Uniontown drubs Chetopa, 50-0

CHETOPA -- Uniontown's football team went into the Hornets' nest Friday night and came away with a big win over the two-time defending champion of the Three Rivers League.

The Eagles routed Chetopa, 50-0, in a game that ended shortly after halftime. Uniontown scored 22 points in each of the first two quarters.

"I was very happy for our kids," Uniontown head coach Chad Stroud said. "Our seniors hadn't beaten Chetopa before. We talked a lot this week about the 56-8 whooping Chetopa gave us on our home field last year, and we wanted our kids to be hungry to redeem themselves."

The Eagles gained 385 yards of total offense to just 51 for Chetopa, all of which came via rushing.

"We were on defense to start the game and our defense really set the tone," Stroud said. "We got a stop on fourth down on their first series of plays. When we took possession, our offensive line really did a great job asserting themselves and establishing a physical style of play."

John Reed rushed for 128 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Eagles. He has gained 243 yards and scored 6 times in his last two games. For the season, he has gained 402 yards and scored 9 times.

Tommy Joles added 88 yards on the ground and scored a touchdown. Josh Wisely rushed for 59 yards and a score and also caught a 66-yard scoring pass on Gavin Miller's only throw of the night. Miller also rushed for 44 yards and a score.

Chetopa squibbed the second half kickoff, which Uniontown recovered. Wisely went 52 yards for the touchdown that caused the 45-point rule to come into effect on the very next play.

Reed also led the defense with 8 tackles. Cale Coyan had 7 stops and Gavin Fry registered 5 tackles.

"Coach (Chad) Hays has really done a great job getting our kids to buy into a 'team defense' philosophy," Stroud said. "Our kids were very assignment sound and were swarming to the football.

"With the exception of one long run by Chetopa late in the second quarter, our defense was absolutely lights out tonight. Josh Wisely gave an amazing effort and chased down the ball carrier at the 1-yard line. We then had an outstanding goal-line stand to preserve the shutout."

The Eagles improved to 3-0 in the TRL and 4-0 overall. They're tied for first place with St. Paul and Marmaton Valley, both of which are 3-1 overall.

The Eagles will play in St. Paul Friday for a league contest that is also the opener for Eight-Man I District 2 play. Marmaton Valley will be home against defending district champion Marais des Cygnes Valley, which is 2-2 after losing to Hartford Friday night.

Going into district play, the only team in District 2 with a losing record is Pleasanton (1-3), whose only victory is over winless Altoona-Midway.

The following week, Uniontown will have its Homecoming game against Marmaton Valley. Waverly is also 2-2 after losing to state-ranked Burlingame Friday night.