BARNESVILLE − The Barnesville Shamrocks might have arrived late to the OHSAA Division V playoffs, but they quickly announced their presence. After a first-round bye, the No. 4 seeded Shamrocks wasted no time making themselves right at home in their Region 19 matchup with No. 5 seed Portsmouth.
The ‘Rocks rolled to commanding 34-0 romp over the visiting Trojans at Shamrock Stadium on Friday, Nov. 7, to improve to 9-2 and advance on in the OHSAA football postseason.
With the win, the Shamrocks will travel to top-ranked Wheelersburg (11-0) next Friday. The Pirates coasted past Morgan 43-3 to set up a fourth consecutive meeting with Barnesville in the OHSAA playoffs.
Wheelersburg has controlled that series with three straight wins over the Rocks, who will look to put a halt to that streak next week with a spot in the regional finals on the line.
“I’m really proud of the guys. Having that bye week, you never know, but the kids stayed focused last week, were mentally prepared and stayed sharp,” Barnesville head coach Blake Allen said. “We worked on a lot of stuff last week, and it showed.”
Toliver continues season-long scoring success to lead ‘Rocks
Sophomore Trey Toliver came into the OHSAA playoffs having done one thing all season: score touchdowns. Friday night was no different. The Rocks’ star running back found the end zone three times to run his season total to 28 on the season.
Toliver finished with 12 carries for 102 yards as Barnesville rolled up 199 and all five TDs with a potent rushing. Evan Wells, added 46 yards on just seven carries, and found the end zone with a 15-yard touchdown run.
Barnesville junior QB Cole Francis connected on an efficient 7-of-8 passing night with 82 yards as Barnesville finished with 302 yards of total offense in the playoff win.
‘Rocks defense pitches second straight shutout
Barnesville’s defense enjoyed a solid night’s work for a second consecutive shutout after blanking rival Union Local by an identical 34-0 margin in Week 10.
The ‘Rocks limited Portsmouth to just 144 yards in the game. With the Trojans ground game finishing with just 55 yards on 27 carries for a paltry 2.0 yards-per-carry average on the night.
“I’m extremely proud of the way we played on defense,” Allen added. “We had a bad defensive performance and gave up a lot of points to a good Independence team, but we responded with two shutouts against two very good offensive teams.”
“We’re one of the last 16 Division V teams in the state and we are playing the top seed for a right to play for the regional finals,” Allen continued. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. We’re very excited about the opportunity.”
KSutton1@gannett.com; X: @KSuttonDJSports; Instagram: kevinsutton_dailyjeffsports
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Barnesville football cruises past Portsmouth to advance in OHSAA Division V playoffs
Reporting by Kevin Sutton, Cambridge Daily Jeffersonian / The Daily Jeffersonian
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