Dover breaks into the win column with confidence-boosting victory
GNADENHUTTEN – It was the confidence booster they needed following back-to-back losses to start the season.
Still, the Dover Crimson Tornadoes didn't appear to be fully satisfied with their performance Friday night.
“I don’t think we played a great football game,” Dover head coach Dan Ifft said following his team’s 27-14 high school football win over Indian Valley. “We made a lot of mistakes. We had a lot of penalties. We killed a lot of drives.
“But I think they needed it for themselves. We had two hard battles (against Green and Canton South) and came away empty. So it’s always nice to get that first win and hopefully get on track.”
A 16-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Jack Judkins to junior slot receiver Daylen Clark gave Dover a 7-0 lead on the game’s first series.
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But the Crimson Tornadoes (1-2) went 3-and-out on their next series and turned it over on downs on their ensuing drive. They committed 10 penalties for 98 yards and had the game’s only turnover.
Sean Baumberger made the biggest play of the night for the Crimson Tornado offense.
With just under eight minutes left in the third quarter, Dover faced a fourth-and-20 from the Indian Valley 27.
Judkins, who threw for 223 yards, fired a high pass toward the left side of the end zone. Baumberger, a 6-foot senior, reached up with both hands and pulled it down away from a Brave defender for a touchdown. It gave Dover a 21-7 lead and stunned a standing-room capacity crowd.
“We just saw the coverage and it was there, so we took a shot,” said Baumberger, who also caught a 40-yard pass to set up Dover’s first touchdown.
“He’s got great hands, and he goes and gets the ball,” Ifft said. “The thing he does best is catch the ball in traffic. The catch down here was about as good of a high school catch as you’ll see. He went up and just took it.”
Friday’s matchup was the second consecutive year the two Tuscarawas County schools met following a 20-6 Dover victory at Crater Stadium in 2022. Cars parked wherever they could find a spot, including a grassy area on a hill behind the scoreboard.
Sophomore tailback Grady Kinsey excited the home crowd with 100 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
But Indian Valley (2-1) had multiple drives stall inside the red zone.
“That’s frustrating because that’s what we preached all week,” Braves head coach Matt Lancaster said. “That’s what we were focused on, which was finishing. We didn’t make plays, and we didn’t finish drives tonight.”
New Philadelphia 22, Wooster 13
New Philadelphia's defense shined as it shut out Wooster in the second half of the Ohio Cardinal Conference opener for both teams.
Julian Franklin was a bright spot for the Generals, rushing for 122 yards and two scores, including a two-yarder with 6:20 left in the second quarter that gave Wooster a 13-7 lead.
However, Keaton Fausel scored on a 37-yard run less than two minutes later to give New Philadelphia the lead back and Etnie Richardson extended it in the third quarter. Fausel and Richardson both went over 100 yards rushing.
Friday's Week 3 scores
Licking Valley 40, West Holmes 35
Canton South 35, Sandy Valley 27
Lowellville 53, Tusky Central Catholic 6
Fairless 35, Claymont 33
Newcomerstown 52, Conotton Valley 20
Strasburg 26, Leetonia 14
Tusky Valley 39, Martins Ferry 24
Malvern 22, Harrison Central 20
Maysville 48, Coshocton 13
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Dover high school football beats Indian Valley in Week 3
