NEW MADISON – Tri-Village needed only one half to put Dayton Belmont away. Fueled by a dominant, high-scoring opening 24 minutes, the Patriots stormed to a 47–8 halftime lead, and with a running clock after the break, neither team scored in the second half as Tri-Village cruised to a 47–8 win.
Belmont, a Division II program out of the Dayton City League, came in 2–1 with its only loss a 35–34 heartbreaker to Columbus South. Tri-Village picked up the game late after Twin Valley South was forced to cancel due to injuries and low numbers, and the Patriots expected a serious test.
They also got a rare small-school showcase in the trenches: two Division I college commits going head-to-head. Belmont’s 6-foot-5, 300-pound tackle Bariyus Allen is headed to Iowa, while Tri-Village standout Dom Black is committed to Kentucky.
On this night, Dom and the Patriots controlled the matchup as Tri-Village raced out to a 21–0 lead on its first three possessions.
Junior running back Colt Camacho capped the opening drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.
Aaron Bruner turned in a momentum play on the defensive side. Under heavy pressure from Levi Johnsman and Dom Black, the Belmont quarterback forced a deep throw that turned into a jump ball. Bruner outleaped everyone, secured the interception, and swung the ball right back to the Patriots.
Junior quarterback Cole Swafford on the very next play hit senior Griffin Richards on a 33-yard strike to quickly put the Patriots in command.
Tri-Village would stop Belmont on their next possession, and they would add another rushing TD from Camacho this time from 2 yards out.
Belmont finally got on the board in unconventional fashion. On the ensuing kickoff, the Bisons bobbled the ball, but the miscue worked in their favor as Tri-Village over-pursued. The returner burst through an open middle lane, broke a tackle, and sprinted 85 yards for a touchdown. Belmont converted the two-point try to trim the deficit to 21–8.
The response from Tri-Village was immediate wasting no time as they strung together a couple of sharp completions and finished their fourth drive with a 3-yard scoring run by Staley Colston, extending the margin to 27–8.
The Patriots next kick-off was a squib kick from Owen Ridout that bounded over the front Belmont receiving line toward the sideline. Cole Swafford on a great hustle play raced up the sideline and recovered the ball to give the Patriots good field position.
They turned into another Camacho score as the he punched in his third rushing touchdown this time from 4 yards out, to make it 33–8 to close out what felt like an endless first quarter taking nearly 50 minutes to play.
The onslaught continued early in the second quarter as Camacho added yet another touchdown by falling on a loose ball for a fumble recovery score. Sophomore kicker Owen Ridout drilled the extra point to push the lead to 40–8.
After Belmont’s next drive stalled, Tri-Village found the end zone one more time before the break. Junior quarterback Brecken Gray fired over the middle to Richards, threading the ball through traffic but also hitting him in stride. Richards did the rest, turning it into a 36-yard touchdown and a 47–8 halftime advantage.
With the running clock in effect in the second half and everyone on the Patriot roster seeing snaps, the game moved quickly. Neither team found the end zone again, and Tri-Village wrapped up the 47–8 victory.
The Patriots piled up 368 yards of total offense, including 249 on the ground and 119 through the air. Colston was the workhorse between the tackles, carrying 18 times for 139 yards to lead the ground game. Richards paced the receivers with 4 catches for 90 yards and two scores on the night.
Now 4–0, Tri-Village turns its attention to one of the marquee games on the WOAC calendar.
Next week, the Patriots will host undefeated Ansonia, which rolled past Tri-County North 48–19 on Friday. This matchup has grown into one of Darke County’s must-see showdowns. Tri-Village holds a 3–2 edge in the regular-season head-to-head series, while the Tigers own a 3–2 advantage in conference championships.
