Salem crushes Minerva, 55-0
SALEM – The Salem Quakers football team needed something positive to happen after three consecutive weeks of heart-breaking, last-second losses. They got exactly that and more with a dominating 55-0 victory over the Minerva Lions.
“This whole week was not about Minerva,” Quakers head coach Ron Johnson said. “We knew what they were doing schematically. But it was all about us. It wasn’t us against them, it was us against us. We had some goals and objectives we set for this week, and we met them.”
The Quakers, who improved to 2-5 on the season, and 1-1 in the Eastern Buckeye Conference, controlled the game from the opening kickoff as they built a 48-0 lead by halftime. They scored on their first eight possessions, accumulating 419 yards to propel them to that comfortable advantage at intermission.
The Quakers scored their first five touchdowns utilizing just 12 offensive plays. Their first two possessions only took three plays to hit pay dirt while the third time they had the ball, they scored on a 57-yard pass.
Sophomore running Brandon Kana set the tone for the game when he rumbled 37 yards on the game’s first play. He scored on a 2-yard run just two plays later. On the night Kana would rush for 112 yards and score three times.
“It was really exciting to see the team get together,” Kana said. “I think we did well, and the coaching staff was really excited in the locker room.”
Quakers quarterback Cletis Monroy ran for 109 yards on the night while also connecting on 7-of-8 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Senior kicker Troy Gibson added 7-of-8 extra points, and he only allowed one kickoff return as his other seven boots reached the end zone for touchbacks.
The Lions dropped to 1-6 overall with the loss, and 0-2 in the league as they have been outscored 0-119 the past two weeks. On the night, the Lions only racked up 83 total yards on offense.
The Quakers will look to keep their momentum rolling next Friday when they entertain Carrollton. Minerva will host Marlington next Friday.