FIGHTING FOR YARDS — Big Red tailback Savier Faulks fights through a tackle during Friday’s game against Wheeling Park at Harding Stadium. Faulks had a big night, racking up 177 yards and four scores in a 42-28 Steubenville win. - Andrew Grimm

STEUBENVILLE — It was no secret coming into Friday’s showdown at Harding Stadium that both Big Red and visiting Wheeling Park have big play capability.

So, it was no surprise that big plays and big offensive numbers were on full display from start to finish in the battle of OVAC Class Class 5A powers.

In the end, after nearly 1,000 combined yards of offense, it was Big Red who made more big plays on both sides of the ball to come away with a 42-28 victory, its fifth-straight win to improve to 5-1. It was also Steubenville’s 17th win in 18 meetings with the Patriots.

“That was a great game,” Big Red head coach Reno Saccoccia said. “There were a lot of big plays both ways. I’m so proud of our kids for the way they played. Every time we needed a big play, we got one. (Wheeling Park) got big plays, but we got them when we needed them.

“We got sacks when we needed to, we didn’t sack them a lot, but we got them when we needed to. We got short yardage stops, we had two big stops in the first half. The defense gave up some points, but the defense played good in spots when we needed it to, also. Offensively we played well outside of maybe one series.

“It was just a good overall game and I’m just proud of our kids, especially for making plays when we had to have them on both sides of the ball.”

Leading the attack for Big Red was Savier Faulks. The senior tailback that returned from missing a couple games with an injury with a big performance at Dover last week had an even bigger night, racking up 177 yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries.

He scored on runs of 5, 20, 15 and 39 yards, the last of which gave Big Red a 21-point lead in the third quarter.

Senior quarterback Aydan Manning fired a couple of long scoring strikes, a 32-yarder to Isaac Hill and a 47-yarder to Sabron Felton, on his way to finishing with 241 passing yards while going 15 of 20.

On defense, Kyleigh Hopkins, Javin Harper and Peyton Gorby each had a sack, all three coming in big situations for a combined loss of 26 yards.

Those big numbers were needed against a Park (2-2) offense that put up 500 yards of offense and had several explosive plays of its own, though a missed field goal, three turnovers on downs, including one in the fourth quarter, and a big stop by the Big Red D late in the third quarter kept those totals from matching Big Red’s points.

“It really was a good game,” Wheeling Park head coach Chris Daugherty, whose team had an early lead, said. “I’m proud of our guys. We don’t come up here for moral victories, we come up here to win, but we played hard. I thought our kids battled. We fell on our face a little bit last week, so it was good to see our kids rebound and give a great effort.

“Big Red is a great football team, I think we’re a good football team, it was back-and-forth and a good football game. Our guys didn’t quit when we got down by three scores, and that says something about them.”

Aiden Davis threw for 320 yards and a score, an 86-yard catch and run by Keohn Stephens Jr. in the fourth quarter that gave Park some life, in going 21 of 35. He hit seven different receivers in the game.

Some 176 of the Patriots 180 rushing yards came from Amare Johnson, who scored on runs of 28, 2 and 56 yards.

His first score gave Park the lead, 7-6, answering after Big Red took an early lead with Faulks’ first scoring run to cap an 11-play drive.

The Patriots, after an interception by Jared Marsh, then went up 14-6 early in the second quarter on Johnson’s second score.

It was Big Red’s turn to answer next, this time Manning hitting Hill, who finished with six grabs for 135 yards and a score, then a two-point run by Faulks knotting the score. Faulks’ 28-yard TD on the next drive after the Park missed FG gave Big Red back the lead, 21-14, and it would not trail again.

Faulks capped the opening drive of the second half with a 15-yard run set up by a Manning 24-yard run, to make it 28-14.

Park pulled back within a score with Johnson’s 57-yarder, but Felton made his big play to answer, then, after, the Big Red defense forced a Park turnover on downs, Faulks broke free for a 39-yard TD to make it 42-21 after three quarters.

After Stephens’ long TD, Park did get the ball back after forcing a punt, but the last-ditch drive ended in a turnover on downs on the Big Red end of the field.

UP NEXT

Wheeling Park: Has another big test on the road when it travels to unbeaten Morgantown next Friday night.

Big Red: Travels to the Wheeling area next Friday to take on another OVAC opponent when it battles Linsly at West Liberty University’s West Family Stadium.

Big Red 42, Wheeling Park 28

Wheeling Park 7-7-7-7 – 28

Big Red 6-15-21-0 – 42

SCORING

FIRST

BR: Faulks 5 run (kick blocked) 4:45

WP: Johnson 29 run (Seals kick) 2:29

SECOND

WP: Johnson 2 run (Seals kick) 11:33

BR: Hill 32 pass from Manning (Faulks run) 9:23

BR: Faulks 20 run (Bowers kick) 2:26

THIRD

BR: Faulks 15 run (Bowers kick) 7:05

WP: Johnson 57 run (Seals kick) 5:41

BR: Felton 47 pass from Manning (Faulks run) 5:01

BR: Faulks 39 run (kick failed) 1:40

FOURTH

WP: Stephens 86 pass from Davis (Seals kick) 10:07

RUSHING: Wheeling Park 22-180-3TD (Johnson 15-176-3TD; A. Davis 5-(-13); Lydick 2-17); Big Red 35-227-4TD (Faulks 27-177-4TD; Simmons 1-1; Manning 3-30; Minniefield 3-15; Douglas 1-4)

PASSING: Wheeling Park 21-35-320-2TD (all by A. Davis); Big Red 15-20-241-2TD-2INT (all by Manning)

RECEIVING: Wheeling Park 21-320-TD (Marsh 1-14; Johnson 4-38; Stephens 2-99-TD; Maynard 5-41; M. Davis 5-53; Campbell 1-17; Lydick 2-58); Big Red 15-241-2TD (Bryant 2-12; Hill 6-135-TD; Saccoccia 2-23; Felton 2-63-TD; Muntz 1-6; Sewell 1-18)

FIRST DOWNS: Wheeling Park 14, Big Red 13

PENALTIES-YARDS: Wheeling Park 7-39; Big Red 6-60

FUMBLES-LOST: Wheeling Park 0-0; Big Red 0-0

PUNTS-AVG: Wheeling Park 2-31.5; Big Red 1-37