card.
For statewide results and expert analysis of the best teams and prep athletes in Ohio, sign up for our free newsletter. It’s required reading for high school sports fans. This news brief was powered by ScoreStream and Lede AI, the world leaders in fan-driven sports results. To see more game results from your favorite team, download the ScoreStream app today.
