HOWARD — Johnstown had the knack of holding onto the ball on a wet Friday night at East Knox, and did not turn over the ball once in beating the host Bulldogs, 17-0.
The Johnnies (4-5, 3-3) had 324 total yards to 208 for East Knox (2-7, 2-4), but the Bulldogs made 14 first downs to only nine for Johnstown. East Knox had a rough going in the running game, gaining only 66 yards on 34 carries, but ceded the battle for field position for much of the game. The Bulldogs also committed three turnovers, one which led directly to a Johnnie touchdown.
The first quarter saw both teams getting used to the rough field conditions, and no points were scored. Johnstown finally reached inside the East Knox red zone in the second quarter, but stalled, leading to a 25-yard Patrick Benton field goal with 7:57 to play. After a stalled Bulldog drive, the Johnnies got the ball back deep in their own territory. Reed Franklin, however, made the play of the game for Johnstown, breaking loose from the East Knox defense and racing 75 yards for the game’s first touchdown and a 10-0 lead with 3:21 to play in the half.
East Knox threw a pair of interceptions in the third quarter to stifle its offense even further. The Bulldogs had their finest drive of the game, reaching the Johnnie 15 yard line, but threw an interception to negate the drive. Later in the quarter, East Knox was throwing again, but the pass landed in the hands of Franklin, who took the ball 37 yards for a 17-0 lead with 4:16 left. Johnstown’s defense held East Knox in check to preserve the shutout.
Franklin and Tony Stanley each ran for 122 yards for the Johnnies, Franklin on six carries and Stanley on 25. Riley Cannon completed 3-of-7 passes for 56 yards, with Taylor Atwood catching a 35-yard pass. Devin Wears had 12 carries for 53 yards for the Bulldogs, and also had the game’s longest reception, a 66-yarder on the failed third-quarter drive. Tyler Clement was 6-of-19 for 142 yards.
East Knox will conclude the season on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Danville in the annual Devil-Dog Game.
