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Alliance, Ohio – The Alliance Aviators, after a close duel last week with Uniontown Lake, moved to 2-0 thanks to a 45-28 win over Niles McKinley at Kehres Stadium on the campus of Mount Union.
The Aviators won the toss and elected to receive. The offense went right to work as Brendan Zurbrugg fired a 26-yard touchdown to K’Vaughn Davis. The extra point was no good, and Alliance held a 6-0 lead.
Niles McKinley then embarked on a scoring drive of their own, finishing with a two-yard touchdown run from Antuan Gardner. The PAT was good, and the Red Dragons took the lead, 7-6.
Sophomore Ravhan Hawkins had a big first half for the Aviators. He scored his first TD on a four-yard touchdown run to give the Aviators the lead, 13-7. After an Alliance stop on defense, Zurbrugg found Hawkins for a 16-yard touchdown reception to increase the lead to 20-7.
Anthony Budak then took a handoff and went six yards to the house to cut the Niles McKinley deficit to 20-14 early in the second quarter.
It didn’t take long for the Aviator offense to strike again, as Zurbrugg found sophomore JR Jackson for a 56-yard touchdown reception less than a minute later. This would increase their lead to 27-14.
Senior defensive lineman Aidan Mozden had a pair of sacks. The latter capped a goal-line stand to keep the score at 27-14 at the half.
Niles McKinley bounced back in the third quarter. Anthony Budak tossed a 57-yard touchdown to running back Antuan Gardner to cut their deficit to 27-21.
Alliance responded as sophomore Ravhan Hawkins went in for the third time Friday night, this a three-yard run to put the Aviators ahead, 33-21. A near-house call on a kick return from lineman Aidan Mozden to put Alliance in great field position prior to the score.
Zurbrugg tossed his second touchdown to K’Vaughn Davis on fourth and goal. This would bump the Aviator lead to 39-21 after three.
After a Budak to Nathan Coots connection trimmed the Red Dragon deficit to 39-28, the Aviators scored once more in the fourth. Adam Zumbar scored a one-yard touchdown with 7:51 left to cap the scoring.
The Aviator defense also came up with a pair of picks as well, coming from JR Jackson and Michael Blackwell.
Alliance goes to Streetsboro next Friday night in a battle of 2-0 teams.
Niles McKinley travels to LaBrae next Friday night.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Brendan Zurbrugg (Alliance)
The University of Oklahoma commit threw five touchdowns Friday evening. He tossed a pair of scores each to senior K’Vaughn Davis and sophomore Ravhan Hawkins, and sophomore running back JR Jackson.
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