ARCANUM — The Arcanum Trojans scored early and often while their defense dominated the line of scrimmage in a 48-0 Western Ohio Athletic Conference victory over the Bradford Railroaders.
Sophomore quarterback Weston Schmidt threw four touchdown passes, including three during a 25-point second quarter. Arcanum’s defense recorded several sacks and held Bradford scoreless to help the Trojans protect their home field.
“Our skill guys got it going throwing the ball,” Arcanum coach Matt Macy said. “Talan Stone had a great game and Raysean Miles — the usual suspects. We grinded it out with AJ Macy. He didn’t have any big, big runs, but he grinded out a pretty good game. Defensively, we were lights out.”
Schmidt opened the scoring with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Miles. Bradford stopped the two-point conversion attempt, leaving Arcanum with a 6-0 lead.
Bradford’s Lucas Nicholson halted Arcanum’s next possession with an acrobatic interception.
After the Trojans forced a three-and-out, Schmidt connected with Stone for a 7-yard touchdown with 56 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. Bradford again denied the two-point conversion, keeping the score at 12-0.
Arcanum struck for another explosive play early in the second quarter as Schmidt found senior Evan Parks for an 80-yard touchdown with 10:40 remaining. The Railroaders stopped a third consecutive two-point attempt, leaving the Trojans with an 18-0 advantage.
Senior running back AJ Macy scored on a 2-yard run before sophomore Joey Marshall kicked the extra point from Ross Wagner’s hold, extending the lead to 25-0 with 7:06 left in the half.
Schmidt added a 14-yard touchdown pass to Miles, and Marshall’s extra point sent Arcanum into halftime with a 32-0 lead and put the running-clock rule into effect for the second half.
Macy said Arcanum’s ability to produce explosive plays through the air while maintaining a physical rushing attack makes the offense difficult to defend.
“That’s what makes us tough, because we can throw the ball downfield at any time,” Macy said. “But they also have to defend our offensive line and AJ, so it makes it tough.”
The Trojans continued to add to their lead in the third quarter. A Bradford punt snap sailed over the punter’s head and out of the end zone for a safety, making the score 34-0.
AJ Macy scored his second touchdown on another 2-yard run with 5:40 remaining in the third quarter. Marshall added the extra point for a 41-0 advantage.
Freshman Nate Powers scored Arcanum’s final touchdown, and Marshall remained perfect on his extra-point attempts to complete the 48-0 victory.
Arcanum’s defense controlled the line of scrimmage throughout the game and repeatedly pressured Bradford’s backfield.
“We had a lot of sacks,” Macy said. “Our defensive line played well. Chris Greve, No. 70, is a young man who had never played football before. He’s playing defensive end for us, and I’m not sure he’s not a college football player.”
Bradford coach Bill Trevino said the Railroaders knew they faced a difficult matchup against a deeper Arcanum roster but continued to battle.
“We knew what we were getting into,” Trevino said. “We’re always going to be outmanned, but I thought we fought.”
Trevino said the Railroaders’ struggles extended beyond their offensive line.
“From the beginning of football to the end of football, it’s the line of scrimmage, and we didn’t control it,” Trevino said. “Some kids were on the wrong routes or lined up wrong, and we had too many penalties again. That’s football. We’ll clean it up and keep grinding.”
Bradford entered the game following consecutive victories, and Trevino said his team must quickly turn its attention to the next opponent.
“We need to keep them focused,” Trevino said. “We can’t let this one hang.”
Arcanum improved to 3-1, while Bradford fell to 2-2.
