FREDERICKTOWN — The Fredericktown defense held Danville in its own end for most of the game on Friday, allowing the Freddie offense to utilize short drives to post a 51-6 Mid-Buckeye Conference victory.
“Early on, it was of those typical Danville-Fredericktown games,” said Freddie coach Luke Beal. “Danville really played well defensively, and it seemed like it was going to be a low-scoring game. Our offense really got going in the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter, and we started to get some rhythm going. Austin Hoeflich had a good game for us at the fullback position. ... Our defense played well early, and was able to get the ball back to our offense. ... We’re getting good (defensive) play from a variety of people, and we have to continue to improve on that in the second half.”
With C.J. Ruhl hurt in the game, Hoeflich turned in career-best performance for Fredericktown (5-0, 2-0), gaining 113 yards and scoring three touchdowns on 11 carries. Quarterback Thomas Hinkle did not have to carry the offense, and he finished 8-of-17 for 109 yards and a touchdown, although he did run for two scores. For the Blue Devils (0-5, 0-2), they averaged less than 2 yards per rush on 46 carries (64 yards), and completed only 5-of-19 passes for 97 yards while also throwing three interceptions.
The Freddies had a tough time getting on track in the first quarter, finally breaking through, 7-0, with 36 seconds to play on Hinkle’s 1-yard touchdown run. Fredericktown got the ball back early in the second quarter and Hinkle found Tony Lybarger for an open 33-yard touchdown pass with 10:07 left in the half for a 13-0 lead. After a Danville fumble, Hoeflich scored his first touchdown, a 6-yarder, with 8:31 left for a 19-0 lead. Hoeflich got the call again with 6:37 to play, and his 35-yard TD run put the Freddies on top 25-0. Another defensive stop gave the Freddies a short field, and Hoeflich found the end zone from 9 yards out for a 31-0 advantage. Fredericktown scored its fifth and last touchdown of the period on Hinkle’s 1-yard plunge at the 1:34 mark to go to halftime ahead 38-0.
The Freddies scored just one touchdown in the third quarter, fittingly on a 20-yard fumble return by Lybarger. With reserves in the game late, Matt Smith galloped for a 62-yard touchdown run with 4:53 to play in the fourth quarter for Fredericktown. The Blue Devils broke up the shutout with 2:53 on Zach Brewer’s 66-yard touchdown catch from Marcus Durbin.
Smith ran nine times for 85 yards for the Freddies, and Lybarger caught five passes for 50 yards. Heath Buckingham was held to 49 yards on 19 carries for Danville, and Brewer led the team with three catches for 87 yards.
Fredericktown will put its unblemished record on the line at Johnstown on Friday.
