West Branch gives Big Red real battle

No. 1-ranked Steubenville had to summon all forces to top the Warriors, 19-13.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
STEUBENVILLE -- The West Branch High football team threw a major scare at the state's No. 1 team in Division III before dropping a 19-13 playoff decision to Steubenville on Saturday at Harding Stadium.
"I'm so proud of our guys," said West Branch coach Steve Saulnier. "When you wear the green and white, you always have the tradition that you never give up.
"Every minute our guys believed they were going to win this game."
The Warriors (6-4-1), seeded eighth in Region 11, scored with 4 minutes, 15 seconds remaining on Eric Balputnis' 7-yard run to pull West Branch within six points of Big Red (11-0).
The score was set up when Steve Bryte recovered a Steubenville fumble at the Big Red 48-yard line.
West Branch used the arm of quarterback Ben Swallow to move down-field as the senior connected on three straight passes to get the Warriors to the 7. Balputnis scored on a trap play that caught Steubenville off-guard.
Despite having two time-outs, West Branch could not get the ball back in the final minutes to mount a last charge.
Before the Warriors' final score, West Branch had two other opportunities to put points on the scoreboard in the second half.
West Branch had one drive fizzle out at the Steubenville 32 and another on the 5 after having second-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the third quarter.
"We didn't make the most of our opportunities against a great team," Saulnier said. "Sometimes tonight we shot ourselves in the foot."
Steubenville coach Reno Saccoccia said that while the third-quarter goal-line stand was a key play, the ability to make plays offensively in the final minutes was the difference.
"They [West Branch] are a good team from a good league," he said. "You don't get in the playoffs without being a good team."
West Branch was aided by a strong performance by Swallow, who completed 13 of 25 passes for 124 yards.
Meanwhile, Steubenville was hampered after quarterback Antonio Magnone went out with an injury in the second quarter.
Big Red controlled the game from the opening kickoff, although West Branch trailed only 13-7 early in the second quarter.
Trailing 13-0, the Warriors' J.R. Gibson blocked a Steubenville punt and Blaine Crawford recovered on the 2-yard line.
Balputnis tallied on the next play and Kevin Caughman kicked the extra point to pull West Branch within six points.
Steubenville, however, took the Warriors' brief momentum away three plays later when backup quarterback Zach Collaros broke free for a 64-yard score to give Big Red a 19-7 lead at halftime.
The Warriors managed 176 total yards, with Balputnis, the team's 1,000-yard rusher, held to 37 yards on 11 carries.
Big Red amassed 348 total yards, led by tailback Gary Stubbs with 96 yards and Jeremy Presley with 76 yards.