Licking Valley defense puts brakes on speedy Columbus East, moves on
COLUMBUS ― Much like several of his Licking Valley classmates who got thrown into the varsity fire as sophomores, Colin McKenzie has come a long way.
In his first playoff game Friday, he showed how far.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound defensive end helped key a rampaging defense that held host Columbus East to one first down and 11 yards in the second half, recovering a fumble and recording a tackle for safety in an impressive 40-6 first-round victory at Chic Harley Field.
"Coming out in that first game against Sheridan, it was a definitely a lot faster than in the previous years," McKenzie said. "It was a whole different game."
But the game has slowed down for the youngsters, and ninth-seeded Valley (8-3), which won for the seventh time in the past eight weeks, was able to slow down eighth-seeded East (8-3) and junior speedster Taizaun Burns. They'll travel to Steubenville's hallowed Harding Stadium on Friday to take on the top-seeded Big Red (10-1), which blanked Carrollton 42-0 in another Division, Region 15 opener.
"Colin has really grown up, and he's not a sophomore anymore," defensive coordinator T.J. Baughman said. "He's a lot better pass rusher."
Added head coach Randy Baughman: "He actually played some jayvees last year, and we're real excited to have him for two more years."
The Panthers scored on their first four possessions, then let their defense take over.
Barely three minutes into the game, Hayden Rodgers lofted a 40-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Wheeler. He missed the extra point, but Valley had set the tone.
On East's next possession, a bad snap sailed over the head of Burns, who lined up mostly at quarterback, but also at running back and receiver. McKenzie picked it up and rumbled to the Tigers' 30.
"The ball rolled out from under people, and I just scooped it up," McKenzie said. "I really wanted to score, but guess I'm just not fast enough. We wanted to go out and hit him, be consistent in our pursuit and keep him contained."
Rodgers immediately threw a 30-yard TD pass to Kam Walker, who made a tumbling catch in the end zone, then hit tight end Alex Phelps for two points and a 14-0 lead with 6:36 still on the first-quarter clock.
"Going into the game, we knew number 2 (Burns) set up inside, so we wanted to take some shots on them," Rodgers said. "We wanted to be aggressive and take it to them. Our defense played outstanding, and they just carried over what they did at practice all week. Keep him (Burns) in the pocket, and surround him."
Added McKenzie: "Being at their place, we wanted to break their morale early."
Valley ended a 12-game home winning streak for East.
Walker later ran 14 yards on a reverse and Rodgers swept right on an 8-yard TD keeper, with Wheeler's kick making it 21-0 at 1:40 of the first.
The Tigers clawed back with their only scoring drive, going 80 yards in eight plays. Burns shook loose for one of the rare times on a 25-yard keeper, then connected with 6-6, 225-pound tight end Anthony Shields for 35 yards. His 9-yard TD toss to Sean Wilkes narrowed the gap to 21-6 with 10:07 left in the half.
But Valley responded with a 10-play, 80-yard drive, Rodgers firing a 41-yard pass over the middle to Phelps. Backup running back Logan Workman, teaming with Luke Conaway to replace the injured Trenton Markus, scored on a 1-yard run as the Panthers led 28-6 at the break. Sophomore Brody Barrows later had a 4-yard fourth-down sack of Burns at the Valley 45.
East's defense stiffened in the second half, but its offense never got going. The Panthers twice stopped the Tigers on fourth down, once on a Titan Priest sack, and Wheeler booted a 34-yard field goal late in the third for a 31-6 lead.
Wheeler's deep kicks either went into the end zone or pinned East deep. At the end of the quarter, it started at its 10, and, shortly after, McKenzie's tackle for a safety made it 33-6. Conaway added a 1-yard TD plunge with 6:48 left, forcing a running clock, and Walker then had an interception.
Burns also had a 29-yard run, but was sacked twice and five times, was tackled for no gain. He finished with 63 yards on 14 carries, and was 11 of 15 passing for 104 yards.
"We went with a controlled rush, and stayed in the rush lanes," T.J. Baughman said. "We tried to make him dance around in the backfield."
Said Randy Baughman: "They were just so quick and fast. We couldn't go out there and expect to make one-on-one tackles. The best thing I could see on that stat sheet was number of assists. It was a lot of gang tackling, and it had to be."
Rodgers completed 8 of 17 passes for 166 yards, with Wheeler grabbing three for 73 yards and Walker three for 45. Conaway picked up 53 yards on 12 carries, and Workman added 37 yards in 10 attempts.
"I was pleased with the way we came out at the beginning, and it helps having an experienced quarterback who has been in big games," Randy Baughman said. "Hayden's composure in the pocket was the best it has been all year."
It was Rodgers' first playoff win in three years as starting quarterback.
"I'm happy the defense really helped him out," McKenzie said. "We gave him some good field position so he would have that opportunity."
740-704-7973
Instagram: @dfweidig
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking Valley defense puts brakes on speedy Columbus East, moves on
