By David Peto ‘23
The Buckskins matched up against the JP McCaskey Tornadoes last Friday night, in a game which CV dominated. CV’s offensive game plan right out the gate was to methodically run the ball, totalling 381 yards. Even with Booper Johnson, who won The Valley Voice POTW last week, missing snaps due to an ankle injury, Jaiyell Plowden, Nick Tran, and Kayden Martin shared the load combining for 338 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns.
The score remained 0-0 through the first quarter with a dropped pass in the endzone, but on the second play of the second quarter junior running back Jaiyell Plowden scored on a 9-yard run. Then midway through the second quarter junior linebacker Josue Marente recovered a fumble to put the Bucks in scoring position. Sophomore QB Macoy Kneisley then connected with junior tight end Aidan Johnson on a seldom-seen pass play for an 11-yard touchdown. Junior linebacker Michael Burnett then picked off a pass late in the half, however CV marched down the field only to also throw an interception.
CV headed to the locker room up 13-0 at the half, and when sophomore offensive linemen Tyler Zook was asked about the team’s first half performance, he said, “We knew we could be better, the game wasn’t over, and we needed to dominate the second half.”
The score stayed the same until the end of the third quarter when sophomore running back Nick Tran scored on a 5-yard carry, aided by a 35-yard run earlier in the drive from senior running back Kayden Martin. Macoy Kneisley then converted the 2 point attempt on a frequently used read option play. The score was 21-0 at the end of the third quarter.
McCaskey had no answer for CV’s defense as they struggled to string together multiple first downs in a drive, and due to Burnett’s blocked punt to start the fourth quarter, CV was prepared to score again. After being helped by numerous penalties, Plowden scored again on a 10-yard carry. The Bucks got the football back again after senior free safety Zach Fisher picked off another throw. CV then strung together 6 run plays in a row including a 66 yard monster run and a 4 yard touchdown from Nick Tran.
On the last drive CV put in freshman QB Liam Cheek with the goal of running out the clock, and the game ended with the scoreboard reading 35-0 CV.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
| CV | 0 | 13 | 8 | 14 | 35 |
| McCaskey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Team Stats:
Total yards: 381
Total rushing yards: 338, 8 yards per carry
Total passing yards:43, 3 yards per attempt
Offensive turnovers: 2 fumbles, 1 interception
Defensive stats: 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery
Individual Stats:
Macoy Kneisley (QB): 43 passing yds (8/13), 26 rushing yds, TD
Nick Tran (RB) 87 yds, 14.5 ypc, 6 carries, 2 TDs
Jaiyell Plowden (RB): 81 yds rushing, 16.2 ypc, 5 carries, 5 yds rec, 2 TDs
Kayden Martin (RB): 76 yds, 10 carries, 7.6 ypc
Booper Johnson (RB): 44 yds, 11 carries, 4 ypc
Zach Fisher (FS, WR): Interception, 6 yds rec.
Aiden Johnson (TE, DE): TD, 11 yds rec.
Josue Marente (MLB): Fumble recovery, kickoff recovery
Michael Burnett (OLB): Interception, punt block
Player of the Week
Nick Tran received his first snap of the season in the second half of Friday night’s game, brought up due to injuries, but he totaled 87 rushing yards, including a 66-yard run and a pair of touchdowns, averaging 14.5 yards a carry.