By Tom Williams

williams@vindy.com

NORTH LIMA

A few minutes after being crowned Homecoming King, South Range senior wide receiver Bryce Allen caught a pass for a 73-yard touchdown on the first play of the Raiders’ 62-36 victory over United.

Hard to imagine anyone having a better night, right?

Here’s a candidate. Junior running back Joe Alessi ascended a different throne when he shattered Ben Johnston’s single-game records for rushing and touchdowns. With 12 carries, Alessi ran for 340 yards and scored six times as the unbeaten Raiders continued their march for their first outright Inter Tri-County League Tier One crown.

“It’s a great honor but I have to give all the credit in the world to my line,” said Alessi, who scored on runs covering 20, 43, 40, 51, 37 and 92 yards. “They always open up huge holes — I just hit them and run.”

The Raiders (6-0, 3-0) pounded the Eagles for 414 yards on the ground. Led by Mike Martin’s 187 yards on 42 carries, the Eagles (2-4, 1-2) rushed for 358 yards and quarterback Garrett Beech passed for 198 yards.

United coach Mike Ward wasn’t surprised that 98 points were scored.

“We knew it was going to be hard for us to stop them,” Ward said. “The plan was to outscore them — try to keep the ball, try to sustain drives.

“And in the first half we did.”

The Raiders scored six touchdowns in the first half for a 42-29 lead. The Eagles responded with four touchdowns and Beech’s 27-yard field goal to remain within striking distance.

“We had 42 points at halftime and we were in a dogfight,” South Range coach Dan Yeagley said. “[United] can make things happen.”

The game turned in the Raiders’ favor late in the third quarter when the Eagles took the kickoff and gobbled eight minutes while driving to the United 3. On fourth-and-goal, Martin fumbled a pitchout for a 7-yard loss.

The Raiders need just five plays to march 90 yards, with Alessi breaking loose for a 51-yard touchdown and 20-point lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles also were stopped at the Raiders 8. On the next play, Alessi set his records with a 92-yard run.

”In the second half, we turned the ball over on downs twice inside the 10,” Ward said. “That’s 14 more points we sort of left out there.”

Yeagley wasn’t surprised that Martin and Beech gave his defenders fits.

“We’ve been playing Beech and Martin for four years — great players,” Yeagley said. “They had a great offensive scheme. Luckily, we got two stops in the second half that were huge.

“If they score 14 more points, it’s a whole other ballgame.”

The opening play set the tone. Quarterback Ryan Miller connected with Allen about 20 yards down field. Allen bobbled the ball and then outraced the Eagles to the end zone.

For the Raiders, Billy Goodall returned a kickoff 81 yards before leaving the game with an injury. Allen also ran three times for 56 yards.

“This is one of the best nights of my life,” Allen said. “It’s just pure excitement. I just can’t wait to keep on working and keep on winning.”

Beech scored a 25-yard touchdown and threw scoring passes to Braden Davison (28 yards) and Tyler Davison (27 yards). Martin scored on runs covering 51 and 9 yards.