After two blowout SIDNEY — losses in early September, it looked like a promising season for Piqua would instead be a long one.
Consider the Indians back on track. Piqua ran over Sidney in a GWOC American North football opener Thursday night to earn a 33-13 win and improve to 4-2.
Piqua took advantage of short-field situations and largely contained Sidney running back Isaiah Bowser, who is the leading rusher in the conference. Piqua running back Allen Schrubb was the star as he ran for three touchdowns, including the first two of the game.
“It felt great just coming off and keeping the momentum high and it got the team really ready to go,” Schrubb said of his early touchdowns. “It got us all on the same page.”
Schrubb ran for touchdowns from 6 and 7 yards out in the first quarter as Piqua took a 12-0 lead after two missed extra-point attempts. Austin Davis threw a 30-yard pass to Hayden Schrubb early in the second quarter, which stretched the lead to 20-0 after a two-point conversion run.
Sidney (3-3), which has lost two quarterbacks to injuries in addition to a couple of other starters, struggled on offense for much of the first half. Several snaps were mishandled in rainy conditions, and Sidney lost more than 50 yards on one drive.
Bowser, who amassed 1,065 in his first five games, was largely bottled up by Piqua’s defense.
“Our defensive line played pretty well,” Piqua coach Bill Nees said. “I know they had a couple of subs on their offensive line because they had a couple of guys hurt, and I think our defensive line was able to control the game.”
Piqua has lost key players to injuries as well. Michigan State commit Darien Tipps-Clemons tore his ACL against Trotwood in Week 2, and lineman Derek Hite was injured in the game. The injuries contributed to the Indians’ losing to the Rams by 32 points and to Franklin in Week 3 by 24.
But Thursday’s win was the third consecutive for Piqua. Nees said it took awhile for the team to regroup, but he thinks the Indians have progressed a lot in the past three weeks.
Sidney’s offense regrouped and moved the ball in the second half, but Piqua had an answer for every score. Dillon King threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Harris on a fourth down early in the third quarter, but Schrubb scored a minute later on a 13-yard run to Piqua back up by 20.
Bowser scored on a 1-yard run late in the third, but Piqua again got the points back on its next drive with a 2-yard touchdown run by Ben Schmiesing.
Schrubb said he liked the way the Indians responded to their early-season injuries — and Sidney’s second-half touchdowns.
“We’ve always been known for handling adversity,” Schrubb said. “We just get back on track, and I’m glad we’re back.”