Jeremiah Thomas leads West Branch to 31-14 scrimmage win over South Range
BELOIT—West Branch and South Range, two schools steeped in football tradition, met in a two-quarter scrimmage under game-like conditions Thursday night in Clinton Heacock Stadium in Beloit.
West Branch’s talented junior quarterback Jeremiah Thomas, a dual threat much in the mode of former Warrior All-Ohioan Dru DeShields, threw for over 200 yards and a touchdown as the Warriors rolled to a 31-14 win over the Raiders.
“He (Thomas) is a great athlete,” said West Branch head football coach Tim Cooper. “He’s going to be a terrific quarterback for us. I liked the way he played, he had great poise tonight. (South Range) is a great football team over there that’s going to win a lot of games.”
Big night for the West Branch offense
West Branch scored on five of its six offensive possessions against the Raiders.
“I think our kids got better tonight and we’re excited to go look at the film and evaluate it from there,” said Cooper.
The Warriors opened the scoring with a sustained march, highlighted by a five-yard scoring run to take a 7-0 with the PAT boot.
After stopping South Range, West Branch scored again on another long drive and another five-yard scoring run to take a 14-0 lead at the 1:23 mark in the first quarter.
South Range countered with a long drive on its third offensive series, capped by a 12-yard scoring pass and PAT kick to cut the Warriors’ lead to 14-7 with 11:06 showing in the second quarter.
West Branch went up 21-7 when Thomas fired a four-yard scoring pass at the 9:02 juncture of the second quarter, following a 65-yard march.
The Warriors increased their lead to 28-7 on their fourth offensive possession on an 11-yard run by Boston Mulinix with 3:10 showing in the second quarter.
South Range scored its second touchdown of the evening on a long march, capped off by a one-yard scoring run and successful PAT kick with 1:48 left.
West Branch quickly moved the ball downfield with a series of passes and closed the scoring on a 38-yard field goal by Anthony Perry with three seconds left in the game.
What’s next for West Branch, South Range?
West Branch kicks off the regular season Friday night hosting the Canfield Cardinals in one of the much-anticipated season-opening games in Mahoning County.
“We saw them (the Cardinals) last week in their scrimmage against Salem,” said Cooper. “It looked like they had a couple guys out, but they competed and they’re a tough program and they’re going to do what they do. Coach (Joe) Ignazio looks like he’s put a little bit of a new spin on some different things and they were a little more multiple defensively than what they show in scrimmages, so obviously those guys are great coaches over there with great personnel, so it’s going to be a great challenge. We’re excited to get the season rolling.”
Meanwhile, South Range opens the 2024 campaign Friday night when the Raiders host the Springfield Tigers, who play their first six games at home.