HOWARD — The Danville High School football team did all it could do to keep its playoff hopes alive on Saturday night, unfortunately the outcome was not in its hands alone. The Blue Devils needed a win versus its biggest rival, the East Knox Bulldogs, which it got, and some help from Fisher Catholic, which it didn’t.
Danville escaped Chet Looney Stadium with a 14-13 win in the annual Devil-Dog game but came up short in their playoff run.
“We knew they could run the football,” said Danville head coach Charlie Duncan. “They have been powering the ball all year long. We knew we had to step up tonight, and we did. It was a great team effort.”
East Knox (4-6, 3-4 Mid-Buckeye Conference) jumped out first, scoring on a Steven Lilley 7-yard run. The extra point failed and East Knox took a 6-0 lead. Danville (5-5, 3-4 MBC) was stalled by the Bulldogs for nearly the entire first half. The Blue Devils amassed three turnovers in the first half alone.
Quarterback Gatlin Ridgway threw three first-half interceptions as East Knox’s defense proved quite the challenge for the Blue Devils. Danville did not threaten until 26 seconds left in the half when it finally got the offense it needed. Senior Nash Helms capped a five-play drive with an 8-yard run. The drive was made possible by a big interception from Ridgway, who stepped up on the defensive end of the ball.
“We needed this game, and went out and got it,” said Ridgway. “The seniors came up big when we needed to, and we weren’t going to let this game go.”
The score was knotted at 6 at halftime, and the second half started much the same way as the first. Both teams came out strong on defense and took turns feeling each other out in their first possessions. East Knox struck first when Nick Kidd smashed the ball in the end zone on a 2-yard run. The Bulldogs tacked on the extra point and took a 13-6 lead.
Danville did not let the Bulldogs enjoy the lead for long, however, and answered back on its very next possession. After eight straight rushing plays, the Blue Devils finally made good on the passing game. Ridgway found junior Cody Sloan in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass, putting the Blue Devils with a decision to make. By kicking the extra point, they could tie the game and hope to hold the Bulldogs and score again, or they could go for the two-point conversion and take a one-point lead. It took all of two seconds for the decision to be made. Ridgway took the snap and rushed to the near side for the two-point conversion giving the Blue Devils the 14-13 lead.
“It was a good one,” said Duncan. “The seniors really stepped up in this game. Our defense held them when we needed them to, and they did everything we talked about doing. This is a big rivalry, so it feels really good to get the win.”
“It was a good game but we are disappointed,” said East Knox head coach Tom Holton. “I wish we could have sent our seniors out with a win; they deserved it. Now we just have to get back to work for next year. I am looking forward to that.”
Danville was led by its three top notch runners as Ridgway had 13 carries for 75 yards, Helms rushed 11 times for 88 yards and a score, and freshman Heath Buckingham carried 13 times for 47 yards.
East Knox was led by seniors Lilley and Kidd. Lilley led all rushers on the night with 26 carries and 92 yards, and Kidd ran 16 times for 56 yards.
Danville’s playoff hopes ended with the game as Fisher Catholic, who Danville beat earlier in the season, fell to Grandview Heights, 47-6. A win would have given the Blue Devils enough of a boost in the computer rankings to go from ninth to eighth place.
