HOWARD — East Knox Bulldogs running back Mason Lyon ran for 208 yards on 19 carries and a pair of touchdowns. Teammate Dylan Wears added four TDs of his own to lead East Knox to a 40-20 win over the visiting Utica Redskins in Mid-Buckeye Conference football action on Friday.
The penalty-filled game (East Knox East Knox rolled up 112 yards in penalties for the game. Utica had 95) featured a lackluster first half by the Bulldogs, who managed a score on a short run by Wears early in the game. Utica answered back with a Sam Pritchard touchdown catch of a Trent Vickers pass to give the Bulldogs a 7-6 lead.
The Redskins kept it close with a strong ball control game, keeping the ball for most of the second quarter. Their 26-play drive started on their own 17 but sputtered on the Bulldog 6-yard line. On fourth and goal, the Redskins missed a 23-yard field goal attempt.
“It’s been the same story,” said Utica coach Randy Felumlee. “We move the ball well. Our offense dominated the first half but we had six points to show for it.”
“I think this was a very close game,” said East Knox coach Calvin Hatfield. “This game was a battle. The scoreboard might look a little lopsided, but the game wasn’t at all.”
East Knox got the ball back and, powered by runs of 18 and 50 yards by Lyons, the Bulldogs drove to the Utica 25. On first down, quarterback Cody Howard hit Wears with a touchdown pass to give East Knox a 13-6 lead with a little over a minute to go in the half.
