By Jesse Swafford | CSwaff Media
Photography by Jesse Swafford | CSwaff Shots
UNION CITY, Ohio — Tri-Village wasted little time taking control Friday night.
The Patriots scored less than 30 seconds into the game, put 34 points on the board in the opening quarter and never looked back, rolling past Mississinawa Valley 61-0.
Tri-Village improved to 6-0 with the victory, while Mississinawa Valley fell to 0-6.
The Patriots dominated on both sides of the football, producing explosive plays through the air and on the ground while holding the Blackhawks to just one first down for the entire game.
Tri-Village started with excellent field position after Griffin Richards returned the opening kickoff to the Mississinawa Valley 35-yard line.
Staley Colston quickly moved the Patriots to the 1 before quarterback Brecken Gray connected with Richards for a 1-yard touchdown pass. The extra point gave Tri-Village a 7-0 lead with 11:35 still remaining in the first quarter.
It was only the beginning.
Colt Camacho broke free for a 20-yard touchdown run with 6:48 remaining in the first. The extra point was blocked, but the Patriots had extended their advantage to 13-0.
Colston found the end zone less than three minutes later, scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run. The extra point pushed the lead to 20-0 with 4:27 remaining in the opening quarter.
Tri-Village’s defense needed only 13 seconds to add another score.
Aaron Bruner intercepted a Mississinawa Valley pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown, and Owen Ridout converted the extra point to make it 27-0.
The Patriots weren’t finished with the first quarter.
Gray connected with Kingston Shafer for a 60-yard touchdown pass, sending Tri-Village into the second quarter with a commanding 34-0 advantage.
The explosive plays continued in the second.
Gray found Richards for a 62-yard touchdown pass with 9:08 remaining in the half. The extra point was no good, leaving the Patriots ahead 40-0.
Less than three minutes later, Colston broke loose for a 62-yard touchdown run. Ridout’s extra point extended the advantage to 47-0 with 6:26 remaining before halftime.
Ryker Marshall then joined the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown run at the 2:18 mark, sending Tri-Village into the locker room with a 54-0 halftime lead.
With a running clock in effect, the scoring slowed considerably after halftime.
Marshall scored his second touchdown of the night on a 19-yard run with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter. The extra point made it 61-0, and neither team scored again.
The Patriots’ defense continued to keep Mississinawa Valley off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, with Caleb Miller adding an interception.
By the final whistle, Tri-Village had produced touchdowns in nearly every way possible. Gray threw three touchdown passes, connecting twice with Richards and once with Shafer. Colston scored twice on the ground, Marshall added two rushing touchdowns, Camacho scored once and Bruner supplied a defensive touchdown with his 20-yard interception return.
Meanwhile, the Tri-Village defense allowed virtually nothing.
Mississinawa Valley managed only one first down against the Patriots, was held scoreless and turned the ball over multiple times.
It was the type of complete performance that left little doubt from the opening minutes.
Tri-Village scored 34 points in the first quarter and 54 before halftime, then closed out a 61-0 victory to move to 6-0.
Six games into the season, the Patriots remain unbeaten.
