Brogan McCaughey connected on 13-of-14 passes including three for touchdown to lead St. Xavier to a 49-0 victory at Olentangy Liberty. McCaughey totaled 236 yards through the air, while the Long Blue Line's defense held Liberty to 16 yards on 23 plays in the first half to improve to 3-0.
St. Xavier scored on each of its first five offensive possessions. Not to be outdone, Grant Lyons forced a fumble and Max Bonner fell on the loose ball in the end zone for the first of two defensive touchdowns by St. X.Â
"We work so hard with those guys on defense," said head coach Steve Specht. "Trying to create turnovers – I know they want to score in every game – we're playing well defensively. I thought Brogan really shined tonight. He spread the ball around to a lot of receivers which was key for us."
McCaughey connected with five different receivers, led by Terrell McFarlin who made five catches for 105 yards.Â
Luke Vrsansky opened the scoring with a one-yard dive to cap an eight-play, 64-yard drive with 3:39 in to the contest. After forcing Olentangy Liberty to punt, McFarlin snagged a 39-yard pass to make it a 14-0 lead. McFarlin added a 21-yard touchdown catch later in the first half.
St. Xavier's talented defense forced Liberty to punt on its first four possessions, before Grant Lyons forced a fumble on the Liberty 10 yard line that Max Bonner recovered in the end zone to cap the first-half scoring. Along with the turnover, Lyons recorded five tackles, including a quarterback sack and two tackles for loss.
"Grant is at the center of the defense," said Specht. "Grant was an impact player at the end of last year and he's been an impact guy for us so far in 2021. I can say the same about Sam Buerkle. Eli Kirk is doing a great job in the secondary. I can give names, but the heartbeat of the defense is Grant Lyons."
Charles Kellom continued his scoring streak with a three-yard plunge off-tackle to extend the lead to 21-0. Kellom totaled 59 yards on 14 carries. He has scored at least one rushing touchdown in each game this season. Kellom also snagged two passes.
Max Klare caught a 23-yard pass from McCaughey in the end zone to make it a 28-0 lead. Klare totaled three catches for 57 yards. Jay Farrar also added two receptions for 42 yards.
"It was a solid performance in all three facets of the game," said Head Coach Steve Specht. "Terrell had a tremendous year as a junior, but he was in the shadow of two excellent players. I told Terrell during camp, 'You need to step up and be the guy that others aspire to be'. He's done that. I'm proud of him. He leads by example."
The lone scoring play of the second half belonged to Joe Nelson. Nelson intercepted a pass, eluded three would-be tacklers and dashed 67 yards to pay dirt to set the final score.
"These running clock games are fun, but also challenging," said Specht. "We needed to come back to beat Lakota West. We know how rough the GCL South gauntlet is going to be. It's nice to let younger players develop. We'll start getting ready for next week."
Mason Rohmiller split the uprights on all seven point-after tries. He carries a streak of 76 made PATs and more than 150 career points.
St. Xavier continues its four-game road swing next week when it travels to Mishawaka, Ind. to face Penn. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
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