New Albany wears down Walnut Ridge
New Albany running back Michiah Burton could sense the fatigue as the holes got bigger.
The junior running back and the sixthseeded Eagles’ offensive front wore down the region’s top-seeded team in the second half of a Division II playoff game Friday night at Westerville South. The 30-6 victory over Walnut Ridge sent New Albany to a regional final for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
“We wanted to run the clock down and keep their offense off the field,” said Burton, who ran for 193 yards on 28 carries. “They have a great offense, and we knew they were capable of making big plays.”
Burton’s 11-yard touchdown run put the Eagles (8-4) up 21-6 early in the fourth quarter, capping a six-play, 61-yard drive in which he added first-down runs of 12 and 23 yards.
“Michiah just keeps chipping away at it,” said New Albany coach Pat Samanich, whose team will play Massillon Washington in a regional final next Friday. “We knew he was a step away, and he finally broke away in that second half.”
While Burton helped wear down the Scots, Eagles quarterback Jalin Jackson made throws to help extend the lead. He completed 6 of 12 passes for 117 yards and three touchdowns. Luke Muter caught two of them — 15 and 22 yards — in the second half and finished with four catches for 58 yards.
The first half looked much different as both teams struggled to produce first downs. Walnut Ridge (9-2) had just 67 yards in the first half, and 43 of those came as the clock ran out when Isaiah Murphy connected with Julius Wood to reach the New Albany 2-yard line.
New Albany led 7-0 at halftime when Muter caught his 15-yard touchdown pass from Jackson with 13 seconds left in the second quarter.
“We had some opportunities,” Walnut Ridge coach Byron Mattox said. “Our defense was playing great. But they made some adjustments at halftime, and it caught up with us.”
The Scots took advantage on one of their two red-zone opportunities in the second half when Murphy completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Wood on the opening drive. New Albany fumbled the kickoff return, giving Walnut Ridge the ball at the Eagles’ 16 yard line.