Eric Neal gets a big hit on Trey Bentley, causing a turnover that led to London’s fourth touchdown in the first half. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Logan Gapen)
Capitalizing on two first-half turnovers, talented London racked up its fourth straight shutout with a fifth straight win over previously unbeaten Jonathan Alder.
London, OH – Absurd as it might seem in a rivalry pitting state-ranked teams with undefeated records, the consensus was that Jonathan Alder had to play a near-perfect game Friday to come away from Bowles Field with an upset of London. Yes, the Red Raiders are just simply that good.
Huffer Chiropractic can help your athlete perform at their best – with offices in Osgood, Jackson Center, and Dublin, Ohio.
When the Red Raiders forced two first-half turnovers and turned them both into scores, Alder’s slim margin of error vanished.
“They are elite defensively … elite,” Pioneers coach Brett Glass said. “When you can’t run the ball and can’t protect the quarterback, you’ve got a tough road to hoe – especially against a team so big, so physical, so athletic like London is.”
Continuing its recent dominance in the Battle of 42, London spanked Alder 38-0 in a Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division showdown. Because of Ohio High School Athletic Association rules, the game was played with a rolling clock from the middle of the third quarter on or it might have been worse.
Veteran central Ohio columnist Steve Blackledge writes the OCC and sports at large for Press Pros.
The age-old rivalry (the schools are separated by 16.3 miles of road on US 42) has been strangely one-sided since the turn of the century. After Alder won 12 straight meetings between 2003 through 2020 (the teams had a seven-year hiatus because they played in different leagues), London has taken the past five. Only four of the games have been decided by less than 10 points.
“It’s kind of a measuring stick to see how all of our classes do against Alder, and none of us have lost to them yet,” London senior quarterback Blake Reay said. “The tension builds up for this one all week and to go out and execute what you’ve worked on all week in practice feels amazing.”
On paper, this was supposed to be a more competitive game. Behind quarterback Brock Hughes, who had completed 140 of 183 passes for 1,673 yards and 17 touchdowns, Alder came in scoring 31 points per-game. Instead, the Pioneers became the Red Raiders’ fourth straight shutout victim. London (8-0, 3-0) has yielded just 53 points all season.
Logan Services, in Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus, proudly sponsors the best area sports coverage on Press Pros Magazine.
While Hughes was able to complete 12 of 20 passes for 106 yards, London sacked him three times and made five other tackles for loss. Taven Huff recorded two of the sacks.
While London’s offense is predominantly a multi-faceted ground game, Ladainian McNeal came out of the backfield to haul in this 44-yard TD pass from Blake Reay.
“We like to look at ourselves as underdogs because since we lost a lot of seniors (to graduation), people always assume we’re going to take a step back,” said sophomore Isaiah Neer, who had a sack and two TFLs. “The key tonight was just to execute our plays and go out and play London football.”
On London’s opening series, Reay completed a hitch pass over the middle to uncovered running back Ladainian McNeal, who scooted untouched 44 yards to the end zone.
It marked only the 14th completed pass all season for Reay, who engineers a multi-headed running game that has amassed nearly 2,900 yards with a whopping 8.5 yards per carry average.
On the very next play, Danny Bentley mishandled a direct snap on a wildcat formation, and sophomore linebacker Vance Moerch scooped up the fumble and ran 17 yards for his first-ever touchdown.
“I was just at the right place at the right time and turned it into the play of my life,” Moerch said. “We went into the game, as we do every game, focused on stopping the run first and then the pass. I think we sort of set the tone early with a few big hits and big stops.”
Bryston Toronto scored the first of his three rushing TDs (2, 3 and 16 yards) and the rout was on. Eric Neal ripped the ball out of receiver Trey Bentley’s hands to set up a fourth score and make it 28-0 at halftime.
Want a greener, healthier lawn? We can help. contact Weedman USA at 614-733-3747 or go online to Weedman.com.
“Getting the two turnovers and capitalizing on them gave us a big advantage,” London coach Kyle Cutler said. “The kids really got after it. London is London. Everybody chips in and it’s all for one and one for all.”
Kyler Russell goes hands on against Alder running back Cashton Wheeler. The Red Raider defense notched a fourth straight shutout.
The Red Raiders’ dynamic run game took a big hit when standout Daquanne Parks was ruled ineligible due to a residency issue. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season. He rushed for 647 yards and 13 TDs in the first six games.
Despite Parks’ absence, Toronto (82 yards against Alder), Kyler Russell (63), McNeal (56) and Reay form a still formidable backfield that features misdirection plays out of a double wing formation. The offensive line is outstanding.
“Losing DQ kind of changes things because everybody brings a different element to what we do, but it’s a next man up thing for us,” Reay said.
Another unique aspect of the rivalry is that Cutler and Glass are former classmates and teammates at Alder, graduating in 2003, and have remained close friends since. Cutler, a first-team All-Ohio linebacker, went on to play at Bowling Green and Glass at Capital.
Glass returned for a second stint at Alder (7-1, 2-1) after spending four seasons at Dublin Jerome and has worked wonders, reviving the hopes of a program coming off a rare losing season (5-6). He was head coach from 2014 to 2020 and previously spent six years there as an assistant.
Cutler has gradually built a juggernaut in his 12 seasons at London. After going 11-1 in 2013, the Red Raiders went 14-0 before losing to eventual champion Watterson in a state semifinal.
“We just beat a good football tonight, and that’s all I’m concerned about right now,” said Cutler, who is typically a man of measured words.
Aptus Wealth Management proudly sponsors the Buckeyes and Central Ohio sports on Press Pros.