Watkins Memorial’s right tackle weighed more than Chillicothe’s two inside linebackers combined. The Warriors used that offensive line advantage to rush for almost 300 yards and wear down a valiant Cavalier defense for a 26-14 win in Licking County.
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The Warriors handed the ball to junior Parker Hill (6’0 and 195) 41 times for 260 yards and three touchdowns, as Hill consistently ran off tackle and tight end.
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Chillicothe’s defense has been their strength early this year but WM pounded the ball mixed in with 14 passes to out gain the Cavaliers 375 to 140 yards.
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The Cavs had an early chance to go on top when they stopped the Warriors on the WM 40 on a fourth and one. Chillicothe immediately drove to a first and goal at the seven yard line, but netted zero yards in three plays. A 26 yard field goal was wide and WM regained the momentum.
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The Warriors responded with an 80 yard drive to score first on a 12 yard Hill run. Watkins threatened late in the half but a Kam Smith interception stopped the Warriors before half and kept the Cavaliers down only 6-0 at intermission.
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A short lightning delay held the game up, but WM resumed with back to back touchdown drives of 65 and 72 yards. The Warriors took a 19-0 lead with under a minute left in the third quarter.
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Chillicothe gained life in the final seconds of the third period, using a kickoff return by Smith and a quick 39 yard touchdown pass from a Christian Benson to Logan Snowden to make it 19-7 heading to the final 12 minutes.
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The teams traded fourth quarter scores, with Benson going in from 2 yards out for the Cavs touchdown.
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Benson passed for a season high 102 yards on 7-15. Sophomore Hunter Thomas was held to only 18 yards rushing after 166 last week. On a positive note Chillicothe’s offense did not have a single turnover after losing the ball 10 times in the first two games.
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The Cavaliers fall to (1-2) and return home to face Columbus Centennial next Friday night.
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