Young RBs fuel Sheridan in revenge win vs. Tri-Valley

Sheridan pulls away from Philo, stays atop MVL-Big, top photos

THORNVILLE — Sophomore S.J. Shriner and freshman Emmitt Gilder have shined in Sheridan's backfield in Logan Russell's absence.

Their efforts were vital again on Friday night at Paul Culver Jr. Stadium, combining for more than 280 yards as a senior-laden offensive line paved the way in the sixth-seeded Generals' 38-35 triumph against No. 11-seed Tri-Valley in the Division III, Region 11 playoffs.

Shriner scored three times, including on a 9-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter, while Gilder had game-sealing runs of 28 and 25 yards in the closing minutes of the final stanza. Sheridan remained unbeaten at home in playoff games.

The Generals (11-0) ended a five-game losing streak to the Scotties and avenged a 38-21 loss to them in Week 9 of the regular season. They travel to third seed Columbus East (9-1) in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6; that winner plays either No. 2 seed Licking Valley or No. 7 Granville in the semifinals.

Sheridan coach Paul Culver III praised his young running backs, while complimenting his five seniors on the offensive line, especially Milo Bullock.

"We told Milo we were going to run behind him on that final drive, and he led the way," Culver III said. "Our line did the job all night. Those two ran hard behind them, and Emmit could have scored late, but he had the intelligence to go down so we could take a knee and seal it.

"This win is for the 26 seniors, who mean so much to me, this community and school and to each other," he added. "I've been through a lot the past few weeks, and they've carried me. We talked about standing in the gap coming into this game, and they did that. They deserve this win."

Sheridan led 17-14 at the half on Liam Gutridge's 28-yard field goal right before the half.

The Generals took control in the third. Carson Harris scored on a 17-yard run to open the second-half scoring. After TJ Connors intercepted Tri-Valley's Stone Spiker on the ensuing possession, Logan Russell converted the takeaway into points with a 4-yard burst, making it 31-14 with three minutes left in the third.

However, the Scotties did not go quietly.

Leevi Wade, who ran for a school-record 362 yards in their regular season meeeting, capped the ensuing Tri-Valley drive with a 2-yard TD dive. After forcing a Sheridan punt, Spiker found top receiver Lucca Gargasz for a 79-yard scoring strike, which pulled the Scotties within 31-28 with 10 minutes left in the game.

Sheridan extended its lead on the next drive, as Shriner weaved 10 yards to the end zone, while Tri-Valley came back, as Spiker hit Logan Clapper for a 4-yard TD with four minutes left.

Despite Tri-Valley's rally falling short, coach Austin Jones never lost faith in his squad.

"They have super talented running backs and they're good up front," Jones said. "We also missed some tackles on the boundary. People doubted us coming into the season, and we could have packed it in at 3-3. But, our guys strapped it up and went to work to reach this point. Our seniors laid a good foundation for this program, and I know it's not easy after a game like this, but I'm proud what this group accomplished."

Shriner finished with 173 yards and three touchdowns, including scoring runs of 15 and 10 yards in the first quarter. Gilder added 108 yards on nine totes, and Tyce Whiteman was 10-of-16 passing for 111 yards with 38 yards on five carries for Sheridan.

Wade was held to 93 yards on 21 carries with three scores, including first-half TD runs of 1 yard in the first quarter and 2 yards in the second, and Spiker went 12-of-15 through the air for 209 yards to go with 42 yards on four rushes.

"Tri-Valley changed their identity, and hats off to their coaches for making that change so quickly," Culver III said. "That forced us to raise the bar. Our defensive coaches put in a great game plan and made good adjustments. I'm proud that our guys responded, and we get another week together."