PIKETON —Whether it was a turnover on downs, or just an inopportune turnover, the Northwest Mohawks were often at times their own worst enemy last Friday night.
Despite playing Piketon’s Redstreaks rather tough, the visiting Mohawks had drives stall out and a late case of unfortunate fumble-itis —as Piketon pitched a 26-0 shutout in the non-league season opener between the two Route 23 neighbors.
The Redstreaks scored a touchdown apiece in the middle two cantos, before two Mohawk turnovers in a span of a quarter quickly made it 20-0 with seven-and-a-half minutes remaining.
Piketon put the game away with 14 fourth-quarter points, as the two rivals played for the first time — and not impromptu — since the coronavirus-impacted season of 2020.
The two were regulars on each other’s schedules, but the schools just 18 miles apart last met regularly a decade-and-a-half ago (2009).
Luke Gullion, the five-foot and 11-inch and 175-pound Piketon junior quarterback, was responsible for all four Redstreak scores —bookend runs of 45 and three yards and a pair of touchdown strikes to Mason Thacker.
Gullion, the son of 22-year Piketon head coach Tyler Gullion, completed 6-of-12 passes for 171 yards —and rushed for another 58 on nine attempts.
Wayde Fout caught three of Gullion’s passes for 20 yards.
Both of Thacker’s receptions resulted in his two touchdowns, while senior running back Buddy Wilson had 26 yards on a dozen totes.
The Mohawks had six fourth-down conversion tries in this game, and actually made the first on a 4th-and-1 at the Piketon 38 early in the first quarter.
But a second fourth down on the drive, at the Redstreak five-yard line, resulted in a turnover on downs with three minutes left in the period.
A full quarter later, and after another Mohawk turnover on downs and at the 2:42 point of the second period, Gullion scampered for 45 yards to make the score 6-0.
In the third quarter, the Mohawks moved the ball to the Redstreak 11, but they turned it over with an actual turnover —just four minutes and 23 seconds in.
A minute and eight seconds later, with six-and-a-half minutes left in the third, Gullion found Thacker from 23 yards out for the 12-0 lead.
An 81-yard pass from Gullion to Zack Hannah had the Redstreaks in business, setting up first and goal.
The Redstreaks then recovered a Northwest fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and after a trade of possessions, Piketon struck again.
This time, Gullion threw to Thacker for 47 yards —with seven-and-a-half minutes remaining, as Wilson’s two-point conversion run made it 20-0.
Finally, following a sack and another lost Mohawk fumble, Piketon put the game on ice with a Gullion three-yard run.
A fourth Northwest turnover on downs then allowed the Redstreaks to run out the clock.
The Mohawks return to the road, and return to non-league action, on Friday night (Aug. 30) at McClain.
* * *
Northwest 0 0 0 0 —0
Piketon 0 6 6 14— 26
P — Luke Gullion, 45-yard run (kick failed), 2:42, 2nd (6-0 P)
P — Mason Thacker, 23-yard pass Luke Gullion (2-point PAT failed), 6:29, 3rd (12-0 P)
P — Mason Thacker, 47-yard pass Luke Gullion (Buddy Wilson run), 7:27, 4th (20-0 P)
P — Luke Gullion, 3-yard run (kick failed), 4th (26-0 P)
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