Niles runs past Beaver Local, 49-14
It was the Antuan Gardner show for Niles McKinley Friday night.
Gardner rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns as the red-hot Red Dragons won their fourth straight game when they traveled to southern Columbiana County and rolled past Beaver Local 49-14 in a battle of 4-1 teams entering the competition.
Antuan Gardner, offensive line, defense praised
“You know, all the credit goes to the men up front,” praised Gardner of his offensive line.
“We were able to distribute the ball, we know what Antuan can do,” said a pleased Niles head coach Jim Parry. “We just try to make teams defend us everywhere.”
Gardner, a recent mahoningmatters.com player of the week recipient, has rushed for 985 yards and 17 touchdowns this season.
“I just want to win,” Gardner said of his year goals. “To come out here, play hard and win.”
In the past four games, Niles has outscored its opponents 141-20, so the Red Dragons are getting it done on both sides of the football.
“It’s because our kids have bought in, they’re flying around and you can see how fast we’re playing,” lauded Parry.
Niles scored 36 points in second quarter
Niles led 13-7 after one quarter and took a commanding 49-7 lead at halftime of the contest, which started a running clock in the second half.
“Credit to Niles, they’re a very good team,” said Beaver Local head coach Mike McKenzie. “They came ready to play and I don’t want to say we didn’t come ready to play, but the momentum train got us a little bit.”
Gardner’s three touchdown runs covered 19, four and 65 yards as he broke tackles in his two-plus quarters of play before the backups entered the game early in the third quarter for Niles.
Gardner said the Red Dragons were strong up front on both sides of the ball, which was a key to their dominance as they racked up 472 yards of offense.
“Be the more physical team like coach Parry was preaching to us,” said Gardner. “That’s all it was.”
The other touchdowns for Niles occurred on a 3-yard run by quarterback Anthony Budak, a 34-yard pass from Budak to receiver Kris Hrosar, a 15-yard scoring run by running back Joe Smith and a 60-yard pass from Budak to receiver Nathan Coots.
Defensively, Niles held Beaver Local to 224 yards and forced three fumbles and an interception.
What’s ahead for Niles?
Friday night’s triumph was also a big win for Niles, as Beaver Local was worth 25 Level 1 computer points.
“Our region is loaded with great teams and most of those great teams are from our conference,” said Parry. “So it’s going to get exciting down the stretch.”
The Red Dragons (5-1) return to action next Friday night with a huge Northeast 8 game when they host the Poland Bulldogs (5-1). Poland lost to South Range, 21-7, Friday night.
The Red Dragons will play a challenging final four games of the regular season against Northeast 8 powers Poland, South Range, Struthers and Girard, in that order.
CONNECT WITH US
WEB SITE ► https://www.mahoningmatters.com
DAILY NEWS EMAIL ► https://www.mahoningmatters.com/customer-service/newsletter-signup/
FACEBOOK ► https://www.facebook.com/mahoningmatters
TWITTER ► https://twitter.com/mahoningmatters
YOUTUBE ► https://www.youtube.com/@mahoningmatters2814
INSTAGRAM ► https://www.instagram.com/mahoningmatters
SUPPORT US ► https://givebutter.com/vNfzEW