By Jesse Swafford | CSwaff Media
Photography by Jesse Swafford | CSwaff Shots
BETHEL TOWNSHIP, OH — Friday night’s season opener between Tri-Village and Bethel was nearly three hours late getting started, but once the weather delay cleared, the Patriots came away with a 21-3 victory.
The game finally kicked off around 9:45 p.m. and finished just before midnight.
Neither team found the end zone in the opening quarter, with both defenses keeping the game scoreless through the first 12 minutes.
Patriots offense.
Tri-Village broke through in the second quarter when Colt Camacho took a handoff 61 yards for the game’s first touchdown. Owen Ridout’s extra point gave the Patriots a 7-0 lead.
Bethel responded with its only points of the night before halftime, connecting on a field goal as time expired to make it 7-3 at the break.
The second half belonged to Tri-Village’s defense. The Patriots forced multiple turnovers throughout the game, including a fumble that Hayden Hunt recovered and returned 25 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. Ridout’s extra point pushed the lead to 14-3.
Tri-Village added another touchdown in the fourth quarter when Camacho broke free for a 43-yard scoring run, completing his night with two touchdowns.
Camacho finished with 108 rushing yards on six carries, while also recording a team-high 17 tackles and six tackles for loss. Staley Colston added 73 yards on 15 carries for Tri-Village, and Swafford contributed 28 yards on seven carries.
Tri-Village totaled 258 yards of offense, with 212 coming on the ground. The Patriots completed 8 of 14 passes for 46 yards, with Brecken Gray going 7-of-11 for 39 yards and Swafford completing 1-of-3 for seven yards.
Bethel finished with 135 total yards, including 73 rushing yards on 40 attempts and 62 passing yards. The Bees managed 10 first downs and converted 2-of-10 third-down attempts.
The Bethel defense kept Tri-Village from finding much through the air and held the Patriots to 11 first downs overall, while the Bees’ offense struggled to consistently sustain drives against a Tri-Village defense that finished with 13.5 tackles for loss.
Tri-Village finished the night with five turnovers forced while committing five turnovers of its own. Bethel turned the ball over twice.
After a long wait to get the season underway, Tri-Village leaves with a 21-3 victory and opens the season 1-0 while Bethel falls to 0-1.
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