METRO ATHLETIC CONFERENCE Salem rolls to 43-0 win over East Palestine

Landon Heath and Zac Grey combined for three scores, including a 70-yard strike on the first play.
By ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
SALEM -- Salem quarterback Landon Heath and receiver Zac Grey needed just one play to show why they are one of the most explosive offensive tandems in the area.
The duo connected for a 70-yard touchdown strike on the game's first play and added two more scores in the first half, as the Quakers rolled past East Palestine 43-0 Friday night at Reilly Stadium.
Grey finished with eight catches for a school-record 191 yards and three touchdowns. His effort eclipsed the old Salem record of 179 yards, set by Kenny Kenst in 1967.
"Records come from playing on a team," explained Grey. "I'm proud of our team for winning tonight. The offensive line did a great job blocking and Landon threw the ball up there for me and I was able to go get it. I had one-on-one coverage and I was able to make the plays I needed to."
Heath has big game
Heath also did more than his share of making plays against the East Palestine defense. The senior quarterback completed 15-of-26 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns, all to Grey.
"East Palestine was bringing everything they had at us and we were able to get our receivers one-on-one and came up with some big plays," said Salem coach Doug Phillips. "It was a long week after that heartbreaking loss to Marlington last week and I'm proud of our kids for putting that behind us and giving a great effort tonight."
For the second straight week, the East Palestine defense had difficulty preventing the big play. Salem scored three first-half touchdowns on pass plays covering over 30 yards. In addition to Grey's 70-yard bomb to start the game, he hauled in scoring catches of 45 and 32 yards, respectively.
On each of those plays, the Bulldogs' defense had plenty of pressure on Heath, but missed tackles kept the plays alive for the Quakers.
"I think defensively we schemed things well tonight, but we just couldn't make the plays," lamented East Palestine coach John Protopapa, whose squad fell to 0-2 on the season. "We need to practice tackling after missing a lot of them tonight."
Bulldogs injuries mount
Injuries didn't help the Bulldogs, either. East Palestine entered the game without two starters and has likely lost two more, including senior running back Frankie Newman, who suffered a broken right foot.
After Grey's 32-yard score put Salem ahead 24-0 in the second quarter, things got worse for East Palestine. Facing fourth down from their own 11, the Bulldogs lined up to punt. The snap sailed through the back of the end zone, giving Salem a safety and a 26-0 lead.
A 36-yard field goal from Brian Schwartz increased the Quakers' advantage to 29-0 at intermission.
The East Palestine offense did show signs of life throughout the contest, moving the ball on the Salem defense. But any ground gained by the Bulldogs was quickly taken away, via the turnover. The Quaker defense came up with four interceptions and a fumble recovery. Jarin Heath picked off East Palestine quarterback Zac Dunn twice, while Zach Bennett and Grant Sevek each added a takeaway.
"It was a great team effort defensively tonight," said Phillips. "This shutout was important to those kids. We have some strong kids that run hard to the ball and they played hard tonight."