Granville defeats Bexley 53-27 in first round of the playoffs

The Granville Blue Aces (11-0) advanced to the semifinals of Division III Region 11 with an impressive 53-27 win over the Bexley Lions (4-7) Friday night in Granville. Granville quarterback #13 Beckett Long connected with #1 Dante Varrasso for 4 touchdowns – Long had 6 td’s for the game – as the Blue Aces ran away with this one in the 2nd quarter and never looked back.

Granville received the opening kickoff and started their drive at the 35-yard line. It only took the Blue Aces 4 plays to open the scoring. Quarterback Long completed a pass to #5 Maxton Messner who took it to the house for a 42-yard touchdown! The PAT by #8 Noah Musick gives Granville the lead 7-0 with 11:00 left in the 1^st quarter.

Bexley started at their own 20-yard line but was unable to do anything. The Lions went for it on 4^th-and-2 down from their own 28-yard line but didn’t convert. It took Granville two plays to capitalize. Long connected with Varrasso from 22 yards out. The PAT was no good, and the score was 13-0 Granville with 9:19 left in the 1^st.

Bexley was unable to muster a first down and punted the ball. #2 Noble Terebuh returned the ball about 30 yards, all the way back to the Lions’ 32-yard line. Granville was unable to capitalize on the field position. The Blue Aces went for it on 4^th-and-3 from the Bexley 25 but were unable to convert.

Bexley took over at their 24-yard-line and drove 76 yards in 10 plays. An impressive drive led by sophomore quarterback #16 Jackson Frey. Frey connected with #10 Jamie Wright for Bexley’s first score of the game. The PAT cut the Granville lead to 13-7 with 50 seconds left in the first quarter.

Granville responded to the Bexley touchdown by driving 65 yards in 4 plays, taking only 49 seconds! Long connected with Varrasso again, this time from 45 yards out! Long completed a pass to Terebuh for the 2-pt conversion, giving Granville the lead 21-7 with 0:01 left 1Q.

Bexley QB Frey threw an interception on the next drive, but Granville was unable to capitalize and punted back to Bexley. The Lions took over on their own 11-yard line. On the second play from Bexley’s 10, #20 Cash Thomas picked off Frey and returned it for a touchdown. Pick 6! PAT is good, and the score is 28-7 Granville with 9:57 left in the 2^nd quarter.

Bexley went 3-and-out and punted. After a 15-yard penalty, the Blue Aces started the drive at their 43-yard line. It took Granville all of two plays to get in the end zone. Long completed a long touchdown pass to Varrasso, this one from 54 yards out. This was Varrasso’s third touchdown catch of the game, for a combined 121 yards! After the PAT, the score was 35-7 Granville with 7:19 left before halftime.

Starting at its own 20 after another Granville touchback, Bexley drove 80 yards in 10 plays to score a touchdown. Frey started the drive with a 38-yard completion to Wright and finished it with a 6-yard keeper. The PAT was good, making the score 35-14 with 2:23 left before halftime.

Granville’s quarterback responded with a keeper of his own. Long capped a 7-play, 64-yard drive by running it in from 5 yards out. The PAT was good, and Granville extended the lead to 42-14 just before halftime.

Bexley drove 77 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown on the first drive of the 2^nd half. Quarterback Jackson Frey ran it in from 10 yards out for his 2^nd rushing touchdown of the game and 3^rd touchdown overall. The PAT was blocked. Granville leads 42-20 with 7:28 left in the third quarter.

Bexley unsuccessfully tried an onside kick. Starting at their 35-yard line, Granville drove 65 yards in 5 plays, including a 32-yard reception by Varrasso. The drive only took 1:10. Long scored on a keeper, his second rushing touchdown of the game. With a successful 2-point conversion, Granville extended its lead to 50-20 with 6:18 remaining in the 3^rd quarter.

After an unsuccessful 4^th down conversion by Bexley, Granville started their next drive at Bexley’s 25. The Blue Aces are unable to capitalize on the field position as #4 Dylan Goldberg intercepts Beckett Long and returns it to the Bexley 17-yard line. Goldberg’s interception sparked the team and they put together a 14-play, 83-yard touchdown drive. #13 Muhammad Jallaq ran the ball in from the 4 for the score. After the PAT was made, the score stood at 50-27 with 5:54 remaining in the game.

The final score of the game came off the foot of Noah Musick. Musick launched a 49-yard field goal that looked good from at least 55. Final score: Granville Blue Aces 53, Bexley Lions 27.

Quarterback Long scored 6 touchdowns to lead Granville into the regional semifinals, including 4 to Varrasso. Varrasso had 8 catches for 181 yards and 4 touchdowns in the game.