Andrew Grimm YARDS AFTER CATCH — Big Red’s Brody Saccoccia fights past Huron Heights’ Josh Martin-Pendley after getting through the Warriors secondary for extra yards after making a catch during Friday’s game at Harding Stadium.

STEUBENVILLE — Big Red knew Canadian power Huron Heights and its Wing-T style of offense was going to be a challenge.

A challenge the previously unbeaten Warriors were indeed, but Steubenville was up to the task Friday night at Harding Stadium.

The visitors from the Great White North racked up 375 rushing yards, scored first and were within a touchdown going to the fourth quarter, but Big Red’s defense came up with a pair of key fumble recoveries and the offense put together a game-sealing drive to close out a 34-19 win. Big Red is now 8-0.

“They weren’t a 7-0 for nothing,” Big Red head coach Reno Saccoccia said. “That was just a great game. They were well-coached and had a great game plan, but we fought. We hadn’t faced that type of offense in 30 years, and we fought. It’s hard to practice for.

“We made some good plays on defense; we got some turnovers. Both sides of the ball played tough, that was a tough offense to go against and we fought like (heck). I want to congratulate (Huron Heights) on a good game, and I also want to congratulate our players, they played their hind ends off.”

The Warriors (7-1) scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to pull within a score and had the football in the Big Red end of the field early in the fourth quarter, but Ryan Bise pounced on a fumble at his own 17 to stymie the momentum.

From there, Steubenville went on an eight-play, 83-yard scoring drive that took more than four and half minutes off the clock. The pivotal march was capped by a Jalen Minniefield 5-yard scoring run, his second of the night.

He finished with 159 yards on 25 carries in a workmanlike performance as Big Red racked up 268 rushing yards of its own and five scores on the ground.

On the ensuing Huron Heights drive, Landon Crosier scooped up another fumble deep in the Steubenville end to allow Big Red to kneel out the clock.

“I’m glad our kids stuck with it,” Saccoccia said. “That was a tough game, that’s the kind of game that makes you better.”

Big Red led 27-6 at halftime after another big second quarter.

The Warriors scored on their opening drive as Trent Seton broke a 20-yard run out of the misdirection to make it 6-0. Ca’Juan Bryant had a quick answer for Big Red, breaking a 51-yard scoring run two plays later, Cole Bowers’ first of four extra points gave Big Red the lead, which it did not surrender.

In the second quarter, Bryant, who had 78 yards in the opening quarter, finished another scoring drive with a 1-yard run on the first play of the second quarter to make it 14-6.

On the next drive, Minniefield plunged in from 5 yards out to make it 21-6, then a Will Taylor INT at his own 1 gave Big Red the ball back and denied a Warriors scoring threat just before the half.

Aiden Davis, who completed eight-straight passes to end the first half after starting 0 for 2, engineered a quick scoring drive that covered 99 yards in just over a minute, capped by another 1-yard Bryant plunge for his third score of the half.

Bryant finished with 96 yards on 15 carries, while Davis wound up 11 of 15 for 118 completing passes to six different targets.

The Warriors didn’t go away easy trailing by three scores at the break, however, as Josh Martin-Pendley (163 yards on eight carries) scored a 57-yard touchdown on the second snap of the third quarter, then the Huron Heights defense got an interception on the ensuing Big Red drive.

That set up an eight-play, 47-yard scoring drive, capped by a Owen Lock (108 yards on 18 carries) scoring run of 5 yards to make it a one-score game.

Those, however, proved to be the visitors’ last points.

NOTES

• Joe Eitel’s unofficial rankings had Big Red listed as having clinched a 24th-consecutive trip to the playoffs on Friday night. Steubenville was shown to have dropped to No. 2 in the Division III, Region 11 standings a fraction of a point behind Columbus Bishop Watterson.

• The trip to Harding Stadium was the second for the Warriors in their history. They also made the trek to Steubenville back in 2018 to play Catholic Central. The Crusaders won that game, 28-14.

• Big Red has another big test at home next Friday as 6-2 McDowell (Erie, Pa.) comes to Harding Stadium. The Trojans are the OHSAA equivalent of the Division I team by Ohio enrollment standards.

Big Red 34, Huron Heights 19

HH 6-0-13-0 – 19

BR 7-20-0-7 – 34

SCORING PLAYS

First Quarter

HH: Seton 20 run (kick failed) 9:11

BR: Bryant 51 run (Bowers kick) 8:21

Second Quarter

BR: Bryant 1 run (Bowers kick) 11:55

BR: Minniefield 5 run (Bowers kick) 5:10

BR: Bryant 1 run (pass failed) :21

Third Quarter

HH: Martin-Pendley 57 run (Liegghio kick) 11:26

HH: Lock 5 run (kick failed) 1:23

Fourth Quarter

BR: Minniefield 5 run (Bowers kick) 5:09

RUSHING: Huron Heights 42-375-3TD (Lock 18-108-TD; Seton 9-44-TD; Martin-Pendley 8-163-TD; St. Clair 6-55; Morrison 1-5); Big Red 49-268-5TD (Davis 8-7; Bryant 15-96-3TD; Minnifield 25-159-2TD; Muntz 1-6)

PASSING: Huron Heights 0-2-0-INT (all by Seton); Big Red 11-15-118-2INT (all by Davis)

RECEIVING: Huron Heights 0-0; Big Red 11-118 (Saccoccia 2-41; Hinton 2-25; Minniefield 2-12; Gulan 1-13; Simon 1-6; Bryant 3-23)

FIRST DOWNS: Huron Heights 10; Big Red 20

PENALTIES-YARDS: Huron Heights 15-101; Big Red 10-89

FUMBLES-LOST: Huron Heights 3-2; Big Red 0-0