The winning formula stayed the same for Doug Pryor’s Chillicothe Cavaliers in a solid 35-7 win in Greenfield on Friday.
Again, the Cavs used a couple big first half plays, took a while to establish things and then came out on fire after intermission to put the game away.
The fireworks started quickly for the Cavs when senior Joel Barnes returned the opening kickoff 84 yards for a score and a 7-0 lead before anyone had sat down.
McClain answered by stopping Chillicothe on their next series and taking over on downs at midfield. The Tigers gained momentum on the ground and tied the game when Andrew Potts ran in from one yard out.
It was again Barnes striking quick when he grabbed a Kam Smith pass and went 31 yards to put the Cavs back up 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Chillicothe sputtered until they began their biggest drive of the night at their 45 with a little over two minutes left in the half. Smith hit his second TD pass with just 30 seconds left, hitting Isaac McCory on a tight end throwback from 13 yards out. Coffland’s kick made it 21-7 at intermission.
The third quarter once again was dominated by the Cavs. Sticking to their running game, Tylin Scales carried five straight times going 55 yards with a 14 yard scamper finishing the drive for the score.
Xavier Doss picked off a Tiger pass on the ensuing possession setting up a quick Cavs score on a 57 yard drive in four plays. This time, Hunter Thomas rambled three times for 42 yards. Smith then ran a perfect play action and hit Jaiden Cain from 15 yards out to make it 35-7 with still 7 minutes left in the third period.
The Cavalier defense dominated the second half holding the Tigers to just a couple first downs. McClain wound up with 104 yards in offense, with 53 of that on their one scoring drive.
Chillicothe finished the game with 300 total yards. The Cavs rushed for 217 and threw for 83.
Scales and Thomas got the running game going with Thomas gaining 80 yards and Scales 64 with a TD.
Smith hit 6-9 throws that included three scoring passes on the night. Barnes was again “Big Play Barnes” with his kickoff TD return and 31 yard touchdown reception.
Again the biggest negatives for the Cavaliers was the slow start and 10 penalties. The Cavs will have to cut down on penalties as they prepare to host Miami Trace and Jackson.
Chillicothe moves to (3-1, 3-0) while McClain falls to 0-4. The Cavaliers return home to host Miami Trace next Friday. The Panthers suffered their first loss , losing to undefeated Jackson.