The Chillicothe Cavaliers opened their season at Teays Valley and ran into a tough Viking defense that held the Cavs to only 137 total yards offense and forced 6 Chillicothe turnovers in a 14-0 shut out of the Cavs.
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It was a tough night for the Chillicothe offense and new head coach Doug Pryor. The Cavs lost their starting quarterback in the first period, their center in the second quarter, a guard in the second half, and two wide receivers were out often with cramping.
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Still the Cavs defense hung tough and saw several sophomores and a freshman step up and hold the Vikings scoreless in the second half. The Cavs forced two Viking fumbles on the evening.
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The offense stumbled most of the night, especially the passing game where TV picked off 4 Cavalier passes, three times inside the Viking 25, after TV turnovers. The bright spot for Chillicothe was the inside running of sophomore Hunter Thomas, who ran tough for 71 yards in 14 carries.
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The Viking offense came from two big pass plays in the first half from Tristan McDanel to speedy Dale Hubbard. Hubbard grabbed throws of 40 and 28 yards for a 14-0 TV halftime lead. McDanel was 8-13 passing for 111 yards and two touchdowns. McDanel ran the ball 24 times for 108 yards, as the senior signal caller ran or passed on 37 of the 52 Viking plays.
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Coach Doug Pryor was happy with the Cavalier defensive effort, especially the defensive front and linebackers. Pryor also was pleased with young Cavs who stepped in after a rash of injuries to several starters.
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Chillicothe opens their home schedule next Friday when Mifflin comes to the first capital. The Cavs hope to see some quick recovery from injuries to get ready for the Punchers.
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Listen to our News Radio WBEX replay of the Cavs at Teays Valley in our podcast link below...